On last month's Managing Life with Migraines Teleconference with Dr. Roger Cady one of the things we discussed was living with the hyper-sensitive nervous system we have as Migraineurs. Dr. Cady helped us recognize that in caring for ourselves and our emotional helath, we need to nurture the sensitive nervous systems we have. This was a theme that resonated with many of us on the call, and I’ve had a few participants telling me they never knew that...
As a Migraineur, you might have a highly developed startle-reflex, and jump at every loud noise...
As a Migraineur, you might not be able to process multiple auditory inputs, but feel overwhelmed, panicky, and like you can't hear when there are many noises at the same time, or even several people talking to you at the same time...
As a Migraineur, your sense of "not liking" crowds is more than just a dislike, it's an inability to process too much sensory information at the same time - in other words, it's not psychological, it's neurological...
As a Migraineur, sensory overload is a very real thing, with very real consequences for you. If you're like me, you have been accused by co-workers, friends or family members at some point of being hyper-sensitive, neurotic, or just plain no fun because of your tendency to break down in the face of too much noise, light, or overall stimulation. Or you have accused yourself, and pushed yourself to continue in the face of too much, because you want to keep up with everyone else.
When you feel overloaded, that is part of your early warning system. Heed the warnings. Seek some quiet. Take some deep breaths. Use relaxation routines. I have some very easy relaxation exercises you can use in the midst of everything to calm your system back down. Continuing the overload leads to our systems' form of short-circuit - a Migraine.
Are there things you've noticed about yourself, like startling at loud noises or panicking in crowds, that you can see are part of your Migrainous nervous system? Please share them!
Megan Oltman is a migraineur, an entrepreneur, and a Migraine Management Coach, helping migraineurs and people with chronic illness manage their lives, keep working, start and maintain businesses, and live purposeful lives. She also practices as a professional divorce mediator. Over the years, she's been a practicing attorney, a free-lance writer, and a business coach and advisor. Megan has a free Migraine management course, The Six Keys to Manage your Migraines and Take Back your Life, available at http://www.takebackyourlifefrommigraine.com Her writings on Migraine and more tools for managing life with Migraine can be found at http://www.freemybrain.com .