Migraine; You Scream, Ice Cream

It's true. Some migraine sufferers are finding relief in eating what we used to scream for as children. Ice cream, no matter what flavor, when eaten fast enough, may alleviate the head pain of a migraine.

Ice Cream headache, known as sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia (betch ya can't say that 10 times fast), means "nerve pain of the sphenopalatine ganglion" and is caused by a sudden application of a very cold substance touching the roof of your mouth or palate. It is believed to result from a nerve response causing rapid constriction and swelling of blood vessels.

Sure, it hurts, but only for a few minutes. Some find that when the brain freeze subsides, the migraine recedes as well. Why? Medical professionals are not currently sure. More and more victims of severe head pain are trying this as a remedy and finding some relief.

That's the name of the game, isn't it? Finding something that gives us relief from our migraines. Even if it only lasts a little while, its worth trying at least once.

What's your favorite flavor? Do you prefer a sorbet, or a popsicle to ice cream? Just make it cold and eat it fast. Let me know if this does or doesn't work for you. I want to know.

 

Easing The Burden of Migraine

An invisible illness is a beast of burden. You carry it around day and night, day after day. But, many of the people that see you around, don't know that there is a huge weight upon your shoulders. I know your pain, as I deal with migraine on a daily basis. I have learned over the 'many' years that there are things we can do to ease the onset of migraine while I try to live my life. Here are but a few things you each can try to ease the burden of migraine;

• Drink plenty of water. I've read that it is possible to drink too much water, but don't let that scare you from drinking water at all. It is very hard to drink too much, and it is so very important to keep hydrated.

• Keep an emergency kit with you at all times. Include some or all of the following items; 

• A bottle of water
• Dark glasses, especially if you don't usually wear them. Polarized lenses are important to keep out bright sunshine or bad lighting.
• Nausea medicine if you usually vomit with the pain.
• Any meds that you would normally take at the onset of migraine.
• Any other items that you deem a necessity during your illness attack.

• Get plenty of sleep. Not too much and not too little. Broken sleep habits make the onset of an attack much more likely.

• Eat the right diet at the right time for you. Eating breakfast and having meals regularly, are good for you. Some foods may be a migraine trigger. You can test foods for triggers by embarking on an elimination diet.

• Exercise! Even if it is only a few minutes at a time. Take a few minutes every day to stretch, maybe do some yoga. It may be difficult at first, but you may be able to work up to 30 minutes a day. Exercise will make you stronger, feel better, and make you more immune to pain. 

I hope that migraine or another invisible illness does not abbreviate your life. My list is not exhaustive. Do you have other ideas to lessen an interruption in your life?

 

Migraines May Be Triggered By Light

The glare of certain lights can trigger migraines. Obviously the glare of the sun can be the worst. There are ways to cut the glare and save your head. The first is obviously sun glasses. It is important to wear polarized UV glasses which block the glare. I wear mine all the time. I wear mine day and night, in Walmart, when I'm driving, when I'm fishing, and when I am out shoveling snow. I have friends that may never have seen my eyes!

Wearing a hat with a dark brim is another method of cutting glare to your eyes. Black absorbs light, while white reflects it. This is why athletes put black under their eyes when playing sports. We would look even more ridiculous than wearing sunglasses at night, if we blacked our eyes. Wearing a hat or visor (who wears visors any more?) can help prevent more light from reaching your eyes.

A third way to diffuse light and prevent glare is to wear a dark shirt. White or lighter colored shirts reflect light, and hence can create a glare that can cause eye strain. I'm not saying to wear a black shirt all the time, but wearing a gray or even a tan shirt can make a big difference. It is amazing how much of a difference this simple clothing choice can make.

Protect yourself from migraines triggered by light. There are lots of other ways to protect yourself from light overload. What are your favorites?

 

Migraine May Steal The American Dream

The American Dream has been stolen from many migraineurs and those with debilitating invisible Illnesses. This illness has snatched our ambitions and desires. It may take charge of our lives.

An illness like migraine disease or other invisible illness can take our desires and aspirations to go as far and as high as our spirit and character could take us.  Some of us have forgotten how to dream – or never learned. Others may just watch others build their dreams and think it's impossible to have what they have. Impossible to have their own dreams.

