By Jo Lockhart
•
April 17, 2021
I’ve been quiet this week as I’ve been on holidays... ahhhhhh ☺️ I woke at 2:45am this morning to head to the airport and was gifted that tight, squeezing, ouchy belly that, for me, sometimes comes just before my bleed. That, combined with the internal guessing game of *is that my period starting?* every few minutes is not ideal when undertaking an economy class flight 😳 Here’s my tips on how to manage this in the most comfortable way: 🌺 Use Pain End-o ~ A LITTLE BIT OFTEN, WHEREVER IT HURTS ~ Keep it in your pocket or carry on so it’s easily accessible. Go to the toilet to apply or just stick your hand down the front of your jeans, who cares what anyone else thinks. Your comfort is more important than their judgement. 🌺 Drink as much water as is comfortable. Don’t bloat yourself, but good hydration will allow the muscles to replace easier. 🌺 Eat lightly. Eating heavy, stodgy, slow-to-digest food will contribute to slow moving energy in your body. (Eating heavier foods than normal this week would have contributed to my pain). Also avoid any foods that you know are inflammatory for you. 🌺 Avoid coffee, sugar and alcohol. Dehydrating. Inflammatory. Delicious on the lips, pain-increasing on the hips ☹️ 🌺 Move your body gently, as much as you can. Gentle walking or stretching promotes good circulation, helping the blood move stress hormones out of the body, and hydration into the muscles. It also creates warming of the muscles which eases pain and aids relaxation. 🌺 Wear period undies. This takes the pain out of the guessing game and protects your clothes. 🌺 Take analgesics if necessary and make sure you have these accessible too. 🌺 Give yourself permission to listen to your body, and give your body what it needs while travelling. Walk the aisle on a flight; stop the car often for breaks to stretch. See you soon Perth ✈️