PMS...again already?

Isn't it amazing the way PMS creeps up on you? You would think after 29 years of experiencing it, I wouldn't be so surprised when it arrives. This month, I found myself freaking out about how much money we didn't have and dipping into the stash of frozen chocolate bars before i realized that this behavior wasn't entirely unfamiliar to me. In fact, it's a pattern that repeats pretty much monthly, the week before my period is due. This month, like every month, I started to have crazy anxiety about my finances and was convinced we were nearly destitute despite the fact that nothing has changed about our situation since last week. I started dipping into my frozen chocolate stash several times a day when just a week ago, I'd forgotten it was even there.

I have certainly tried all the tricks to remind myself it's coming and prepare myself - downloaded apps, marked it on every calendar I own, even set alarms. I've made progress - at least now I recognize it as it's coming on rather than in retrospect. Don't they say admitting you have a problem is the first step in solving it? Truth be told, it doesn't make it that much easier to endure. I thought I heard somewhere once that there have been women who have literally gotten away with murder by pleading temporary insanity. I certainly believe it. I am definitely a nut job that time of the month - well, much moreso than any other time of the month.

Whether or not awareness of the problem in itself is the solution, it is definitely making for a much smoother ride. I'm still working out - most days twice a day. This is helping my overall mental health immensely. I'm drinking lots of water and aside from the chocolate moments, I'm still eating healthy and the scale is still my friend. Overall, though I'm a little snappier with my family than I'd like to be, I'm in generally good spirits. I'm being gentle with myself and treating myself with tender loving care.

So, what about you? How do you manage that time of the month? Is PMS even an issue? If so, how do you handle it? Do you chart it? Use an app? Hole yourself up in a red tent? How do you manage without alienating yourself from your friends and family despite the havoc hormones can wreak in a relatively short period of time?