I have experienced migraines since I was 11 years old. In my younger years, they only appeared occasionally and did not have a major impact on my life. As such, I’ll be brutally honest and admit that I never attempted to understand the migraine diagnosis, my symptoms, triggers, or treatment options.
In my thirties however, they became more regular, and I began to experience hemiplegic migraines (which includes stroke-like symptoms that made it hard to walk and talk). In my forties I was occasionally hospitalized, and in my worst migraine ever I broke three of my teeth from grinding through the pain.
Not long after my 50th birthday, my migraines began to occur almost daily, and I was diagnosed with chronic migraine. I experienced permanent pain around my “migraine eye” (that did not ‘switch off’ for 3 years), and full-blown migraines (where I was bed-bound, projectile vomiting, experiencing paralysis, and debilitatingly sensitive to light and noise) for approximately 3 days a week, every week, for over a year. As a result, I had to cut back on parenting, driving, working, studying and socializing… I slowly lost all sense of myself and began to despair.
About two and a half years ago, after exhausting medical interventions with the general practitioners, my neurologist recommended that I follow a more holistic approach towards self-healing.
Through a self-directed journey of exploration, I have been experimenting with a variety of alternative approaches, including: breathing exercises, Tai Chi, Qigong, mindfulness meditations, Yin Yoga, stretching and massage, as well as gentle fitness routines, dancing and daily walks.
By following a loose program, the activities all appear to have helped in their own way, and combined they had a significant effect. My migraines have reduced in frequency, severity and duration… hooray!!
Since transitioning from 3+ migraine days a week (every week for over a year), to 1 migraine day every 3 weeks, (with occasional setbacks), I wanted to share some of the activities that have helped me.
[LATE 2025 UPDATE – the pain in my eye is almost all gone, and I only get a full-on migraine about once a month – I’ve improved SO MUCH that I was recently able to complete my PhD (graduation pictures here).]
There’s only two ‘rules’ that I’ve applied throughout this self-help healing process:
- TRY A VARIETY OF THINGS – after checking in with your health professional what’s suitable for your individual circumstance, attempt lots of different links in this blog. You want to get better – so even if you think what they’re doing in the video looks strange – have a go. Some of the weirdest videos have been the ones that have helped me most (like gently tapping my sore head with my fingertips). If you like a video, check to see if they have others on their channel for more ideas. Start with the shortest videos to get a feel for the techniques, then move to longer sessions. Soon you’ll be practicing many of the ideas you learn randomly throughout the day. The aim is to eventually spend 60 minutes a day, every day, employing the empowering self-help techniques.
- BE KIND TO YOURSELF – trust your intuition and listen to your body; if something makes you feel worse then slow down or stop. If you can’t do what they’re doing in the video (the teachers are often fitter and more flexible than we are) just modify the moves they’re doing until they change to the next move. Also, some of the dance and Tai Chi moves require more coordination and balance than I currently have, so just do your best, smile, and be proud that you’re having a go; 5 minutes of uncoordinated self-help is better than no minutes – yay you!
That’s my migraine story – I’d love to hear yours down below in the comments if you’d like to share – it helps me to know I’m not alone (migraine is a very isolating diagnosis), and it helps others who drop in here and read the comments below.
Here’s hoping you’re getting better.
Take care taking care, Linda x
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PS. The links to try are embedded in the separate blog posts. If you enjoy a particular approach, then you can tap on the tab at the top of the post to move through similar posts (such as ‘strategies‘, ‘triggers‘, ‘music‘ and so on).
PPS. Posts that are labelled ‘Linda‘ include personal updates. It’s been a long journey and whist I’m not quite pain-free, I am grateful to be learning how to live a more-pain-less-life through a mindful approach to my migraines.
(DISCLAIMER: Please be sure to speak to your health care provider before making any lifestyle changes – I am not a medical doctor – I am only writing about what has and hasn’t worked for me as an individual migraine patient.)
If you’re on your own healing journey, or keen to start, feel free to join The Mindful Migraine community as we work together to reclaim our health and transform our lives – subscribe below – otherwise, head off and explore the blog and know that I’m sending lots of love and light your way!
The Mindful Migraine
I suffer from chronic migraine – at The Mindful Migraine blog I share some of the ideas that have helped – I hope they help you too.
The Mindful Migraine 
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