10/05/2026
I once had a doctor who referred to PMS as “poor me syndrome”.
Here are my thoughts on this:
In the months where I have basically looked after myself (enough sleep, food, movement, nature time, and time with people I love), it’s like my body gives me a little wave just to say, “hey Queen, your period is on its way”. 🫶🏼
In the months where I have been working like a maniac, not sleeping enough, eating enough, moving enough or essentially just not taking care of my basic needs, PMS is more like, “RED ALERT! RED ALERT! THE PERIOD IS COMING”. 🚨
It’s an unmistakeable shift from glowing and feeling (mostly) like a goddess, to being overwhelmed, stressed, irritated, super teary, bloated, tired and exasperated by everyone who seems to need something from me 🙄🤬🫠
To get back to the “poor me” contemplation, what I think this means in the context of PMS is, “when I don’t meet my basic needs and then it comes time to rest and take a moment to go inward (pre- and during period time), it’s extremely hard to do this without feeling the debt I’ve put myself in. And gosh, after all the giving I’ve been doing, it would be so nice for someone to take care of me for a change! Poor me!”
It’s infinitely important to pay attention to your menstrual cycle. It’s there to remind us that we have this amazing capacity to traverse a stunningly complex, beautiful and sophisticated journey through all the different parts of us every single month. It’s an invitation from our bodies to get to know ourselves intimately, practice how we want and need to be in the world at each different stage of the cycle, and it TELLS us when we need to fill up our own cup more.
If PMS is turning the week before your period in to a sh*tty time, consider this your sign to book an acupuncture appointment - I’d love to support you!