Some of us walk around saying, "How can I dream when my illness has such a grip on me? Who's able to dream when my life is so overwhelmed with pain or other disability? We surrender our dreams for many reasons. Whatever the cause – whether it be physical, social or psychological – only a small number of people know how to dream big.

It's really sad, because of the potential we limit when we don't allow ourselves to have dreams. No matter what or who has caused us to withdraw from our dreams, each of us has the ultimate responsibility to decide to dream again. Our desires determine our destiny in life. Make yourself a written list of dreams. Not the dreams of others, the dreams for your life. Create your own vision statement in order to allow yourself to grow. List your dreams and create a summary of who you want to be.

We all want the American Dream, but we'll never make it, unless we allow ourselves to dream. Take a little of that precious time when your pain eases and make a short description of who and what you want to be. Don't be afraid to dream that someday you will be unburdened by your illness. Start with the small ones and work your way up. Let yourself be all that you can be and don't let your illness steal your American Dream from you.

What are your dreams? Care to share? It helps to write them down, so that they may have a real chance and are at least penciled in.

 

Related articles

• Death of the American Dream? (thedailybeast.com)
• Dream A Little Dream (againstthegraine.blogspot.com)
• Get Up! (againstthegraine.blogspot.com)

Migraine; Behind The Shades

The "monster" is close. You can almost feel him behind you, waiting to strike at any moment. Up ahead you sense a bright light directly crossing your path, like a black cat seeking calamity. You know a fight is near, so you go into your cave. The shades are drawn (but the rest of the furniture is real).

No, really.
This is an over dramatized situation but to some, it is almost reality. Everyday migraine sufferers live with a monster on their back. Everything they do must be weighed against the possibility that they are going to have another migraine attack, and light might be the trigger.

Many migraineurs are susceptible to light causing a migraine. Whether it is the sun while driving a car, the florescent lights at work, or a flickering television or computer monitor at home.

Here are a few ways to reduce light induced migraines in your life;

• Wear polarized UV glasses which block the glare of the sun or headlights as you drive at night. Using very dark shades at night is not suggested, but wearing shades inside and out during the day may help.

• Wear a hat with a dark brim is another method of cutting glare to your eyes. This is much the same as an athlete putting black under his eyes.

• Wear a darker shirt. White or lighter colored shirts reflect light, and reflected light that can cause eye strain. Try wearing light gray or darker shirts that absorb light.

• Put your sun visor down and adjust the driver side mirror slightly to the left, when driving at night. This will help prevent headlights attacking from behind. The visor helps if you tilt your head up when an approaching car has their lights on. 

Use the shades to decrease or lessen your migraines. Tell us if you have additional tips.

 

Caregivers Need Care Too

I have watched my father-in-law (who is also my friend) as he has provided 100% of the care for my mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer's disease, over the past few years. He has been there for her from the the time she wakes until it is time for bed again, taking care of her every need. Now, after years of working himself so hard, he is having to deal with his own health problems and seek answers he should have looked for long ago.

He is learning the hard way that he will not always be able to provide the care that she requires and that he needs to learn a few things about being a caregiver. I'm happy to say that he is finally seeing the light and has hired help in addition to making use of hospice.

I feel like this information is so important, whether your the cared-for, or the caregiver. And, it doesn't matter if you provide care to someone with an invisible illness like migraine disease or a more visible and more devastating illness such as Alzheimer's. You need help too. Please take the time to share this and/or the links below with others.

"Care-giving is a job and respite is your earned right. Reward yourself with respite breaks often."

You have worked hard all of your life, and this may be the last job you may have, taking care of your sick loved one. When you worked for "the man", you were given breaks and holidays.Why shouldn't you have them now. Don't be afraid to ask those around you if they will help give you the time that you need. Use these breaks for more than doing the weekly shopping. Go to the library, a coffee shop, or the movies, in order to recharge your batteries. You may be able to use respite care available in your area in order to plan and take a real vacation. Don't feel guilty for leaving and leading your own life.

"Watch out for signs of depression, and don’t delay in getting professional help when you need it."

Situations can look hopeless. Doing the same thing day after day can cause even the most optimistic to lose their compass. If you even begin to think that you are depressed, don't be afraid to ask your doctor, or others for the help you need. Depression may sneak up on you, even if you think things are going great. It's a hard job living and caring for a sick loved one. Taking medication in order to feel stable and able to cope, is not sin.

