Sometimes men have a hard time understanding what a woman goes through during her "time of the month", and therefore do not know what to do to help her. Here's a how-to article to help men better understand what a woman goes through and what they can do to help.
- Realize what a woman goes through during her period. Obviously men can't put themselves in the place of a woman and understand what it's like to have a menstrual cycle, but they can try to understand what symptoms they go through. Woman usually get terrible stomach cramps, which are never fun, and can range from a dull pain that simply annoys, to a stabbing pain that practically paralyses a woman. Women can get mood swings, they can get headaches, restlessness, become extremely tired or sleepy, become sore in their genital regions, and their appetites can dramatically change. Symptoms will vary from woman to woman and some women may not even have symptoms at all! Periods are just generally uncomfortable and the symptoms that go along with it are never any fun. Hopefully this will help give you an idea of what a woman goes through during her menstrual cycle.
- Make her feel good about herself. Give her compliments. Say things that will make her feel beautiful and intelligent. This will help boost her confidence and help a little with her mood swings.
- Help her out with things. If she has any little chores or errands to do, help her out. Take the stress off of her by doing the dishes or taking her things down to the laundry. This will help lift some weight from her shoulders and give her time to relax.
- Comfort her. Have her sit down and give her a massage or give her a warm hug. Even a comforting arm rub will make her feel better.
- Make her feel loved and appreciated. Let her know how happy you are to have her in your life. Tell her she's a great friend, girlfriend, or wife. If she's at work or away from you, call her cellphone, work phone or email them and tell her how beautiful, sweet and all-round awesome she is. It's not even describable how nice it is for a person to do this.
- Don't act disgusted. Show her that you are not grossed out by the very thought of her menstrual cycle (even if you are). If she tries to talk to you about it, do not make faces or say 'Go talk to one of your girlfriends". This will just make her feel like you don't care. Another part of this step is to man up if she needs some "errands". Go get her the "girl" stuff she is out of (tampons, etc.) and pick her up some chocolate or her favorite magazine while you are at it! It will make her feel like you really care.
