Welcome to the first blog of my new specialised area - Migraines and Me! I hope to inspire those around me going through similar things, sharing my tips, tricks and things I’ve learnt about migraines from having them my whole life. Enjoy!
I drove past Albert Park lake today and saw joggers of all ages out and about, spinning around the lake. I felt sad – today has been a migraine day and I was on my way to work with the vision in my left eye foggy and pain in my left temple about 4 out of 10 on the pain scale. I had taken a Triptan an hour prior with three Nurofen, and was waiting for the pain to begin to subside.
I think that sadness was grief. Grief that I have been unable, lately, to get into a pattern of decent exercise. I can only walk and have swum a few times, but other than that, between migraines and work, it’s been challenging. I felt angry that for the people running the circuit, it was just a run to them. However to me, it’s often failure. It’s being unable at that moment to go there (to building up to a 10 km run) because I can’t get the days together to make it happen.
So, then you think: ‘Maybe I should just get on with it and run anyway’. Yet you feel a fear creep up inside that wants to protect my head and keep me on the couch with an icepack. There are times when running is good for me and other times when I need to go with the flow and question my motive.
Am I running in order to keep healthy or in order to tick something off my daily list and to feel like I have achieved something of real value? See, that is when you have to have a ‘reality moment’ and acknowledge the walk I did today was able to keep me moving and was useful as a mindfulness moment to gave me time to recharge. Some days I just have to keep things in perspective – is movement the goal or is it trying to feel like everyone else? If that is it then I am just fooling myself.