"When people offer to help, accept the offer and suggest specific things that they can do."

Let them help! Show them how you want something done and step out of their way. It's easy for you to excuse others from helping because you feel embarrassed or don't feel like they can do it as well as you can. There is always help available to you no matter how difficult your circumstances.

You only need to say "yes" and allow your life to become your own.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

There are more tips for family caregivers posted at Thefamilycaregiver.org, Tips and Tools.

Other Resources;

http://eldercareabcblog.com/
Thefamilycaregiver.org
Family Caregiving 101
National Alliance for Caregiving

 

Related articles

• For the Alzheimer's Caregiver, Depression Is a Real Risk (everydayhealth.com)
• Caring For The Caregivers (againstthegraine.blogspot.com)
• Defining Caregiving (caregiving.com)

Caring For The Caregivers

We might not recognize it, but our families and our friends are our caregivers, as much as the professionals that treat us. And, just like us, they need care as well. Our illness, also affects those care for and love us.

I have a family of caregivers. Not only are we dealing with my terrible migraine monster, we also work together to care for my mother-in-law who has alzheimer's disease. I have been given the gift of knowing a little about both worlds. Though let it be known that I would gladly give up both of these gifts.

Being a caregiver takes a lot of energy. Energy to use for ourselves and to give to those we care for. That energy doesn't come to us wrapped in a bow or in an energy drink. It takes knowing resources and tricks of the trade.

I just recently found the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) is an entity that has compiled a lot of resources. They have a virtual library of information and educational materials ranging from national educational campaigns to Tips and Tools for family caregivers. They provide information on agencies and organizations which provide caregiver support.

https://www.thefamilycaregiver.org/caregiving_resources/ is the URL to the resources page.

Share this information with your family caregivers, and help them to cope. You can use them yourself, and maybe you'll find some ways for you to cope with your illness as well.

 

Sweating The Small Stuff

There’s a ton of stuff you don’t do when you could, and so getting things done may cause you stress.

Small stuff. The stuff that accumulates during the week, can stress you out to the point of flipping out. You can embark on a frenzy of activity, to get things done. Vacuuming, getting to the dry-cleaners, dusting, and laundry all must be done before you repeat the cycle over and over again.

A lot of stuff makes your sphincters (look this up, we have many) shudder and your pulse quickens and your  brow moistens when you think about it for too long.

It is too easy to burst into activity only to bust in a matter of 10 to 20 minutes.
These bursts of activity may actually be the answer to your problems, they may just be what you need to become the person you want to be. All you have to do is
initiate the eight minute rule. I am of the opinion that most of the things that need doing around the house can be done in under ten minutes. That’s a really short period of time. If you have your snooze button set to ten minute intervals, you’ll appreciate just how little time that is. But, It’s enough time to do a lot of stuff.

Pick your tasks one at a time, and apply the eight-minute rule. Make sure you don't over do it at first by trying to string too many things into your day. This can thwart your progress and make you weary. Just try a couple of things that you feel you can do around the illness that makes you week. Try these and see if you can come up with others to add to the list:

Taking out the trash – 2 minutes
Loading the dishwasher – 4 minutes
Vacuuming one room – 7 minutes
Dusting the surfaces in one room – 7 minutes
Ironing two shirts – 8 minutes
Going around your bedroom, picking up every stray sock and t-shirt and chucking all in the laundry bin – 5 minutes
Paying some utility bills – 6 minutes
Cleaning the tub - 5 minutes
Cleaning a window - 4 minutes

How many other items can you add to this list? Remember, they must take 8 minutes or less.


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Would've, Could've, Shoud've

I have been remiss the last couple of weeks. I haven't posted since Dec. 8, and for no apparent reason. I would've had enough time to write several posts around the hectic holidays and my unscheduled migraines.  But, I let the joyous nature of the season keep me from even sitting down to the computer.

If I had planned my time more wisely, I could've incorporated several life lessons that I learned over the last month. While I was cleaning, cooking, decorating (did I say cleaning?) I found myself learning how to accomplish some tasks easier, especially as the frequency increased. Maybe I'll be able to put some things down into the ether as my blog continues in this, my third year.

