How to Calm Your Period in the Office

Reading through the holistic advise on how to handle and calm period cramps often feels unrealistic for me. No, I cannot call out once a month so that I can stay home and take a warm bath and rest. No, ginger tea doesn't completely relax me. If only I could time my period to always start on a weekend day...*she said sarcastically*.

If you haven't read my other blog posts, you may not know that I have dramatically decreased the painful cramps I experience at the start of my menstrual cycle. So, coming from first hand experience, I'll be honest and say it now: if you still have extremely severe cramps where you need to take multiple pain meds or cannot get out of bed, the following list will likely not help you now, but perhaps it will give you inspiration of what's possible in the future with healing!

It's amazing how much less painful day one of my cycle is since I changed the way I eat back in July of 2025, however, I'm still in enough pain that I need to do something to ease it. Whether it's work or fun, I need and want to function with little to no pain. That being said, my current goal is to do this with as little toxins as possible. My long term goal is to get to the point that even if I have pain, it's mild enough that I don't need to take any medications. Ideally, I don't even need other calming aids, such as a heat source, but until that amount of healing occurs, the following methods on how to calm your period in the office are the ones I use.

1. Mindset: So cliché, I know, but it's legit. I'm not advocating for toxic positivity around this, but a grateful attitude around the menstrual cycle, including the luteal phase and period portion, is important for navigating the hurdles that come with it. Trying to focus on being grateful that your body is doing what it is designed to do and that it's unique and different from men or other animal species is amazing and can lead to a sense of empowerment. Women and women's hormones are so beautiful and in western culture we've been conditioned to believe that our menstrual cycles and periods are something negative. In all actuality, it's a beautiful part of creating and living. I won't go too in depth here, but I hope you know that the period and menstrual cycle is something to celebrate. I've heard someone describe it as a superpower and I think that's a wonderful point of view.

2. Heat pad: For me, this makes a huge difference. At work, I have two options that I use. One is a one-time use heating pack that sticks to the inside of my underwear and stays heated and on me at all times throughout the day (for up to 8 hours). A con of this method is that it doesn't always stay in the place I need it most. The second option I use is a portable heating pad. It can be plugged into my PC through a USBC or USB, so it's great for while I am sitting or standing at my desk. I can also use a portable power pack if I wanted to for walking around with this particular heat pad. A con of this method is that it's a bit bulky. For those who don't want people to know you're wearing it, you won't prefer this option.

   
   

3. Nutritious food: Currently, I'll be sticking with meat and animal fat as my main fuel sources. The main reason I will stick with these foods as my focus is because I know they fuel my body the best with important vitamins and minerals. Giving my body what it needs most at any time of the cycle is important for healing and sustained results. Also, there's no point in being diligent three weeks of the month just to throw it out during the luteal phase or the start of the period. Literally, this would be complete self sabotage, after all, one of the main reasons I've made significant changes to my diet is to reduce menstrual cramps and related PMS symptoms - nutritious food is shown to ease symptoms.

3. Avoid meetings or walkthroughs around day 1, if possible: For my ladies who don't have this luxury, I feel you. I've had many jobs where I don't get to schedule my day or week around my menstrual cycle, let alone take breaks when I want to. Also, if you're just starting to heal, I know it can be difficult to know when your period will even arrive. I have PCOS and have had very irregular timings before I got serious about healing. It's only been within the past few months that my cycle has become much more consistent where I can know it'll start within a 3 day window rather than a 20 day window. Now that I've gotten the consistency mostly in check, I can plan my life differently. It's actually empowering to have this kind of control. Realizing which weeks or days that I am expected to feel my worst and responsibly delay a task is amazing. It's also empowering to know that even if I'm off by a day or two, it's not going to be devastating and I won't have to cancel plans because the pain isn't what it once was.

5. Lose clothes: I don't get major bloat, but with the uncomfortable pain I already get from cramps, I don't want clothing that will make me feel even more uncomfortable. When going to work, you still need to look the part for whatever your role is, but unless you have a Hooters type of uniform, there's almost always a loose clothing option. In my particular role, I get to wear pullovers if I want to and the loosest ones are my favorite for the start of my cycle. I feel cozy, still work appropriate, and know that any bloat or un-comfort is hidden and I don't have anything pushing into or squeezing my belly or other body parts unnecessarily.

   
   

6. Pain medication, if necessary: I still use it sometimes. I'm not all done with healing yet and it's what I need to do to get by and function in a way that feels doable for me. I celebrate the fact that I've healed a lot. I once took 6 pills of ibuprofen on the first day of my period, and now I can take 1 dose of acetaminophen and be good (along with the aforementioned strategies). While I heal, I'm not going to shame myself for using it.

Remember, these are suggestions and we are all bio-individuals. Just because it works for me, doesn't mean it'll work for you. If you feel bada** wearing tight clothes during your period, more power to you. If you don't like heating pads because it makes you feel like you have a fever, then don't use one. The main thing is to listen to your body and do what feels good for you to function in a way that helps you feel your best. If you're on a healing journey, I know it can feel a bit defeating to still have to take meds, even if you've encountered a ton of progress. And that's the key word, progress. You're not done, you're still moving forward. If you have your own successful holistic ways of managing your period while in the office and at work, drop a comment below to encourage the rest of us.