health

This woman just shared a photo to expose the uncomfortable reality of severe PMS.

It turns out there are a lot of things you can’t do on your period.

Lucky for fitness blogger Malin Olofsson, exercising is not one of them.

But that doesn’t mean that pesky, once-a-month visitor doesn’t try and come along and ruin everything. Not only will it try and disrupt your workout, but it will bring with it a whole bunch of uncomfortable, and at times, unsightly PMS friends.

HI, FRIEND. Image via iStock)
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The fitness blogger shared an inspiring photo on her Instagram, letting women all over the world know that they aren't alone when it comes to dealing with all that comes with having your period.

The image is of Malin's stomach, which is bloated due to PMS.

Image via Instagram.

"Some of you experience and go through this yourself once a month. Some of you will be disgusted. Some of you will sigh with relief and think - OMG I'm not alone. Some of you will not read this caption and presume that I'm pregnant, " she wrote.

"This is the visual signs of PMS for me and many other women. For some it's less extreme, for some it's more."

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She writes that water retention is "a very normal and common symptom of PMS, and that is "nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yes - it is very uncomfortable, and yes - it is really difficult to not feel like you must hide it and try to suck your stomach in," she wrote.

"I've stopped."

I used to hate my body and all I saw was my perception of my 'flawed appearance' - I just saw everything that was supposedly wrong with me. All I saw was a surface. A shell.  My body was mere a reflection in the mirror, the fat between my pinching fingers, thighs to big to wrap my hand around, gloomy skin and brittle hair. -------------------------------------------- Now I see a body. A strong, healthy, capable body. I see the work that I've put into my body in the sense of actually caring and giving my body as it has given me life. I see courage, mental strenght, assertiveness and passion. I see me. And I am so much more than merely an appearance, than mere a reflection in the mirror. My body is so much more than just an appearance. I am my body and my body is me - and for the first time I realize that my body is my best friend, is my home, is my everything. And I love my body for all it has been through - and for still being here, supporting me and enabling me to live. -------------------------------------------- I used to hate my body - but now I realize that it was never actually my body that I hated. That what I hated was myself - because I though that I was mere an appearance, mere a reflection in the mirror. But I am so much more. I am life.

A post shared by MALIN ???? (@malinxolofsson) on

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Malin, who writes in her Instagram bio that she has recovered after battling anorexia for 15 years, also said she is no longer ashamed of her body's normal reaction to hormonal change every month.

"Because when I have PMS, I already feel like dying. And I've decided to love my body no matter how I feel about life."

She also has a message for other women who may resent their body for one week out of every month: "Do not blame your body for how you're feeling. It is never your body's fault."

-------------------------------------------- Thank you so much for all the support on my last post!! ????❤ I was really hesitant towards posting it since I knew that it would cause reactions and be a feast for trolls. But you know what? If such post can help just ONE person to feel less alone and less ashamed then it is 100% worth it. -------------------------------------------- I wish that I had people around me that spoke about these subjects when I was at my most self-hating period of time but I didn't. I thought that my body was abnormal, that there was something wrong with my appearance. And it took so much time for me to realize that there was never anything wrong with my body. Nothing at all. That what was wrong is this society that we live in. That what is wrong is the fact that we all hide our bodies in fear of what others might think when we do not look like the girls in the magazines. (Not even the girls in the magazines look like the girls in the magazines) -------------------------------------------- I want to give others what I myself needed. I don't give a shit if some people find me gross or weird. I do this for the people who are in the same position as I once were, I do it because maybe, just maybe, I can shorten someone's process towards self-love. And that makes it so worth it, no matter how many I might provoke in the meantime.

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"Your body might experience discomfort due to hormonal changes - so instead of making it worse through shaming your body, try doing the opposite," she wrote.

"Realise that this is when you need extra self-care and self-love. Realise that you don't have to be ashamed and hide.

"You are perfect and your body is just doing it's job."