Category: Strategies
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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“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…
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Creating a (mental) happy place
When I was a child, I used to suffer from insomnia. I would lie in bed and overanalyze what had happened that day… agonize over whether I could have handled things differently… imagine alternative tomorrows… catastrophize a bit. I’m not a huge fan of the concept of a ‘migraine personality’…
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The Boston Marathon and Mount Everest
What do the Boston Marathon and Mount Everest have in common? They seem to be the two most common stories I hear referred to as an (im)possible dream. A dream so big, the dreamer knows it could take them years to achieve, but one which they believe the sacrifice will…
The Mindful Migraine 