A Guide to Mindful Zero-Waste Periods
Ah, the joy of being a woman. I know, I know, most of us don't necessarily feel "joy" when we think of our monthly knock on the door by Ms Uterus Cramps. Yes, I've been there, she visited me as her most wrathful self every single month for years and I know how it feels. The struggle is real, ladies.
Over the past 3 years, my perspective on periods has gradually changed. How I experience my period has also shifted greatly for the better. And I can tell you as a woman who is on average predicted to endures some 456 total periods over 38 years which adds up to 6.25 years of her life, the sooner we form a holistic relationship with our monthly cycles the better. In this post, I will share with you how I went from having extremely painful cramps which even the strongest pain killers couldn't numb to having almost no cramps with no painkiller at all. I will also share my journey into forming a deeper relationship with Mother Earth through experiencing periods that didn't create any waste that will pile up on her for hundreds of years to come. It is a beautiful feeling and I invite you to give this a try.
Let's start with taking a look at the big picture of how we are currently experiencing our periods as the collective feminine and what kind of impact does it have on us and on the planet.
The Monthly Experience: So period cramps are common, around 85% of women experience them in varying degrees. A study conducted in 2012 found 32 to 40 per cent of people who have periods report this pain is so severe they have to miss work or school. I can totally relate to this from my past experience. When it comes to period related complications, 1 in 10 woman experience Endometriosis. Around 70% of women form Uterus fibroids at an older age. And 3 in 4 women experience PMS that involves bloating, headaches and irritability. Apart from the physical and emotional symptoms, a study found that around 60% of women feel embarrassed or ashamed of their period. 73 per cent of those surveyed admitted to hiding a tampon or sanitary pad when going to the bathroom while on their period. And two in five of women who cancelled plans due to their periods also said that they gave a false reason as to why they were cancelling.
The Lifetime Cost: If disposable period products are your choice you will use about 17,000 sanitary products during your lifetime which includes disposable pads or tampons. If you include the cost of other period care items (pain killers, heating pad etc) and the cost of missing one day of work per year due to period cramps the total cost comes around $10,000 per person.
The Environmental and Physical Impact: Tampons, pads and panty-liners along with their packaging and individual wrapping generate more than 200,000 tonnes of waste per year, and they all contain plastic – in fact, pads are around 90% plastic. The average user throws away an astonishing 125 to 150kg of tampons, pads and applicators in their lifetime. The cost on our physical bodies are also risky, usage of tampons can lead to toxic shock syndrome which is a sudden, potentially fatal condition caused by the release of poisonous substances from an overgrowth of bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, which is found in many women's bodies.
Yes, it's currently a rough ride not only for our mental and physical selves but it is also unlikely for our planet to cope up and keep its balance if things continue in this unsustainable way.
So what role can we play as an individual woman to change this?
Re-writing the narrative of menstruation
For the birth of a new way of experiencing periods, a new perception must form first. Think of it like having your first period all over again. This time the only thing different is that you get to decide what period means to you. You can shed the shame and embarrassment that is around the monthly cycle by owning your femininity. Our periods are essential for the continuation of life itself. Our wombs are centres of creation. Every human life starts here regardless of gender, race or religion. Every human being is nourished by this blood as a fetus. Just think about that for a second. Being a woman and having a monthly cycle is just a part of this experience. How can something so sacred be embarrassing? if anything, it is an honour.
Embracing discomfort
The physical discomfort that comes with the menstrual flow is a part of the natural process. The degree is varying from person to person and circumstances to circumstances. I used to have severe cramps that made it necessary for me to leave school to come home and sob on my bed until the 2nd or 3rd painkiller started working. Today I can happily say it has been 3.5 years since I had to take a painkiller during my period. There are a few changes I made in my life that helped me get to this state. First, I treat my body with nourishing, healthy plant-based foods throughout my cycle. If I crave sweets, which the majority of woman do during their periods, I eat fruits and try to minimize my caffeine intake. Second, I meditate or do some gentle yoga when I feel cramps. The thing about physical pain is that the more you resist the pain, the more it intensifies. Deep mindful breathing helps to relax the muscles and let the pain flow through the body. Your pain won't magically disappear. But you will be able to tolerate it with grace and slowly but surely dissolve its intensity just by the power of your breath.
Connecting to Mother Earth
Earth is the fertile land that gives life continuity. It nourishes all of us unconditionally and we know no other place like her to call our home. Earth is a reflection of our mother's womb, she is a manifestation of the gracefully loving feminine energy (who can surely be destructive too). The fact that our own menstrual cycles are causing such a negative impact on Earth is disheartening. How we treat our motherland only shows our disconnection to what it really means to be a woman. Luckily the disposable toxic pads and tampons are not the only options out there. When I started searching for an alternative I came across three: Menstrual cups, reusable sanitary pads and period underwears. I opted for a menstrual cup when I read that around 90% woman who tried menstrual cups never went back to using anything else. I would have to agree. One cup lasts you 10 years and you can recycle it afterwards. It takes a little while to get used to it but once you do, it is truly a life changer. I highly highly recommend it. Make sure you do plenty of research to find the right cup for you.
Resources to look into:
I hope you found this helpful in some way. Periods are difficult, It brings up suppressed emotions and pain that needs introspection. And by no means are those pleasant experiences. But it also brings with it an opportunity for renewal. To shed what is no longer serving us and start fresh. Whether it is an old ideology, a way of being or anger and resentment, we have the opening to let it go and be a little bit closer to the compassionate caring beings we are within. It is the intrinsic nature of the feminine and present in all of us.
- With Loving Awareness
Sources:
Holland, Kimberly. “Menstruation: Facts, Statistics, and You.” HealthLine, 28 Nov. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health/facts-statistics-menstruation
Hayden, Jade. “A LOT of women still feel 'embarrassed' on their periods.” Her, Oct. 2018,
Olsen, Hanna. "How Much Does a Period Cost, Anyway?" Medium, 17 Oct. 2018,
Kane, Jessica. "Here's How Much A Woman's Period Will Cost Her Over A Lifetime" HuffPost, 18 May. 2015, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/period-cost-lifetime_n_7258780
Team OrganiCup. "Powerful Environmental Reasons To Switch To A Menstrual Cup" OrganiCup, 20 Apr. 2018, https://www.organicup.com/blog/powerful-environmental-reasons-to-switch-to-a-menstrual-cup/
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