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8 Ways I Take Care of Myself When Lady Flo Is in Town

 



You guessed it. The Lady is here. 

There was a time when I used to fight my body every month.



Push through the pain.

Stick to my schedule.

Pretend everything was normal.


It never worked.


Now, I do the opposite. I soften. I listen. I let my body lead.


Here’s what that looks like for me.




1. My essential oil inhaler


This is one of my non-negotiables. It helps me regulate gently, especially when the pain comes in waves or when I feel overwhelmed. I don’t rely on it alone, but it gives me just enough support to breathe through the harder moments. (I’ve written more about this here.)

I call it my Sacred Rest Inhaler. 




2. Lots of sleep


This is probably the biggest one.


Sleep isn’t a luxury for me—it’s medicine. I’ve noticed that when I allow myself to nap and rest deeply, everything improves. My pain lessens, my mood stabilizes, even my skin calms down.


So during this time, I sleep without guilt.


And when I say sleep, I sleep. Think 2-4 hour naps. After prepping for PBF, all the stress that came with it, and now doing some Lady E Edits around my home,  that’s how tired my body is. 




3. Protein, protein, protein



My body feels weaker during my period, so I make sure I’m giving her enough protein to support energy and recovery. Nothing complicated—just making sure my meals are nourishing and not empty.




4. Crackers first thing in the morning



Before anything else, I eat something simple like crackers.


This helps prevent that sudden blood sugar drop that can make everything worse—dizziness, fatigue, irritability. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference in how my morning unfolds.



5. Lots of good quality cold water


Currently loving my huge 80 oz jug filled with Evian and ice

Hydration is key, but I have to do it in a way my body can tolerate.


Because of my MCAS, warm drinks don’t work for me. So I stick to cold, clean water throughout the day—slow sips, consistently.




6. I avoid unnecessary products on my body


During this time, my body is already doing a lot.


So I don’t add to its load.


No lotions, no extra products, nothing my body has to process unless absolutely necessary. I keep things simple and let my system focus on what it needs to do.




7. But I do use a sheet mask



Interestingly, my face is the exception.


Since I don’t moisturize the usual way, I use a sheet mask to give my skin what it needs without overwhelming it. I’ll talk more about this in another post, but this has been working really well for me.




8. I am kind to myself


This might be the most important one.


I don’t push.


I don’t force myself to cook, to work, or to be productive.


This is my permission slip to:


  • rest
  • order takeaway
  • binge something light
  • read
  • play games



I let myself be taken care of—by others, by systems I’ve built, and by my past self who prepared for days like this.




Taking care of myself during my period isn’t about doing more.


It’s about doing less… but doing it intentionally.


And every time I choose softness over resistance, my body thanks me for it. 💚


I wrote this post mainly as a reminder to myself… That resting is productive. I’ve been hard on myself lately because I want to accomplish so many things, but the weather (the summer just started here and it’s brutal and it’s bad for my sensitivities and MCAS) and environment are not cooperating and after I pushed myself so hard for PBF, my body just isn’t ready to go back to our regular rhythm yet. 

If you’re like me, Glow Girl, I hope this post finds you and that you learn to be kind to yourself as well during this Sacred Rest time. 


---


'Til my next post,
Stay soft. Stay strong. Stay Glowing.
LET'S GLOW.

With elegance and quiet fire, 

Lady E

Exhibitor and speaker at the Philippine Book Festival 2026
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