For so many years, I have dealt with period pain. Most of the time, it puts me out of action for a day or three, curled up on the sofa with blankets, a heat pack, pain killers, and a string of Netflix movies to help distract me. Every now and then, it’s a full blown ‘maybe I need a ambulance’ level of pain.

This past week, I was full of optimism and motivated to really get into an exercise routine – then of course my period hit, and my plans went out the window. I felt so defeated that my own body had sabotaged my plans.

It’s been so hard to love my body when at times it feels like torture. When the pain is so bad that I can’t stand up straight, and it makes me cry – like I’m experiencing child birth all over again, for no reason. This year it has been particularly bad, and I finally visited the doctor for some help.

Part of my journey is about learning to love my body, learning to care for it – in the good times, and the bad. I am learning to listen to my body, and to care for it, inside and out.