I know I occasionally harp on about this, but the “Migraine Warrior” label isn’t for everyone – I prefer something gentler, more organic, more aligned with a garden-like-metaphor. I know it might annoy others who feel very passionately that the ‘warrior’ label is the right way to go – it IS empowering and validating – it IS a testament to the fact that we are so strong and so resilient – it IS a reminder to others that what we are going through is not easy, not for the faint-hearted… but… I personally can’t get it to reverberate in my soul…
I tried, I really tried. I even made an image that I could use with visualization methods. Something simple I could hold in my mind’s eye when I was meditating the pain away, or was trying to motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning. I asked AI to give me a “logo of a woman warrior” and then I added my healing mandala to it:
The hair, shoes and body shape are definitely NOT mine, but I liked the simple power of it: I might be sick, but gosh darn it, I’m going to fight my way through today to make the most of every minute I’ve got.
I am migraine – but I AM MORE!
I especially appreciated the way the glow is shaped like a keyhole and the woman’s motivation becomes the key to unlock a better life. I also liked the way the sword is hanging loosely at her side – there’s a weariness to the constant battle, but she hasn’t laid her weapon down… she keeps going through the fatigue, and pain and brain-fog (which even appears as a cloud around her head in the graphic).
YAY THE MIGRAINE WARRIOR!!
That said, the image didn’t work for me – I’m a fighter, but not that kind of fighter…
It was while I was reading a post by fellow blogger Paula, that I recognized one of my biggest worries about the warrior-pose:
“A battleground makes poor farmland. Nothing flourishes—crops, children, or peace—when destruction is the focus.”
(Link here: A BATTLEGROUND – The Ultimate Bag of Bones Manifesto)
Now – before the warriors out there object – I know, I know – destruction is not your focus… however… there is always an element of carnage involved in battles… there is always a price to be paid for your progress.
Part of my main motivation for my healing journey was to reclaim a sense of self – and part of it was that I just wanted my life to be pain-free.
I’ve since moderated my ambitions: I don’t think it is human to be pain free, to live is to fumble and fall and feel pain, whether it’s a broken heart or a papercut from filing too fast – you live / you feel pain. Instead of aiming for a pain-less life, I now emphasize being joy-full.
What I haven’t budged on however, is the hope for a brighter future, one in which I will be able to live a high-quality life despite my pain. A life in which my migraine becomes more of a sitcom-character than a horror-movie-beastie.
That’s why the phrase “a battleground makes poor farmland” makes so much sense to me. I want to flourish. I want others to flourish. I want us all to be able to keep going and keep growing, reach for the sun, feel its warmth in our core and feel nourished.
I want our ‘crops’ and our ‘children’ – those things that are beyond us, that we are able to generate, our legacies – to be bright and wonderous too.
A warrior fights day by day… a farmer is always future-focused… patient.
Chronic pain is a day-to-day battle, no doubt, and mindfulness often teaches us to focus on the here-and-now… BUT the farmer understands that today is a balance between heritage and legacy, past and future… if you can shift your mindset to focus on a brighter, more fertile, tomorrow it really does help you heal.
Take care taking care, Linda x
The Mindful Migraine 
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