• Are you a human being or a human doer?

    Are you a human being or a human doer?

    Last Sunday, when I was ironing school uniforms and office shirts for the week ahead, I was listening to one of my mindfulness/migraine-related-podcasts.  It’s something I started doing when I DJ-mixed-up my life’s playlist: do a not-so-favorite chore at the same time as another activity that you’re keen on; old…

  • Why you might not be healing

    Why you might not be healing

    As a person who was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition over two years ago, there is NOTHING that holds a greater priority in my head and heart than healing.  I REALLY want to get better. Now, that might sound like I’m de-prioritizing my family, but that’s not true.  They…

  • Is my pillow causing my migraine?

    Is my pillow causing my migraine?

    When I first started to pull myself out of my chronic pain downward spiral, I listened to a podcast that had a title similar to the one I just wrote, something like: “is my pillow the problem?” This is it, I thought! I’m going to start to learn everything I…

  • A Gothic Migraine

    A Gothic Migraine

    15 years ago, when I first started thinking about going back to university to do my PhD, I considered studying Gothic Literature and its relationship with Gothic Architecture (both the original Medieval version, and the neo-gothic copies that were being made in the late 1800s – early 1900s). In preparation…

  • Segment intending – or as I like to say: “chunking”

    Segment intending – or as I like to say: “chunking”

    One of the difficulties of getting through a standard day when you’re feeling under the weather (whether it’s mood-wise, pain-wise, or motivation-wise), is that there is always a lot of things that need to get done AND whilst there might be a lot of time to get it done, that…

  • Mindful eating (and pill-popping)

    Mindful eating (and pill-popping)

    There are several exercises in mindfulness where you eat mindfully.  In the simplest of ways, you make sure that when you eat, you just eat.  It is an act of intentionality where you savor each mouthful, its taste and texture.  [In other words, your toast isn’t hanging limply out of…

  • 8 or infinity? (It’s a matter of perspective!)

    8 or infinity? (It’s a matter of perspective!)

    Today marks my 8-month anniversary of blogging. On one hand it seems a little amount of time compared to the timespans of so many other blogs that I visit and enjoy… on the other hand, it seems like a big achievement for a chronic pain “sicko” like me! I say…

  • Studio Migraine: a voice for women with migraine

    Studio Migraine: a voice for women with migraine

    Since starting my Mindful Migraine Blog in mid-January of this year, I have spent as much time (if not more) reading other people’s blogs as I have writing on my own.  As part of those “travels” to other places near and far I have met many, many wonderful people (chances…

  • Architecture of dread… or healing

    Architecture of dread… or healing

    “Friday the 13th” – that’s what today is. It sounds so spooky and full of dread. It conjures up superstitious thoughts and nightmare-scenes from horror movies… so what to post about on such a (potentially) dark day? An architecture of dread… or not. While looking for images for my university…