When we initially thought about writing this post, we considered it was one for LouLoU™ alone.
But then we concluded that the impact of PMT can be mitigated by steps taken on both sides of a relationship, so was one her and MikeyM™ could each feed into from alternate perspectives.
As a starting point, it is fair to say that PMT, as a rule, is not a pleasant physical or emotional experience; perhaps it can be enjoyed as a celebration of fertility and womanhood, but little else.
However, there are excellent coping strategies, and if both sides of a relationship buy into them, they can be effective in mitigating the effect of PMT on everyday life.
We have found that these may include the following:-
● having a conscious higher degree of patience, support and empathy with one other
● embracing gentle exercise together to glean the physical and emotional benefits of it - see, for example, our posts entitled "The StressBusting™ capacity of household chores" and "The Value of Morning "Stretchbusting™""
● making rest, relaxation and laughter items of priority
● enjoying the creation of an environment conducive to the above - see our posts entitled "Break Time Quickie - Keep Stressbusting™ Assets Visible" and "10 Stressbusting™ Themes for Decorating to Innovate & Inspire"
● sharing the experience on both sides of a relationship equally with openness and diplomacy
● potentially reducing sexual expectation in the relationship as necessary for a time without feeling hurt or unwanted; but equally at times PMT or PMS can increase libido, so this has to be treated as a moving target
● but remembering in either case from our posts entitled “I Want to Hold your Hand” and "The Relevance of Physicality to StressBusting™", that intimacy need not always be sexual
● talking openly about feelings and emotions before they escalate and to avoid misunderstandings; having a timeout sign ("T") if discussions or attitudes seem to be heading in an negative or unhelpful direction
● adopting a recognition that PMT is a natural fact of life not to be demonised or ever used against a person
● treating it as a third party in the relationship that needs to be respected and validated for the period of its presence if that helps.
PMT and PMS can impact a relationship in both the lead up to and aftermath of menstruation, and those times can be as challenging as menstruation itself depending on a number of overlapping factors. Our post entitled "Learn to Expect (and Accept) the Unexpected to Stressbust™ More Effectively" can assist in managing such unpredictability.
We hope these offer food for thought, though please share other coping or management strategies of your own as we would love to hear them and everyone is different.
BigPatientLove
MikeyM™&LouLoU™ 😊😍😎🧡💛