I should've put a lot of my thoughts down on paper. Now it's too late for most of them as they have been lost to my minds eye. A few remain and I hope to take many opportunities to write and share my thoughts about the past, present and future of dealing with diseases like migraine. These are my thoughts for the new year.

I decided to not make any resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, which criticize, seek approval for, and/or mold my life, is too much of a daily event for me.


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Simply Survival

Sometimes, it is not that we are not looking forward to the holidays, but simply trying to figure out how to survive the holidays. Its a time of being together, and not of "let me lie down for awhile". As is the case for most migraine sufferers. We love the holidays. Love the time spent with friends and family. And, who doesn't love getting gifts? But the holidays present a lot of problems for migraine and other chronic illness sufferers.

Having a time of year to reflect on our religious beliefs and share our God with others, is a great thing. We should not take this for granted. There are places in our world that others cannot show their religious beliefs for fear of being tortured and killed. Here in America we are tortured in another way. Christmas is commercialized and trivialized. What we don't necessarily love is the bright lights, the loud noises, and even the smells of the holidays that affect our migraines. Holiday shopping with the stress due to throngs of people vying for the best deal. Every store playing the same songs over and over and over. They even pump it out of speakers in the parking lot. And, I believe, they are wafting the smell of Christmas tree through the ventilation systems. These can all contribute to our migraine Christmas woes.

We love to have visiting time with the people we love. Sharing stories and making memories can make us feel better. But, the preparation, the stress, and late nights can affect us in a negative way. We need to control our environment, to keep our stress levels low, and getting the right amount of sleep is super important in preventing our illness from knocking us down.

It's simply survival. Plan in advance by having break times built into your day. Let others know that the camera flash needs to be announced prior to pushing the button. Find a potpourri that doesn't cause you nasal stress (I can't stand evergreen or worse wintergreen permeating my breathing air). Set the Christmas muzak to a bearable decibel level. And take any other precautions that will help you make it through the holidays. How do you plan to have a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas?

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Kiss Me

Everyone knows that a kiss can make you feel better. Mom's all over the world have said to a child, "Let me kiss it and make it better". I produced the following video to commemorate a lifetime together. But this could be you. Take the opportunity to enjoy your time with loved ones. Make every day special by doing something special with a friend. You could greet your friends and family with a kiss, just to show them how much you appreciate them.




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Stink'n Think'n

There are many ways that our thought processes can doom us to facing the same situations over and over again. It is the distortion of the truth that sometimes keeps us from reaching a positive mental attitude and subsequently happiness. Most of us are guilty of one type of distortion or another. Our thought processes can be altered when we know what to look for and avoid.

I'm not going to tell which of these apply directly to me, but I will say that the migraine disease that I have is not the only problem in my life. The pain can cause me to distort my view of the world and my situation in it. Then I have two problems to deal with; Migraine and depression.

This list of cognitive distortions is not of my own making. I've seen it several places online and I have tried to rephrase each idea to help in understanding Stink'n Think'n.

1. If things to you are black or white, then your thinking may be All-or-Nothing. If you are not able to do something perfectly, you think of yourself as a failure. Nothing is ever black and white and we can fall a little short and still not be a failure.

2. If you see any single event, especially negative, as a never-ending pattern then you are Overgeneralizing. Give things a chance and sooner or later you will receive the outcome you desire.

3.  You may be using a Mental Filter by picking out a single negative detail and focusing on it until your reality becomes diluted. Learn to pick out the positives as well as negatives for a positive attitude.

4.  Don't Disqualify the Positive. Let positive experiences be what they are. You may think they do not count for some reason or another, but don't maintain a defeatist attitude that is contrary to your every day experiences.

5. Sometimes events can be interpreted negatively by Jumping to Conclusions. Even when there are no clear cut facts to support our conclusions. Sometimes we Mind Read others and conclude that they feel negatively about us without finding out for certain. We believe we can tell the future by anticipating a bad outcome. By feeling that the prediction is already an established fact we are committed to  Fortune-Telling.

6. Exaggerating how important things are by magnifying your failure or someone else's achievement, or by shrinking the importance of things till they are insignificant. This Magnification/Minimizing is also called the binocular trick. Looking down the binoculars the wrong way always distorts our view of the scene.

