A must-read for teenage girls: Read an extract from ‘You’ve Got This!’

Going from childhood to becoming a teenager is one of the most transformative experiences every woman goes through. You anticipate it for so long, years even, wondering what it’s like to go on dates, wear a bra or have a period. When it actually comes along though, we soon find out that it’s nothing like what we expected it to be.

That’s where Tammy Darcy’s latest novel comes in — You’ve Got This! Is the perfect guide that teaches you to love yourself and truly shine in your teens and beyond. If there was one book we wish we read when we were in the midst of our teenaged youth, then this would be it.

You've Got This! is a positive and empowering guide designed to help girls find their place in the world and grab life with both hands. Full of practical information on handling the challenges of the teenage years with a healthy mindset, it covers topics like finding your friendship tribe, handling peer pressure, healthy body image, periods, love, sex and relationships, exam pressure and navigating the online world. 

You've Got This! is a supportive companion that will boost self-esteem, inspire positive thinking and build resilience while encouraging you to see the amazing potential in yourself. Discover that the parts of you that are different are your superpowers – own them, cover them in glitter and shine brightly!

Read an extract from You’ve Got This! Below:

10 Genuinely Interesting Facts about Periods

Periods: your monthly reminder from Mother Nature that your body is a miracle of engineering, and that you are a superhuman who can do just about anything. Weird as periods are, hold on to your knickers, friends, because things are about to get a LOT weirder.

1 YOU CAN GET YOUR PERIOD IN YOUR ACTUAL NOSE – Don’t freak out; it’s highly unlikely and very rare, but it’s called ‘vicarious menstruation’, which means bleeding from somewhere other than your uterus. Women have bled from their eyes, noses and even lungs during their period. It occurs because the blood capillaries all over your body soften during menstruation, and sometimes allow blood to come out. Bloody deadly, eh?

2 PERIODS HURT MORE WHEN IT’S COLD OUT – Cold weather can also make your period last longer and be heavier. One more reason to move to Florida – who’s in?

3 PERIODS CAN MAKE YOU MORE STUPIDER – Researchers at the University of Bath have found that our cognitive abilities dip slightly when Aunt Flo comes a-knocking. Tell this to your teachers when they give you grief for not being your usual sparky self for the next test, and get them to reschedule the Junior and Leaving Cert if it clashes with your fun times.

4 HUMANS, HUMPBACK WHALES AND ELEPHANTS ARE THE ONLY ANIMALS THAT GO THROUGH MENOPAUSE – So don’t mess with the big ladies. (Whales and elephants, we mean. Not you, Grandma.)

5 YOU DON’T BLEED AS MUCH AS YOU THINK YOU DO. It can get messy, but it’s only about six teaspoons over the 3–7 days; the rest is other even grosser stuff. (Sorry.)

6 IF YOU HAVE LONG CYCLES, IT’S BECAUSE YOUR EGGS ARE LAZY – After you ovulate, some eggs race down the Fallopian tubes to the uterus and others stop off at the Obama Plaza for coffee and take lots of naps.

7 CLOTS ARE MADE BY CONTRACTIONS – Yep, as in labour contractions. Like teeny-tiny mini ones. (The real ones are a LOT worse – ask your ma.) In fact, most period symptoms, like cramping, nausea, bloating, moodiness, appetite and sore boobs, feel pretty close to early pregnancy.

8 IN THE MIDDLE AGES, PEOPLE THOUGHT RED-HAIRED PEOPLE WERE CONCEIVED DURING A PERIOD – But in fairness, they thought lots of stupid stuff, so let’s go easy on them. Now we have SCIENCE!

9 THE URGE TO SHOP BEFORE YOUR PERIOD IS LEGIT – A study at the University of Hertfordshire found that women are more likely to go on a shopping spree ten days before their period than any other time of the month. So if payday falls at the same time, hide your wallet from yourself.

10 MENSTRUAL BLOOD USED TO CURE EVERYTHING – Well, no, it didn’t, but people thought it did. In ye olden times, it was used as a medicine for everything from leprosy to headaches to warts to DEMONIC POSSESSION. Personally, we’d rather take a paracetamol and soldier on, thanks all the same. 

And finally, a bonus fact …

11 DISNEY MADE A MOVIE ABOUT PERIODS – Made in 1946, the movie is called The Story of Menstruation. It’s not great, TBH – no singing, no dancing snowmen. We recommend you give it a miss. But it is the first time the word ‘vagina’ was used in a movie, so that’s lovely, so it is.

You’ve Got This!, written by Tammy Darcy is published by Gill Books and you can order a copy here.