-
Migraines in The Matrix
Sometimes it can feel like you’re living in an alternate reality to everyone else, like the movie The Matrix. This is not, however, the sort of Matrix I want to talk about today. There will be no advice on how to bend spoonies, for example. (As an aside – if…
-
Acupressure for migraines
Acupressure works by applying pressure to specific points (acupoints) on the body in order to stimulate energy flow and release tension. Decades ago, someone told me that pressing the webby flesh between your thumb and pointer finger for 60 seconds was enough to reduce stress and anxiety. I wasn’t convinced,…
-
Free-writing for migraines
In 1924 André Breton published his Surrealist Manifesto in which he encouraged artists to use ‘automatic’ or ‘free’ writing, where “the first draft is your last”. You set your clock for, let’s say two minutes, and then you write, without stopping or overthinking, and definitely no editing. Here’s my two…
-
Love and migraines
Happy Valentine’s Day to the romantic souls amongst you. The day apparently originated as a means of honoring the martyr St Valentine, who used to administer services, including marriage, to the early Christians of the Roman Empire (and was killed for his actions). The more you read, the more you…
-
Fuel and migraines
Right at eye height, on the shelf in my fridge this morning, there was a food container. On the side of the container were the words ‘fuel your journey’. It made me think not only about the nutrition that we require to keep our bodies going, but also how quickly…
-
Metamorphosis and migraines
In a recent post I wrote about ‘Re-finding the I in Linda’. I spoke about wanting to minimize the impact migraine was having on my identity and reclaim a sense of my old self. I’ve since realized that approach, though natural, is potentially misguided. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever be…
-
Eye masks and migraines
Eye masks are possibly our most humble defense against migraine pain. I suspect they’re probably our oldest too. It’s not hard to imagine everyone from a caveman, to a Roman gladiator and a medieval babe in a beribboned cone-hat with an arm thrown across their face to keep the sun…
-
AI art for migraines
‘AI art for migraines’ is the weirdest title I have written so far on my mindful migraine blogging journey. It came about for two reasons. The first is that I’ve been thinking a lot about art therapy and how people gain so much comfort from mindful activities such as painting,…
-
Why pain-scales need modifications for chronic migraines
A couple of posts ago (here) I showed you a pain-scale of 1-10 (replicated in the top line of the picture below). In the graphic, I used little faces to show the increasing sense of distress that goes with the increased pain. For irregular migraines the scale works well, you’re…
The Mindful Migraine 