Woman Shares A Harrowing Picture To Expose The Reality Of Extreme PMS

Malin Oloffson is a 27-year-old anorexia survivor, as well as a body positivity advocate, according to Cosmopolitan. Getting others to get rid of anybody shame or hang-ups they might have is a big task, and it goes far beyond the usual topics associated with the issue, such as weight. It can involve temporary if difficult changes to the body, such as the ones that come each month with PMS. Oloffson suffers, as many women around the world do, from extreme PMS.

〰 Some of you have seen this before. Some of you haven't. 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. 〰 This is the visual signs of PMS for me and many other women. For some it's less extreme, for some it's more. Water retention is a very normal and common symptom of PMS. Some women will hardly notice it and some go through immense discomfort for a couple of days a month. It can start anytime between ovulation and your period. 〰 THIS ?? IS ?? NORMAL. This 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. I've stopped. I've decided that breathing is more important than what other people may or might think. I've decided that my body's reaction to the hormonal change is not going to be an aspect that I let contribute to my already unstable mental state. 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. 〰 Do not blame your body for how you're feeling. It is never your body's fault. It is never anything wrong with how your body looks. Yes – your body might experience discomfort due to hormonal changes – so instead of making it worse through shaming your body, try doing the opposite. Realize that this is when you need extra self-care and self-love. Realize that you don't have to be ashamed and hide. You are perfect and your body is just doing it's job.

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In the caption, Malin Oloffson explains that her distended belly is the result of extreme PMS. To her, and many other women, it manifests in the form of bloating. For Oloffson, it’s extremely pronounced, but also, and she can’t stress this enough, a completely normal thing that the body does, and that it’s absolutely “nothing to be ashamed of.”