8 Journal Prompts to Change Your Relationship with Your Period
Your period isn’t just a physical event—it’s a cycle that impacts your emotions, energy, and overall well-being. By journaling, you can tap into a deeper understanding of how your menstrual cycle affects your daily life and mindset. These journal prompts are designed to help you reflect, explore, and ultimately shift your relationship with your period, turning it from a monthly nuisance into a powerful tool for self-awareness and growth.
“How do I feel about my period?”
The first step to a better relationship with your period is to understand where your current relationship is at. Do you feel angry or resentful towards your period? Frustrated? Sad? Embarrassed? Are there any parts of your period you feel positively towards?
“What thoughts or stories do I hold around my period?”
It’s not uncommon to believe your period is shameful, gross, inconvenient, or any other combination of negative words. Understanding what our beliefs are around our period can help us start to untangle them, so we can move towards more positive associations.
“Where did these ideas about my period come from? Do I agree or disagree with them?”
The beliefs we hold around anything tend to be a combination of our own experiences, and ideas we’ve picked up from the outside world - friends, family, media, and so on. Sorting out which ideas came from where helps us hone in on what’s important to us, and what our brains picked up from other people.
"How do I feel during my period?"
Reflect on any patterns you notice in your mood, energy, or physical symptoms throughout your period. What are the hardest parts to deal with? Where might you see positive shifts like being more intuitive, or more likely to put yourself first?
“How does my period impact my relationships with others?”
It’s easy to feel like our period makes us worse – we might not feel well physically, we may be irritable, we may have less social energy. All of this can cause us to withdraw from others, even when social support might do us good. We can also take this as a cue to ask for help, or physical touch with a loved one to help us feel supported.
“How much am I listening to my body’s needs during my period, and how much am I pushing through discomfort?”
In our fast-paced, productivity-driven society, it’s easy to fall into patterns of ignoring our body’s signals, and putting our discomfort on the back burner. Understanding our body’s cues and needs is paramount to good self-care.
"What are my go-to self-care practices during my period, and how do they help me feel better?"
This might be as simple as taking a hot bath, or giving yourself a little more grace during this part of your cycle. If you can’t think of any self-care practices you do on your period, that might be a sign that your body needs a little more care during these times!
"How can I better honor my body’s natural rhythms instead of pushing through or resisting them?"
This is the time to dig in deep, and listen to your body. Feel free to add a little meditation with this one, and be open to any answers it gives. There are no right or wrong answers here - just what your body needs!
Journaling about your period can reveal valuable insights that empower you to better care for your body and emotions. As you begin to understand your cycle on a deeper level, you’ll find that it’s more than just a routine—it's a rhythm that, when embraced, can improve your connection to yourself. Try using these prompts regularly and watch how your relationship with your period transforms!