Category: Strategies

  • Migraines, by the book

    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…

  • Free mini-makeover for your bedroom

    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…

  • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – for healing

    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…

  • Make peace not war with your chronic pain

    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…

  • ‘Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde’ and me…

    ‘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…

  • Imagine if your migraine was a sitcom

    Imagine if your migraine was a sitcom

    For a long time, I thought of migraine as a nightmare.  I could easily imagine myself in a ‘main character moment’, starring in a B-grade horror movie.  Picture it with me: there’s a group of friends in a cabin in the woods.  It’s the end of a great day hiking…

  • Jumbled journal prompter

    Jumbled journal prompter

    I’m not one to follow the daily prompts of blog-land (I’m flat out getting through my own material (can you believe I still haven’t gotten around to writing about hydration!?)).  That said, I did see something about an A to Z challenge that for some reason reminded me of a…

  • Are you a super-hotty or a cool kid?

    Are you a super-hotty or a cool kid?

    In anecdotal evidence, I’m discovering that migraineurs tend to be either ‘hot’ or ‘cool’ people. Those of us who are ‘hotties’, like to take our caffeine hit in the form of a cup of coffee.  When we take a shower to relax tired muscles, it needs to be nice and…

  • “Medical retirement” – leaving your job because of migraines

    “Medical retirement” – leaving your job because of migraines

    Dehenna Davison (1993-) was born in South Yorkshire, England. After studying British Politics and Legislative Studies at the University of Hull, she was elected as MP for Bishop Auckland during the 2019 general election. [I hope that’s right, because it comes from Wikipedia and as an Australian, the titles and places…