I have recently been introduced to the world of everyday headaches and frequent migraines and what an introduction it has been. No red carpet was rolled out for me instead I was just unceremoniously dumped into this world. To those of you who have inhabited this world for any length of time, my hat is off to you because it is not a fun place to visit. It’s definitely not going to make any list of Top 10 Vacation Destinations any time soon.

As always, I have tried my best to move through this latest new chapter of my journey with grace, wisdom, humor, and a large string of curse words. I firmly believe cursing is so helpful it should be prescribed by doctors. They should literally write a script that says “Curse 3 times a day as needed. ”

Because laughing is better than crying and trying to figure out why I have these sudden headaches/migraines, I have compiled a list of “What Migraines Have Taught Me”

“What Migraines Have Taught Me”

1. Humans are loud: We breathe loud, eat loud, talk loud, and just plain exist loudly. There have been many days in the last 6 weeks where people are just existing too loudly for my head. I have refrained from telling anyone “You’re existing too loudly” even though I have wanted to.. many times.
2. Weather changes suck: Where I live Mother Nature seems to be dealing with an identity crisis and it’s causing her to be pissed off. I totally get it that an identity crisis is no fun, but raging storms 2-3x a week is no fun for my head either. Mother Nature needs a therapist and better coping skills.
3. Having bed spins without first having the fun of drinking fun alcoholic drinks to initiate the bed spins is just plain rude and unfair.
4. Nausea is worse than getting sick: Feeling like you’re going to get sick is 100X worse than actually getting sick. There’s been many times over the last 6 weeks, where I’ve just begged my body to get sick because the overwhelming nausea is so much worse.
5. Just like when I cry I tend to go straight to ugly crying, when I get sick it is not cute and it sounds like I’m auditioning for a part in the latest version of The Exorcism.
6. Headache hats are life saving: Whoever invented headache hats is my new hero and I thank every deity daily for their birth and their genius invention. I would not have made it through the last 6 weeks without my rotation of headache hats.
7. Migraines are not just a headache: I had this misconception before I entered the world of migraines that they are just a really bad headache. I was so very wrong. There’s a spectrum for migraines and they can include all kinds of fun symptoms. My personal favorite is the vertigo, which makes one feel like they are on their own personal “Tilt A Whirl” from hell.
8. McDonald’s Diet Coke and Fries have healing properties: I don’t know if it’s the salt, the toxic chemicals, the combination of the 2, and/or some secret ingredient, but both of these can help lessen the intensity of a migraine for me if I get them before the migraine has gone completely out of control.
9. Migraines make you lose all pride: Over the last 6 weeks my village has seen me with hair that hasn’t been washed, clothes that haven’t been changed, and wearing no bra while listening to me get sick and dry heave. My pride went out the window real fast when I was dropped into migraine land and I have embraced my humanness.. maybe a little too much.
10. There’s still things to be grateful for even when stuck in a migraine. Yes, they suck. Yes, they hurt like hell. Yes, they are a pain in the ass. But they force one to be present in the moment and to be thankful for the simple things in life like headache hats, vertigo medicine, and the mute button on TV’s.

In all seriousness, the last 6 weeks have not been fun and they aren’t what I would have chosen at all. Not sure there’s anyone who would choose to have migraines, but it’s the season I am in. I learned early on in this journey I can’t choose what happens to me, but I can choose how I respond. So I have tried my best to choose to respond in a way that is the best for my body. I have tried not to get stressed about the reason or reasons for these migraines. I have practiced deep breathing and visualization while I’m in the middle of one. I have cursed, which is very beneficial for my body. I have surrounded myself with support and love from amazing people. I have not hesitated asking for help. And I have repeated the phrase “It is what it is” more times than I can count. That’s not to say I haven’t had moments of anger, despair, fear, and general feelings of “What in the actual fuck?” because I absolutely have. I have allowed myself to feel those feelings and then I’ve tried my best to let them go because I know swirling in those feelings is not helpful for my body, mind, and/or soul and it’s not going to make me feel any better.

As I am writing this, there’s once again storms in the forecast because as mentioned above Mother Nature has really bad emotional regulation and coping skills.. the girl needs a good therapist. I have some idea that I probably won’t be feeling the best later on today and yet I am not letting it control my day. I am going to listen to my body and I am going to live. I’m also going to make sure my headache hats are prepped in the freezer for later.. just in case. Just as the storms from Mother Nature come and go, I know this storm I’m currently in will also pass.. eventually and until it does I’ll continue to curse, listen to my body, ask for help, and tell myself “It is what it is” as many times a day as I need to.

If you find yourself swirling in your own storm, know that it will pass and clearer days are ahead in your personal life forecast. The storm may stall and hang around for a while or it may leave and the clouds remain a bit before the sun peeks through, but the sun will shine again. Give yourself grace, rest, love, support, and a prescription for cursing while you wait for the storm to pass.