I’ve suffered with migraines for pretty much the whole of my adult life and they are really, really hard to deal with. A migraine isn’t “just a headache” – it’s a debilitating condition and having them regularly has a huge impact on family life.
Sadly, for many migraine sufferers, they are just something we need to learn to cope with as part of our everyday lives, but I have developed a few coping strategies over the years that really have helped.
Know your triggers
Many migraine sufferers will have a few triggers that can throw them into a full-blown migraine. If you know your main triggers, then you can avoid certain things and minimise the risk of getting a migraine.
There are a whole load of things that could trigger a migraine, but these are a few of the most common:
- Stress
- Hormonal changes
- Alcohol
- Dehydration
- Chocolate
- Citrus fruit
- Lack of sleep
OK, so you can’t avoid all of these – stress isn’t always easy to avoid and insomnia is a difficult one too. You can try to do a few relaxation exercises though to help to keep you calm and limit your chances of falling ill with a migraine.
It’s a good idea to try to maintain a healthy, balanced diet alongside regular exercise, these will help your body and your mind to stay healthy and should mean there’s less chance of you suffering.
Coping Strategies
When a migraine hits, it’s pretty awful. You can feel as though your head is going to explode alongside nausea and vomiting and a whole range of other nasty symptoms.
As a Mum of three, I’ve often struggled to cope with family life and working whilst trying to cope with migraine. Some days I just have to accept that feeding the kids is about all I’ll be able to manage (and even that is a huge struggle).
- Ask for help – people are often more than willing to help you out, whether it’s taking the kids out for a few hours or getting hold of some pain relief for you, make sure you ask!
- Accept it. Once a migraine hits, you may not be able to shake it off for a day or two. Don’t beat yourself up, it’s not your fault!
- Sleep is the biggest healer. If you can, sleep it off.
- Stay hydrated. Drink as much water as you can.
- Speak to your doctor. If you’re getting regular migraines then you need to get checked out, if only to get some better pain relief.
If you’re a fellow migraine sufferer, then I really do feel your pain. I hope these coping mechanisms help you out.
