Rest Should Not Need Justification

Let me start with a disclosure: I don’t have PCOD, endometriosis, or any medically “serious” condition linked to periods.

I just have regular, painful periods.

Do I hate it? Absolutely.
Do I want it? Not anymore.
Does it show up anyway? Every month.

And here’s the thing, there’s nothing heroic about working through that pain.

Every month, millions of women quietly show up to work while their bodies are asking for rest. At the very least, there should be an option: period leave, period WFH, something that allows rest. We are not “Super Women” We don’t need that label. We need basic accommodation.

I’m writing this sitting at my office desk at 8:30 a.m., on my period, in an empty office, doing exactly what I shouldn’t be doing. Working. Pushing through. Pretending I’m fine.

And that irony isn’t new.

Over the years, I’ve thought a lot about what organisations can realistically do. Not the ideal. Just the bare minimum. Because in a country where empathy still feels like a policy upgrade, even that is a stretch.

From where I stand here’s what “bare minimum” looks like:

1️⃣ Give the leave.
Even if many of us won’t fully take it. Because something will come up. Someone will call. We’ll probably log back in anyway even in period-stained pajamas.
But the option matters. It signals that the organisation acknowledges reality.

2️⃣ Be kind.
Not performative kindness. Not “take care :)” followed by a deadline reminder. Just… basic human trust.

3️⃣ The part we don’t talk about enough.
The weird, hidden phase of period productivity. There are days when my dopamine shoots up, and I’m suddenly on a roll. Hyper-focused. Over-delivering. Saying yes to things I absolutely don’t need to say yes to.

Why are we negotiating with our own bodies like this? Period rest should not need justification in the first place?

I’m still guilty of managing everything at my best and my worst. But at 43, probably on peri-menopause phase, one thing is clear: period leads to lot of uncomfort and the organisation must acknowledge that period issues are real.

Because if organisations are going to benefit from my time, my energy, and even my hormones, the least they can do is recognise that my body is part of the equation.