Watch the amusing TedTalk video below that looks at the power of changing meaning by changing how you think and write about how it can apply to migraines and headaches.
Changing how you think about Migraine can make living with the disease much less devastating. Yes, there is always going to be that horrible pain, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, and sensitivity to all light, noise and smell. How you choose to perceive it can either perpetuate the feeling of desperation or you can choose not to give it extraneous power over your life. Accepting that there is a limit to how much you can do about certain aspects of Migraine frees you from having to feel so damn distraught about them. For instance, today it is extremely hot and humid. Two triggers that guarantee a pretty horrible day for me. I could either be extremely pissed and depressed about the fact that I'm going to most likely be in bed all day, or I could be content with the opportunity to try and sleep and do my best to take care of myself. I knew that this would happen as the weather this week calls for temperatures to be in the mid to upper 90's with the chance of thunderstorms most of the week. It also doesn't help matters that my daughter's sweet sixteen is this Saturday. I am trying to get everything together despite pitfalls and setbacks from Migraine.
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| Thunderstorm Tidal Wave (Photo credit: Striking Photography by Bo Insogna) |
Yesterday, I felt extremely overwhelmed and almost at the point of tears. I woke up feeling nauseated and lightheaded for the second day in a row (I spent Father's Day in bed most of the day feeling sick and dizzy). I had to drop off the deposit for renting my community clubhouse for the party and we were expecting the A/C repairman sometime that day to fix our downstairs unit. I didn't think I could pull it off all by myself. But, to my surprise, my children stepped up to the plate and got a lot of household chores done and I was able to get the deposit taken care of. I even got in a run to the bank and the dollar store for extra party supplies. And then I said to myself, "Why do you make it a point to stress yourself out so much when everything always seems to fall into place?". Which it ultimately always does. It may not happen perfectly like I deem it should in my perfectionist mind, but it works out just fine nonetheless.
I always seem to forget that my husband and kids don't put that kind of stress on me to perform daily. I create the stress that leads me to feeling like I won't be able to be productive or useful. It all is in my thinking and how I choose to see myself in this life with Migraine. It's so easy to fall into the negative space of sorrow and pitifulness. So, instead of feeling disappointed or upset that not much will get done today due to the effects of the weather, I will just take it easy and ask my kids to do the things I was going to do myself. I don't have to worry about lunch or dinner and thank goodness my kids are all in the pre-teen and teen-aged years, which means they are pretty self sufficient.
Yesterday was a lesson for me to let it go. I have managed to decrease the frequency of attacks per month, which is great. Yet, there will always be things about my disease that I can not alter, such as environmental triggers. They will happen and will happen often. So, today I am okay with the fact that I won't be able to get anything done myself. My house is in order, my kids are fed, and my husband is happy. Why stress? And as for the party, my parents will be coming on Friday and I will have my mother and sister to help me with that. There is really no need to let anything drive me crazy or to fret about another day lost to Migraine. They will continue to occur in my life. It is how I think about these occurrences that will determine whether or not I feel depressed, defeated or overrun by them. I am trying to change that because the only person who gets hurts and loses in the end is me.
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