(DISCLAIMER: I am not
a doctor nor do I have any medical training; what I’m about to share with you
is simply my own experience, not medical advice.)
I have spent a majority of my life suffering from headaches,
all kinds of headaches, everything from dull, lingering ones to full-blown
migraines. I used to think a majority of
my headaches came from my wisdom teeth, but, alas, my headaches persisted even
after they were taken out. And for 20
more years.
Over the last year, as I’ve learned to become more in tune
with myself (instead of mostly taking care of everyone else), as I’ve become
more aware of what it is I’m feeling (yes, even me, a self-proclaimed
non-feeler!), and as I’ve determined to be more proactive in living the life I
want to live ~ the frequency and intensity of my headaches have greatly
decreased.
But, wait! I would
never even classify myself as a “worrier” (I’m more of the “Let’s just deal
with what we can deal with” kind of gal).
I’m much more logical than emotional.
In fact, I will even admit that until recently I didn’t see much use for
emotions. They always seemed (to me) to
get in the way.
I’ve always believed the cause of my headaches was
stress, hormones, and dehydration. But
if that’s true then how in the world can it be that during the most stressful
year of my life I’ve actually been more headache-free than I ever even imagined
was possible?!? To be honest,
dehydration can still spur on a headache for me and I sometimes get a dull
headache around my special time of the month but neither are as intense or
debilitating as they were for 20+ years.
Learning to manage my mind, even in the midst of
heart-wrenching experiences, has made all the difference. Yes, I have experienced numbness, anger,
hurt, fear, and despair (and, to be fair, I’ve also lived with hope, love,
peace, and joy). Managing my mind doesn’t
make it so nothing bad ever happens; it just allows me to show up in my life
(the good, the bad, and the ugly parts) the way I want to be. Oh, yeah, and with a lot less
headaches.
