Estimated Reading Time: 4 mins
(Please note – This blog post touches on suicidal ideation so please read with caution).
Introduction
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a serious challenge for women living with the condition.
Despite the difficulties it can cause, we still have to manage our daily commitments and responsibilities, which is often one of the hardest aspects of living with PMDD.
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A Day in the Life of PMDD
To put it into perspective for those unfamiliar with the condition, think of a time in your life when you were dealing with a situation that caused significant anxiety or depression and left you feeling unlike yourself.
During periods like that, it can feel almost impossible to find enthusiasm or motivation for anything.
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You may have neglected your self-care and even your surroundings, allowing dishes and laundry to pile up.
Turning down social events may have felt like an unavoidable necessity, while managing the responsibilities of your job became increasingly difficult.
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The decline in your mood possibly rippled into and affected your closest relationships.
You may have felt alone and in despair because relief felt so out of reach.
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With all this in mind, consider what life would look like if you had to endure these emotions each month for up to two weeks at a time.
For those of us with PMDD, this is not a hypothetical situation, it’s our lived experience.
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From Those Who Live It
When faced with these debilitating emotional symptoms, tasks that may seem routine to others can become immensely challenging for us.
It often takes a remarkable degree of inner strength and resilience to simply continue functioning as normal.
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I remember joining an international online support group for women living with PMDD, made up of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds.
Some were unable to work due to the severity of the condition and the impact it had on their daily lives.
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In one particularly heartbreaking case, a participant from America spoke about the devastating experience of losing custody of her child.
She expressed how she had struggled to manage both the condition and the demands of motherhood, and hearing her story crushed me.
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Despite the heaviness of the experiences being shared, being part of that group inspired me to find ways to better manage the condition.
I could relate to so many of the stories because my own life had often felt like an emotional rollercoaster.
There had been multiple instances when all I could think about was ending it all.
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I previously shared a deeply personal video diary to show others just how distressing my experience with PMDD used to be.
Whatever solutions were available to help reduce the severity of the symptoms, I was determined to find and share them with others like me.
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Strength Within the Struggle
At the point of writing this post I still live with PMDD, but one of the most effective tools in managing it has been to consistently train my mind.
If it was my brain’s sensitivity that triggered the emotional upheaval, then I wanted to do everything within my power to positively influence how I thought and consciously behaved.
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I focused on thinking more optimistically, praying more often, reading my Bible and self-development books, consuming uplifting educational content, and actively practicing gratitude.
In short, I made a conscious effort to continually nourish my mind with positive and empowering influences.
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These practices require consistency, but I commit to them regularly because, without them, this condition would dictate the path of my life as it did in the past.
Additionally, I’ve also focused on implementing what I’ve learned along the way and although it’s been a slow process, the change has been impactful.
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I’ve previously shared an example of how I navigate my most challenging PMDD days here, in the hope that it might encourage and inspire others.
We all possess far too much potential to allow this condition to limit our growth or diminish our capacity for happiness.
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Summary
Throughout my personal growth journey, my resilience strengthened to the point where allowing the condition to dictate my life was no longer an option.
In an unexpected turn of events, PMDD helped me discover the beauty that can emerge through enduring and overcoming pain.
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Managing a condition with no known cure opened my eyes to something far greater than the condition itself — that being, my untapped potential.
Mental toughness has become an unexpected by-product of my efforts in combating the condition.
Having to find a way forward when all I faced was a recurring wall taught me that we are capable of far more than the condition would have us believe.
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No matter the hurdles or obstacles we face in life, we simply need to cultivate a strong enough desire to pursue the change we seek.
Our mental health conditions need not define our identity — we still possess the power to shape our own destinies.
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Allow the condition to become a catalyst for personal growth, helping you discover who you truly are and become a hero in both your own story and the lives of others.
I encourage you to begin your own journey and design a life guided by your aspirations rather than your limitations.
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