Saturday, January 16, 2010

This One's For the Girls: A Tool for Anxiety and Aunt Flo

Sorry men, but you are going to want to stop reading right. about. now.

Seriously. You don't want to keep reading.

I've heard that your anxiety can worsen depending on your menstruation cycle. I never really put much thought into it until today when I was using a site that I normally use for fertility purposes. It's called My Monthly Cycles. Its a really cool website that has a lot of free features as well as premium services if you are interested. I used it to help get pregnant with my first baby. You can track you period cycles, it will let you know when you are ovulating and fertile, and the part I want to talk about today- you can also track your menstrual symptoms. It has a list of symptoms you may feel- nausea, headache, moodiness, ANXIETY, and more with a radial button to list how light or severe the symptoms are. The idea behind this is that over time of logging in a few period cycles, it will begin to predict what symptoms you may experience in the future. So if at the beginning of your cycle if you are really moody, tired, and have some crying spells, it will let you know when your next cycle will start and those symptoms you will have so YOU CAN PREPARE. I say this, because it has the option of choosing your anxiety levels during the month as well. How cool is that?!? Over time, it can tell you when you are most likely to be anxious, allowing you time to prepare for any rough days that lie ahead.


Even if you only want to use this to track your anxiety and nothing else, I think that would still work. I think this is such a great tool to keep in our back pockets.

Enjoy!
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8 comments:

Claude Crépeau said...

Hey Aimée !

seriously, I enjoyed reading this post although I am a guy ! My scientific mind has no sense of "girls talk"... It is interesting to learn about such connections. You know, even if we are not women, we actually live with them !!!

;-)

Claude

Meredith said...

Thanks Aimee. That is a great site. I was using a different one but this one is definitely better! My husband and I have been talking about having another baby but I am afraid because my anxiety has been so bad the past few months. I was really good for the past few years and for some reason it all started up again in October. Do you worry about getting pregnant again and how that will affect your anxiety? I keep saying I will wait till my anxiety is gone but I don't want to let it control my life! I just wanted to say your website has really been helping me through this tough time. I read through a lot of your old posts as we have a lot of the same symptoms and it helps me to think positive! Sometimes I log on a few times a day! : )

Anxious M said...

I'm a guy here because you told me not to be.

There is definitely a link between mental state and anxiety levels, whether it's menstruation or anything else. A lack of sleep makes my anxiety go through the roof.

That's all I'm saying. I'm stepping away now.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree that cycles have a hand in anxiety. The more emotional turmoil...or just emotional in general I am, the higher my anxiety.

Aimée said...

Okay okay sorry to the men out there! I wasn't hatin' I just know it can make some uncomfortable, but if you are really interested, read away :)

Meredith,

I decided that if I waited for my anxiety to get better, I may never have kids. And it turns out that for my first pregnancy, my mental health is better than when I am not pregnant. But I don't think thats the norm. I personally believe the anxiety is something you learn to manage and that it may never truly go away. So maybe wait until you feel you have learned coping techniques that work for you and then give it a go. Of course, disclaimer- always talk to your doctor first. Hope that helps, best of luck!

Anxiety Girl said...

Hey Aimee! I love this post - a serious topic, but the feel of your writing is fun. Love the tool, too!

Meredith said...

Hi Amy! I was just looking back at this post and I have definitely been noticing a pattern with anxiety and my cycle. Do you notice your anxiety gets worse right before or during your period? I am noticing that my panic seems to be better for 3 weeks of the month and then worse before and during my period. I wonder if anyone else experiences this and how they deal with it! : )

Aimée said...

Hi Meredith,

I haven't noticed any patterns yet but I will let you know if I do. Thanks for sharing!

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