A lot of us have faced a huge change in our routines, and our bodies are noticing. My menstrual cycle is usually super predictable: 28 days starting with bloating and chin spots for a few days, cramping and bleeding for three or four days, then two weeks to chill before it all starts again! But it’s all changes since we’ve been in lockdown, which for me has meant working as well as trying to exercise and socialise from home.
Here’s a few changes that I’ve noticed and some of the products that have really helped me out.
My period was late
I track my cycle on an app, which I find super helpful for knowing what’s going down with my body. I also get reminders for when my cycle is about to start (when I get my period) and when my fertile window is opening. When I got the reminder that my period was about to start during lockdown, I thought the app must be wrong as I hadn’t got any of the usual pre-period signals (for me; eating a lot, feeling bloated and getting a dull ache in my lower back), but it was right. It was day 28 and my period was due soon. I waited patiently for a few days, and almost thought I might have skipped it entirely, when it turned up on day 34 of my cycle – a full 6 days late.
There are loads of reasons for your period to be late, and a huge factor might be stress levels. With all the changes I had been making to adjust to being at home more, it’s not surprising that my body was totally confused. When I’m on my period and cramping, I always use BeYou Period Patches, they are an actual miracle and soothe my lower back and abdomen pain.
Hormonal chin spots all the time
There was a time when I would have really beaten myself up about getting spots on my chin, but now I track my cycle, I can see that they’re caused by hormonal changes, not because I had a slice of pizza. These hormonal spots appear on my jaw and chin and are deep, red, painful and usually stay under the surface of my skin. It’s a couple of days before my period that I will see them starting to show up and I’ll they dry up a couple of days after it’s over. Since we’ve been staying at home, a new chin or jawline spot has come through every 3 or 4 days. It feels like every time a one clears up, a fresh one takes it’s place.
While my body is still figuring out my new routine, my hormones are definitely unsettled, which I think is causing the spot population on my chin to continue to grow. I have been using a clay mask like the Revolution Skincare Pink Clay Detox Face Mask every couple of days to try and reduce those oily vibes.
Feeling restless
Long-term stressful situations increase in our ‘panic’ and ‘danger’ hormones, that would usually only be released when we feel very scared or anxious and can cause us to produce more adrenaline. I’m a huge fan of planning ahead, having things booked and knowing what’s going on at least 6 months ahead. As we continue to be uncertain of the future, I have definitely felt restless with nowhere to channel my extra energy.
Creating a little spa sesh at home has been an easy way for me to wind down at the end of the day. After a boujee facemask and serum, I use my jade roller and gua sha.
Missing sleep
As expected with my commute being reduced down to just a few steps, I’m not getting as much exercise and fresh air as I usually would. While home workouts, walks and runs do help, I don’t feel as tired as I normally do when I head to bed. As someone who has never struggled with sleep problems before, it has been difficult to try and fall asleep when I want to. Something that has really helped me is a Sleep Pillow Mist from BeYou that I spritz all over my pillow before going to bed and, if I wake up in the middle of the night, spray over the top of the duvet. It honestly knocks me out!
