Periods In The Workplace: How To Stay Comfortable + Confident

Hell hath a name and it hath two words (no, not “Donald’s bedroom”) – workplace periods.

When you’re working while in pain and with frayed emotions, you need to feel confident and comfortable. You might be fortunate enough to work for a company that’s open, accommodating and sensitive to periods in the workplace, but for many women, that’s not the case.

Don’t worry if your workplace isn’t set up to make you feel confident and comfortable during your period. Here are some simple and effective steps you can take yourself.

Recommended reading: The Importance Of Self Care For A Person's Physical & Mental Health

Confide in your coworkers

Solitude is the enemy of confidence, especially when your own body is the aggressor.

Suffering through period cramps in your office chair can make you feel grouchy and isolated. But it doesn’t have to; speaking to your coworkers and venting about your discomfort can help you feel better about having a particularly bad period day at work.  

You might find that confiding in your female colleagues takes confidence in itself, but remember that everyone has had periods and knows what you’re going through. They may even be able to offer help or advice.

Eat iron to replenish your body

A healthy diet is proven to make your body happier. Eating the wrong foods can make you bloated, worn, and tired. Managing your diet helps make your body more comfortable while having an iron-rich diet can counter the effects of your period.

During your period you lose blood which depletes your iron levels, causing fatigue and increasing your chances of getting an infection. This can have an adverse effect on your work because it makes you feel drained and exhausted in the workplace.

The good news is, you can help your body out simply by eating the right things and topping up your iron levels. Some of the best foods for boosting your iron levels are fortified cereals, rice, leafy green vegetables, dried fruits, and beans. Check out these recipes for delicious ways to add iron to your diet and feel more comfortable on your period.    

Use leakproof underwear to stay confident while you’re working

Even the idea of leaking at work can leave us all feel mortified. Whether you’ve unexpectedly come on, you’ve had a heavy flow day, or you’ve run out of tampons — at some point, it’s happened to the best of us.

Sitting at your desk when this happens can leave you feeling embarrassed, panicky and out of control. You don’t want to spend the rest of your day with your jacket tied around your waist or worrying about standing up. Luckily, there’s an easy remedy for those heavy flow days or just-before-you’re-due days: the right underwear. And by that, we mean period underwear.

Knix period underwear is suitable for any woman on her period. Whether you prefer to wear boyshorts, thongs or high rise pants, you can do so with confidence because you won’t need to worry about leaking. Knix’s period-proof underwear comes with an absorbent pad and moisture-resistant back, which stops your period from leaking through and causing any embarrassing stains.

Add a sad lamp to your desk

You’ve probably already heard of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) — a type of depression that affects millions of people, particularly during the winter months. And if you have, you may have also heard of SAD lamps: artificial light lamps which successfully treat SAD.

Stand by for some new information: using therapy lamps has been proven to help the confidence lows caused by periods too, as well as tackling the physical symptoms. A study found using a SAD lamp lead to physical improvements in 89% of women on their periods.

If the unwanted side effects of getting your period make you struggle at work, you can get a SAD lamp for your desk for just $40. It’ll help to reverse the symptoms of PMS and improve your mood, making you feel happier and more confident when you’re on your period at work.

Exercise before work to make yourself feel more confident

It might not be something you’re desperate to do when you’re on your period (most of us just want to curl up under our duvets with a tub of ice cream) but exercise is a great way to tackle those period blues and feel better.

There are loads of reasons why exercise will make you feel better while you’re on your period. For a start, exercise helps to alleviate menstrual cramps. By getting the blood circulating around your body, you’re increasing the oxygen supply to your muscles and stopping them from cramping up.

Exercising also releases endorphins and adrenaline in your body — helping you to tackle mood swings and those times where you feel super sluggish. Even just doing a small amount of exercise before your working day will make you feel sharper, less stressed, and more confident.

Personally, I have my own ten-minute regime I use every morning, but there are so many great workouts you can do for yourself. Adding an exercise regime can be trying (it took me a few attempts to fix it to my daily routine), but once you do you’ll feel happier, energized, and more confident.

No one enjoys coping with periods in the workplace; being tied to your desk when you can barely get out of bed because of menstrual cramps is physically draining and mentally exhausting. Next time you have your period at work, try out these suggestions — we guarantee that they will help you feel a lot better.