This past year I have been suffering from PMS. During that time of the month, I am extremely moody, irritated, and hypersensitive. I began noticing that I was complaining a lot, I was super sensitive to all that was wrong in my life, and I did not seem to have it together at all. It seemed like PMS was actually giving voice to my inner self. So instead of dismissing it, I decided to listen to it and learn from it.
When I was younger, I used to think that PMS was something that women in their thirties used as an excuse to be mean. Now that I’m there, I understand. PMS just exposes a woman’s true self. You see, in the twenty-two-odd days outside of PMS, women are guarded. We put on the ‘wife suit,’ the ‘mom suit,’ or the ‘professional suit,’ and we have no time to feel, so our real feelings get pushed aside and controlled, until the twenty-eighth day, when those feelings bust all barriers and let loose!
PMS helps women discover who they really are. Their defenses are down and they become most expressive at that time. It’s like a truth serum. Some people say that they cry for no reason, but they are really crying for every reason-for all the times in the past month when they felt that they couldn’t. They cry because they are overwhelmed. And they snap at their partner, kids, or anyone else unlucky enough to be within earshot because-let’s face it-that’s what we really want to do the other twenty-two days but are too worried about being a bad parent, losing our jobs, or offending our partners. PMS finally gives us an outlet.
Phew!
So I have learned not to dismiss my feelings during PMS, and instead I allow myself to feel. It’s me. Unplugged. Bare. Free and out of control, bringing out the real issues and finally working through all the junk of the past month. It’s not always easy, but it usually leads to the most honest, most liberating, problem solving sessions of my relationship. And I admit, I don’t always win. My crap is thrown right back at me and gives me a reality check. It feels like I’m in rehab. But man, the truth shall set you free. And for five days in the month, I get to be FREE. I have an excuse to finally be me! Thank you PMS!
