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“The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come” is probably one of my favorite quotes and one that I can most relate to.
When I was in middle school, I remember always having a lingering fear over periods, as it was a pretty big fuss amongst girls my age. I remember some would say, “Once you get your period, you’re going to have to use a tampon and it’s going to hurt!” Some would also say, “Blood will leak out of your swimsuit when you swim!” Back then, not knowing much about periods and how to deal with them, I was pretty scared. So, today I will try my best to address some things that will, hopefully, answer some questions; and, hopefully, ensure you everything will be okay.
Periods. When I first got my period, I was very stressed out. I remember I had swim practice that day and all of a sudden, blood started dripping down. Because I didn’t know much about periods, and what to do when you have periods as a swimmer, I thought it was the end of the world. But now knowing lots, I can ensure you’re not going to die.
There are two main ways to deal with a period if it’s before a swim practice, and no, skipping is not EVER the solution. First off, you can go with the “old-fashioned way” and insert a tampon before practice. I can assure you a tampon is the safest way. Second off, if you really have nothing prepared, you can go with the run-into-the-pool-as-fast-as-possible way, by that I mean going into the pool without anything. Yes, I know lots will say, “Ew that’s disgusting…that’s unsanitary…you’re going to leak”. Let me assure you, that once you get into the pool, water pressure will hold up all the blood from flowing out. In my 4 years of the run-into-the-pool-as-fast-as-possible way, I’ve never had an accident of blood leakage. Although it is a really lazy, quick, and pain-free way, it’s not for everyone. Many believe it’s unsanitary and are scared, but as long as you make sure to take a good shower afterward, and run back to the changing room as fast as possible, I’m sure you’ll survive. But no, skipping is never the solution, and you should never use “I can’t swim, I’m on my period” as an excuse to skip practice.
Cramps. Yes, cramps are the only exceptions in a period to skip practice. When I was little, I would often hear people complain about cramps, and how much it hurts. Of course, not knowing much, I thought they were just being dramatic…up until I started getting cramps. However, you shouldn’t fear getting cramps, instead, you should know the ways of preventing cramps. One can always prevent cramps by avoiding cold foods, cold beverages, fried foods, etc. When I first got my period, I didn’t take that seriously, I still ate ice creams, drank cold water, and ate fried chicken, and at first, I didn’t feel anything. But as months went by, every time I got my period, and I ate something cold, it felt like my stomach was flipping inside out. Not only did this affect my school performance, but it also affected my swimming performance. So, if you’re an athlete or swimmer, I highly suggest you NOT take anything cold on your period. Also, if you finished training and you’re on your period, I suggest you drink something hot to warm your stomach (something like ginger tea or hot soup will relieve stomach pains).
Now, I hope I answered some basic questions about periods regarding my personal experiences. And again, I want to assure you there’s nothing to be scared of. However, it’s not guaranteed you won’t let out a little shock when you see blood dripping down your toilet (I was very scared), but moreover, it is guaranteed you will get used to it and learn from it! Everybody is different, so it is safe to say to expect different solutions to each problem. If you ever find yourself wanting to quit or give up due to the difficulties of body development, just remember the quote, “The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come”. This quote goes beyond this topic as well, if you ever find yourself in a difficult situation, instead of wanting to go back, you should remember how long you’ve put up with the problem, and keep moving forward.
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