Coping

So many with migraines have ways of coping. Tonight, the barometric pressure is dropping, and my head hurts. It hurts in the way that I could sleep, but can't. I have tricks to help, things that make it easier to get through a long night when my husband works over-time and the kids wake up. I knit or spin. Not the exercise spin, but the old fashioned fairy tale kind of spinning.

The knitting came first. I picked it up when things got a bit worse a few years ago, and now I always have a project with me. Spinning was the natural evolution for me- it gives me the chance to start a project from the ground up. With both of them it is the rhythm that soothes me. Stitches are made with a certain rhythm, and the treadling of the spinning wheel and the flow of the fiber through my hands is incredibly soothing. I never imagined that it would help so much.

Another big coping mechanism that so many of us use is not unlike the focus that is encouraged during labor. Deep breaths, focusing on something positive, something good, something that distracts us from the pain. Yoga is often recommended for migraine sufferers, and the relaxation techniques that you learn in even the most basic of yoga classes can help anyone cope through pain. Deep breathing especially. Again, it all has to do with rhythm.

I do know some people that use reading, music, and walking to soothe pain. Personally, I can't imagine walking or listening to music, but to each there own. I have heard of using music boxes, any type of activity that can keep you focused on anything besides the pain. And that is what is important, focusing on something besides the pain. It's hard, but it does fade.

The truth is, we all cope indifferent ways. Each of us has a different way we deal, and to any one person our way, my way, might sound crazy. But that is the beautiful thing. Each of us can find something to work, to make things a bit easier.

Talk about the methods that soothe your migraines in the message boards.