Category: Strategies
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Creating a gentler language for healing
Not long ago I wrote about the idea of a ‘migraine warrior’. I noted that whilst I understood the motivational intent of the language, I also said that it didn’t always resonate with me, because it is exhausting to always be at war with your pain. Today I want to…
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How to initiate “mindful-mode”
“You can’t lead a horse to water” is an old saying, which I’ve never fully understood. Why would a horse be so reluctant to be led towards water? I’m guessing it would be very difficult to convince a horse to stand in a patch of stinging-nettles and thorns, no matter…
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Migraine’s Secret Sauce*
In Australia there’s currently a hamburger add on TV that keeps replaying an old jingle that goes through all the ingredients that go into the famous hamburger. ‘Secret sauce’ is, of course, included. I also remember there’s a famous chicken brand that loves to promote its ‘seven secret herbs and…
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It’s time to take out the trash (talk)
Most of my internet-time is spent in blog-land; writing my blogposts and visiting as many other people’s blogs as I can to keep myself and other writers motivated. I also spend a little bit of time on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter-X and LinkedIn to post links back to my blog. Sometimes…
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Migraines, by the book
I recently borrowed a book from the library called “Migraines” by Mary E. Williams (2011). It started with a spot-on quote from Andrew Levy’s migraine-memoir, ‘A Brain Wider than the Sky’ (2009): “There is no line between migraine and worrying about migraine…” In the opening section of the book I…
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Free mini-makeover for your bedroom
Mindfulness is a skill which involves being non-judgmentally present in your current moment. This might be an odd sidestep to traditional mindfulness matters, but if you regularly do your meditations or Yoga routines in your bedroom, or you spend a lot of time there due to chronic illness, you can…
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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – for healing
In the year 1943, American psychologist Abraham Maslow published a theory about how humans address their needs in the form of hierarchical stages. (Curiously, Maslow himself apparently didn’t come up with the ever-present triangular graphic that we associate with his theory). You’ve probably seen the graphic, but here’s a copy of it…
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Make peace not war with your chronic pain
Some time ago, I wrote about the neurologist who said you should ‘make friends’ with your migraine. When you’re in the depth of chronic migraine, it is very hard to imagine befriending a foe so painful… but – there is truth in this sentiment. At the very beginning of my…
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‘Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde’ and me…
June is Migraine Awareness Month. It’s rather fitting I feel, given that June is also my birthday-month! Most of June falls into the Zodiac sign of Gemini which uses the symbol of the twins. I don’t know whether it’s a coincidence or not, but the word ‘migraine’ comes from the…
The Mindful Migraine 