Chronic Migraine (15+ headache days per month) can be incredibly difficult to fully explain to friends and family. The line between “having a migraine” and “no migraine” becomes blurred and every day is a careful balancing act. It’s all encompassing, a psychological battle that impacts your life in so many ways beyond the physical pain.

As part of #migraineawarenessmonth and to help spread awareness that migraine is #notjustaheadache, here are 25 ways chronic migraine has an effect on my day to day living:  

Always having a little voice that whispers in your head when making plans – “will I actually be able to go?” or “will that be too much for me?” and having to cancel things very, very often

Navigating relationships with new doctors while you explain, “yes, I have tried that” and “yes, I am being treated by a headache specialist”

Ordering things online because going into stores triggers pain  

Skipping concerts, restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, festivals and more because of the predictably triggering noise and lighting

Splitting up and pacing your days (even good ones) so you have time to rest in between activities ⏱

Apologizing more than you need to because you feel guilty about how migraine impacts the people around you

Sitting at a dinner table like a ghost while you watch others make small talk and can only focus on your increasing pain 

Looking forward to but also worrying about holidays, weddings and other big events because you know they will be taxing on your head or you might have to skip them all together  

Forgetting what it feels like to be carefree, because everything you do comes with an estimation and calculation about how triggering it will be ⚖️

Falling into a migraine black hole with no idea how many hours or days you will be there

Loving the sun but knowing you should be in the shade ☀️

Struggling with social interaction because it is too stimulating and exhausting

Always wondering, “did this trigger it?” or “did that trigger it” when a bad attack hits

Planning 95% of your outfits around baseball caps because they shield your eyes better than anything else  

Accepting the realization that although there is a lot we know about migraine, there is also a lot we don’t know; and that a doctor cannot “fix you” immediately ‍⚕️ 

Wanting to cry but always holding back tears because you know it will just make the pain worse  

Never turning on your tv and watching everything on a laptop or iPad because it’s less painful for your eyes  

Knowing you are strong and capable but having moments where you feel alone, afraid and hopeless

Staying open to trying new treatments while accepting the daily grind of unreliable health and unpredictable pain

Finding joy on low pain days in the most simple places – blue sky, warm sun on your skin, laughing with a loved one or cooking a nourishing meal

Learning to love your life more than you hate your pain, because at the end of the day, that is how you want to spend your time here on earth

 

 

I’d love to hear if you guys have additions to this list, and maybe we can do a community one with everyone’s own responses. Feel free to comment below, message me on instagram or shoot me an email if there is something you’d be willing to contribute. Thanks!