The Return Of The Migraine
Well, it was bound to happen, I guess, but it still gave me a feeling of sick disappointment when it did. After a week and a half without any kind of head pain, yesterday afternoon a migraine set in. I was able to feel it coming and could take medicine and have a lie-down, but I wasn’t ready for the feeling that my body let me down.
When you get migraines and/or headaches, you deal with emotional pain as well as physical pain that can’t entirely be taken away with visiting a doctor or taking a pill. These emotions can be hard for a person who doesn’t suffer from headaches to understand. Sometimes I wonder which is worse — the feeling that I’ve let somebody down because of my head or the pain of the actual migraine.
The Emotional Turmoil
I’d already mentioned in a previous post about the panic attacks that migraines can trigger. But migraines can also trigger feelings of worthlessness, disappointment and even guilt. For example, suppose you get a migraine around Christmas (or whatever major holiday your family celebrates). It’s the big family get together everyone looks forward to all year. But suddenly, you are a no-show because of your head. You can worry that you are letting everyone down, even though getting a migraine is usually not your fault.
Handling It
In times when you do have a migraine and worry about letting others down, the best thing you can do is put everything out of your mind and try to relax, letting the medicine, ice packs, aromatherapy or whatever you use do it’s job. This is a lot easier said than done, I know! But managing this stress may help you recover faster.
It takes practice learning how to manage stress, like racing thoughts and worries. Most people like meditaion, aromatherapy or listening to calming music to help relax. Drinking alcohol is not recommended to relax, as the alcohol can interfere with your medications and make you feel even more depressed (as it is technically a depressant). Ditto with recreational drugs.
I’ve also relaxed during a migraine by petting my dog, which is greatly soothing. Also, when I worry that I’m letting my folks down by having a migraine, I tell them of this feeling. This helps get it off of my chest. If it helps me, maybe it will help you, too.
Off to take another dose of Excedrin.
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