Managing period pain is challenging under easy circumstances, but when you’re juggling family time, household responsibilities and work, looking after yourself can slip away very easily.

Cramps, mood swings, headaches and general fatigue caused by menstruation cycles can make the smallest of setbacks or tasks seem completely overwhelming, but unfortunately life doesn’t just stop when you have a family and are facing discomfort.

Kids still need feeding, school runs must be made, and family relationships still need tending to.

Working with your body to understand your cycle and put in place routines beforehand can save time, reduce pain flare ups and make space for you to enjoy family moments.

Below are the time saving tips, made to ease the everyday routines, prioritise your wellbeing as a mum all while being present for your family, on the days where you definitely don’t feel your best.

Preplan Your Meals

Prepping meals is a great way to save time ahead of schedule, for when you might not be feeling your best during your period week. When you’re struggling to stand up, cooking is probably on the bottom of the list of what you feel up to. Prepping meals or even just getting ahead of the chopping and portioning is a great way to save time ahead of schedule.

Buying things like frozen fruits and vegetables can allow you to save so much time and even money, giving you two less things to worry about during your period week. Creating period friendly comfort meals for when you’re due on ensures you have something to look forward to but takes the task of thinking of a new rotation of meals each week out of the question.

Intentional Self Care

Self-care doesn’t have to mean spending hours relaxing in a bath, most mums understand that a lot of the time that’s not even an option. But small bursts of intentional self-care during your period week can make a massive difference to your energy levels.

This can come in the form of doing some gentle yoga once the kids have gone to bed or stepping out for fresh air whilst the dinner is cooking or even enjoying a cup of tea whilst the laundry is on its final rinse.

Mini forms of relief can allow you to take a moment for yourself whilst still being present for your family.

Simplify Chores

These self-care hacks can overlap with day-to-day errands around the house. Keeping the house running functionally without giving it hours of attention is doable, it just means working smarter.

Keeping small baskets around the house to pop items in or tidy rooms with, stops clutter being sprawled out around rooms. Laundry always seems never ending, especially when you have children and the sight of an overflowing basket when you have a million and one other things to do can feel daunting and throw you off. By doing smaller loads each day instead of huge amounts piling up can allow for more time for you to focus on yourself and your family.

Create a Relief Kit

Preparing a small, easy to carry kit ahead of your period can make the days where the symptoms seem to take over a lot easier. If everything is in reach for you, you can avoid a mad run to the shops or a frantic rummage through the medicine at home. Stocking it with pain supplies like Ultravana period pain tablets, tampons and pads and easy to grab snacks ensures you will have what you need to try and stay as comfortable as you can.

Reflect on the Little Moments

Handling period symptoms can leave you feeling spent, especially whilst juggling normal family life. Taking the time to reflect on what matters to you and celebrating what you achieved in the day is a gentle way of assessing what helped support you when you felt down so you can implement them next time you feel that way. Intentionally enjoying family time and knowing you accomplished what you could is far more soothing than staying up tossing and turning about a never-ending task list, whilst you’re already in pain.