Archive for November, 2007
November 28, 2007 at 10:15 am
· Filed under feminine cycle, fertility cycle, healthy cycle, menstrual cycle
Source: Alexandra Pope
Tester: Fran Montague
Test Date/s: June 2005
Problem: Feeling alone in your struggle.
Solution: Attend seminars, conferences or workshops where you can obtain the information that you need in a supportive environment where women are encouraged to share their experiences.
Trial: I attended a workshop in July 2005 which was led by Alexandra Pope, a woman who has dedicated her life to menstrual health education and supporting the Feminine. It was a turning point for me in terms of accepting and listening to my body, both because of the information provided and because of the wonderful healing experience of being in a room with twenty other women who were open to talking and listening on the subject of the menstrual cycle.
Result: This removed much of my isolation, loneliness and fear and gave me hope as I realised that I was not alone in my experiences.
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November 20, 2007 at 12:46 pm
· Filed under PMS, depression, emotional distress, emotions, premenstrual phase
Source: Fran Montague
Tester: Fran Montague
Test Date/s:
Problem: Extreme stress, anxiety and unhappiness for the 2 weeks before my period
Solution: Fran’s adaptation of the “Wheel of Life” technique used by numerous life coaches: 
The cycle is the stress sensor in women, so if there are things in our lives that are making us unhappy, the latter half of the cycle shows this to us in our PMS symptoms or during the period itself. The Wheel of Life can help you look at your life in a rational, logical manner in order to qualify what is working for you and what is not, so that you can then start making changes. It can be done while you’re experiencing your stress/PMS or you may need to wait till the symptoms have passed.
Trial: The idea is that you score areas of your life (i.e. relationship, work, money, etc) from 0-10 (10 is high and 0 is low) asking yourself the question “Is this area good/working for me?” and so on around the wheel until you have asked yourself the same question for each area. As you do this, you mark across each section of the wheel (a 0 score gives a mark in the centre of the wheel, and the higher the score the further out towards the perimeter the mark is). Once you’ve done this, you join up the marks. What is revealed is a circle of some description, and the more wonky the circle, the more unbalance there is in your life. It shows you in a visual way the specific areas that not working for you and those likely to be affecting your experience before your period.
Result: This exercise revealed to me that work and money were not working at all for me. These factors hugely affect my state of mind during my pre-menstrual phase. Having the wheel as a visual, practical object helped me on a journey of analysing my life and making changes.
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November 19, 2007 at 8:02 am
· Filed under emotional distress, feminine cycle, healthy cycle
Source: Heather Salmon
Tester: Tester Required!
Test Date/s:
Problem: Feeling alone in your struggle
Solution: Look for or create a group that supports women in exploring their monthly cycle and seeking to view it positively. You may be interested in these quidelines for creating your own support group.
Trial:
Result:
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November 17, 2007 at 5:57 pm
· Filed under feminine cycle, fertility cycle, healthy cycle, menstrual cycle
Source: Alexandra Pope
Tester: Tester Required!
Test Date/s:
Problem: Low self-esteem
Solution: Awareness and acceptance of the cycle is a self-esteem builder. Accept yourself and your natural menstrual rhythms. Loving yourself is a critical factor in being able to handle the charge at menstruation.
Trial:
Result:
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November 16, 2007 at 3:26 pm
· Filed under PMS, emotional distress, emotions, premenstrual phase
Source: Alexandra Pope
Tester: Fran Montague
Test Date/s: Sept 2005
Problem: Getting stressed because you feel frustrated that you are different before your period and cannot seem to achieve what you would at other times.
Solution: Acknowledge that the week before the period is a particularly sensitive time of the month and therefore let your world be a little less perfect.
Trial: I have started realising that this is a reality for me and in order not to get stressed about it I can try to work around it. I simply acknowledge that I may be feeling more lethargic or unmotivated than usual and then buy myself a little time on projects or (where I can) moving the non-urgent items on my to-do list to next week.
Result: I feel connected with who I am and the ebb and flow of my motivation and energy levels, which makes me feel more in control. Knowing what I can anticipate and making small adjustments for this physically calms me down.
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November 15, 2007 at 12:28 pm
· Filed under PMS, emotional distress, emotions, premenstrual phase
Source: Alexandra Pope
Tester: Fran Montague
Test Date/s: 2005
Problem: Feeling very confused about what I am feeling during my pre-menstrual phase
Solution: When it comes to expressing the critical mind – try writing your feelings down, and reviewing them at menstruation. Honour them then if they feel right.
Trial: I started keeping a journal.
Result: This helped me because then I had somewhere that I could express my inner emotions, frustration, anger – the whole range of different emotional states that may occur from one PMS to the next.
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November 13, 2007 at 2:55 pm
· Filed under breast tenderness, depression, water retention
Source: Natural Health Advisory Service
Tester: Fran Montague
Test Date/s: 2005
Problem: Premenstrual water retention, breast tenderness and depression
Solution: Evening Primrose Oil, Magnesium and Vitamin B6 supplements have helped some PMS sufferers
Trial: I took the above supplements every morning with breakfast
Result: After two to three months the difference was really noticeable. The breast tenderness eased and my PMS (anxiety, depression) was much less severe and dramatic. After this, I “forgot” to take supplements again, and also generally took less care of myself and my health. During my next cycle I felt quite low again and had very tender breasts. Simply introducing the supplements worked well for me and I now aim to take them religiously.
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November 13, 2007 at 12:47 pm
· Filed under immune system, premenstrual phase
Source: Fran Montague
Tester: Tester Required!
Test Date/s:
Problem: PMS!
Solution: I have been advised on numerous occasions that sugar makes PMS worse, in part because it knocks your immune system which is quite fragile during the premenstrual phase.
Trial:
Result:
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November 12, 2007 at 2:58 pm
· Filed under constipation, cramps, headaches, healthy cycle, pain, physical discomfort
Source: Raquel Chinchetru, Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist, Pregnancy Yoga Specialist
Tester: Tester Required!
Test Date/s:
Problem:
Solution:
Trial:
Result:
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