The Mindful Migraine

You’ve probably heard of the phrase “mood-board” plenty of times before (I know I have, and I’ve written about it here). The idea is that you collect magazine images, postcards, affirmations, fabric swatches etc etc and place them all on a vertical pinboard, lay them in a tray, or use an online tool to copy-paste what you like.

Most mood-boards are typically inspired by ‘something’ – for example, you might be looking for a party-theme or wedding ideas. Perhaps you want to redo your kitchen with a nautical look, in which case your board might include blue and white tiles, pictures of pendant lights made of rope, draw pulls that look like seahorses or rattan bench seats…

You get the idea (and if you’re not sure – then pop over to the screen shot of part of my New Year’s Revelation mood-board here).

Anyway, the other day I heard someone refer to a mood-board as a “dream-board” and I LOVE IT!

Nothing about the approach actually changes, except that now you’re channeling a lot more love and energy into the task – it’s not just a mood that you’re looking for, you’re going to dream big and make magic!

(Yeah, if you’ve been here for a while, you might remember that magical (almost caught-on-fire) moment that I’m alluding to!)

[Image source: me… and my daughter]

Anyway, inspired to be more than moody, I set about making a dream-board for my garden makeover that I’m planning as a way of spending more time outdoors, and being in my body instead of my head.

And no, we won’t be getting a Chinese pagoda anytime soon, if your eyesight is good enough to spot it in the picture below. However, as an architect, I do love the idea of built forms that double as garden features (think of Monet’s curved green bridge at Giverny).

And yes, if your eyesight is stupendous, that is an emoji-smiling-poo on the back of my phone case. I put the puffy sticker on my new phone a few years ago as a laugh, and wouldn’t you know it, it has stayed there ever since and reminds me to keep smiling when sh!t happens… because if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.

Anyway, enough yapping – here’s my board, as well as me being a bit goofy after I hung it on the wall… oh, and with the magazine pages that I liked too much to cut up, I made a whole panel of inspirational images in the garage… and even started to experiment with collecting things from around the house, to bring some of the dreamy-garden-vibes I was looking for into the lounge room… I got a bit carried away with the whole dream-big thing:

[Image source: me]

You don’t have to go too big or too bold (I potentially went a bit over the top), but it is possible to create little pockets of aspirational / inspirational moments that remind you that life is good, and filled with glimmers that make you smile and keep you going… keep you growing.

If the idea of a whole pinboard, or a wall in your garage is too much (and let’s face it, the garage addition is undoubtedly not well placed in terms of a fresh breeze – but it’s fun while it lasts), then create a dream-shelf, or dream-side-table, even a dream-object; something that you only have to look at that makes you smile and hold hope for your future.

Come to think of it, most knick-knacks hold that power. I have a dried flower that came from the bouquet my family bought me to celebrate my first PhD presentation (which highlights a past achievement but kept me motivated to keep studying), and a bowl of seashells that came from a beach-holiday (again from the past, but reminds me that the more I heal, the more adventures I can have in the future)…

Memories, moods, shelves, shells, flower-power and pagodas…

Life is lovely, and “Dreams are the touchstones of our character” – Henry David Thoreau

Take care of yourself while taking care, and keep dreaming!

Linda x

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PS – don’t forget to keep checking in on the Greenwell Centre for Holistic Healing Blog where Michelle is creating a fabulous series of posts on healing for Migraine Awareness Month, such as this one: Your Migraine Story Matters: Finding Your Voice Through Healing – AND – her most recent interview with my friend and author Amber Horrox is live: S6 E7 Migraine Awareness: Your Migraine Story Matters with Amber Horrox