The Mindful Migraine

Feng Shui is the Chinese practice of creating a harmonious environment by managing the flow of chi, or energy.  In a similar way that Qigong and Tai Chi employ slow and careful movements that are both calm and strong, Feng Shui looks to organize space in a way which invigorates and balances it.  By carefully positioning houses within landscapes, rooms within houses, or furniture within rooms, chi can meander, not rush away, or stagnate. 

I remember learning, for example, that it is considered bad luck to have the front door directly opposite the back door; positive energy (and some say wealth, love and luck) arrives at the entrance and then leaves straight away, without passing through any other spaces on its way out.  I remember that rectification ideas included positioning furniture to cause the energy to recirculate, or placing mirrors above the back door to reflect it back inside.  Conversely, you had to be careful of creating too many barriers that might cause chi to become trapped and go stale.

If you imagine walking through your home, you can visualise the spaces where your family rush and cartwheel and run, and other spaces where people and objects settle and accumulate.  Alternatively, you can imagine a (colored) summer breeze or winter draft going through your home; where does it whip through, where does it eddy, where does the air get musty? 

What does this have to do with migraines? 

Well, as part of our strategy to minimise triggers and increase our tolerance to pain, we’re looking to align ourselves with our wider lives, minimise disruption and tension and be as harmonious as possible with the world around us.  So, whilst it’s not possible to move houses or walls and maybe not even furniture, it doesn’t hurt to identify the spaces in your house that are ‘peaceful’ and those that are ‘active’. 

You probably already intuitively gravitate to certain rooms in your house when you’re feeling sick and avoid others.  For me, I go to my own bed in Winter (its comfortable and warm), but a particular sofa in the loungeroom in Summer (the room can be made dark and the faux-leather is cool).  The kitchen, on the other hand, is my ‘room to avoid at all costs’; there’s always people there, the noise of cutlery and crockery banging, cooking smells that suddenly feel overwhelming, and windows facing East that create heat and glare.

Soon, you can expand the visualisation to the world around you.  What places tend to be harmonious with your mood, which spaces aggravate your illness?  We’re all different – do you gravitate toward the word ‘rest’ or ‘rush’.  What spaces and places in your life suit that preference?

As with all things migraine-related, there is no magic cure, but the more things you try, the more empowered you’ll feel, and in this instance, there’s really no harm in trying.  As with many other self-help ideas however, hold this one lightly; you should never feel guilty for having a sloping bedroom ceiling just because a youtuber tells you so.

Here’s some links if you want to explore Feng Shui more:

10 Essential Feng Shui Rules Everyone Needs to Know | Qigong Energy Healing

Bedroom Feng Shui | 4 Decorating Idea You Should Know – YouTube

10 Simple Feng Shui Tips for Good Health – YouTube

This may not be your ‘normal’ approach to healing your migraine-miserableness, but I’m living the life of “who knows – why not” and have found that small tweaks in my environment HAVE made a difference.

Take care taking care of your space mindfully, Linda xox