Hi everyone!
I recently got diagnosed with PMDD and was so grateful to find this thread. I have felt from the moment I got my first period at 14 that something about my cycle was not normal. After many years of thinking I was crazy, I finally spoke to my doctor and therapist, and thankfully they believed me and helped me get diagnosed! So, now I am trying to put into words what I have felt since I was 14.
One of the hardest things for me to deal with has been trusting myself during the 2 weeks. The best way I describe my emotions or reactions during these 2 weeks to people who do not have it is: everything I am feeling is real but I would normally not express it in this manner or feel it to this extent, at that. However, despite me awknowledging that my emotions are real, I have begun doubting them completley. I feel like how can I ask people to give me some grace during the 2 weeks because "it's not me", while also saying that my emotions are real? So, it sends me into that doubt spiral of "were they ever real in the first place?", "how can I decipher all of the shifting emotions?", etc. Then, not only can I not trust that my emotions are real/not real, I also feel that I cannot trust myself around others. I am fearful of hurting a loved one by my reactions, words, etc.
I just wanted to pick everyone's brain on if they have dealt with this before, how they handle it, etc. Thanks everyone!