7.  Attributing terrible consequences to the outcome of an event is Catastrophizing and prevents you from ever foreseeing a positive outcome. You feel that the slightest mistake could cost you your job. friends or even marriage.

8.  Feeling that your negative emotions dictate the way things really are. Your Emotional Reasoning is that if you feel it, it must be true. Just because you feel something is right doesn't make it so. Try not to let emotions determine whether things are right or wrong.

9.  Using "Should" statements in order to motivate yourself causing you to feel like you should be punished before expected to do anything. The emotional consequence is guilt when you use "should", "shouldn't", "Must" and "ought". Directing these statements toward yourself or others, makes you feel guilt, anger and frustration.

10.  An extreme form of overgeneralization is referred to as Labeling and Mislabeling. You attach a label to yourself instead of describing any error that you may make. Labeling (and mislabeling) yourself as a "loser" or other negative label as you overgeneralize a single negative event as par for the course.

11. Seeing some negative characteristic of yourself as causing a negative event. Or, taking responsibility for things that were not your doing is Personalization. Everything that happens is not caused by you. Negative things are going to happen to everyone that doesn't mean you made it happen.

12. When you concentrate on a thought that may be true, but does not gain anything by focusing on it, is Maladaptive Thinking. Focusing on some past event will not ever change that event. The past cannot be changed by anything we do in the present and we should not concentrate on those events.

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Hobby Horsing Around

Image by Fozzeee via Flickr
It's not easy to have and hold onto a hobby while dealing with migraine disease. The shackles that restrict us from going to work or visiting with the family, also prevent us from having much time for leisure. We that are afflicted with this invisible illness suffer many losses, not the least of these is time to pursue something for pleasure. Our hobby horse may be kept in the stable for much of the time.



It is a pleasure to be free from pain, even if only for a moment. Choosing to just relax or pick up our favorite pursuit can sometimes even cause us more stress. That is why we must make a decision to work or play before the opportunity rears it's head. Waiting till the moment is at hand can mean missing the moment all together. Be "ready" and also have a plan for "not".

Include your interests, what you enjoy doing the most, in your overall planning, so that you are ready when the opportunity is afforded. I enjoy playing basketball. A group of friends try to play weekly. I include this in my weekly to-do list. If I am able to play each Wednesday evening, then I show up. I always include it in my plans, even if at the time of planning I am down for the count. There have been times when I didn't think that I would be able to before hand, but showed up without the migraine monster on my back. I play when I am able and I am ready and willing even when I am not able. This goes for my blogging as well. I may have days at a time that I am unable to even look at the computer screen, but I have it on my to-do list and keep the tools I need at the ready as well. Whether it be my basketball shoes or my personal computer,  I like to keep the horse out in the open and not hiding in the back of the closet.

In this way, no matter what your hobby may be, keep the tools you need at the ready. Out of sight is out of mind. We have to use these fragments of time as they are given.

Always keep your hobby horse out and ready to ride.

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Related Articles

• Coping with Migraines via My Hobbies (puttingourheadstogether.com)
• Focus on One or Two Hobbies for Greater Happiness [Hobbies] (lifehacker.com)
• Announcing October Headache & Migraine Carnival (somebodyhealme.dianalee.net)

Setting Spiritual And Leisure Goals

 There's a lull between this and my last post, due to a minor family emergency that took me away from home for over a week. If you are following along at home, you know that I am currently setting my personal goals on my blog.
I am doing this, not because I love to share my personal life, but because I wanted to make myself accountable. By stating in my blog that I am going to do this, I am setting myself up to succeed!
After writing about setting goals and Goal Setting Tips, I realized that I was having trouble putting my own goals down on paper. So, in order to motivate myself, I decided to post them. Today, I am working on my spiritual and leisure time goals.
Remember that your goals have to be taken in small steps in order to reach a larger goal and dream.

II. My Spiritual Life

• I want to become closer with God
• I will do my best to attend church every Sunday.
• I will read my bible daily.
• I will pray daily.
• I will give God credit for every blessing in my life.

III. My Leisure Time

• I want to take better advantage of the amount of leisure time I have between migraines.
• I will keep a consistent bed time.
• I will not go to bed just because I am bored.
• I will spend more time with my family.
• I will spend more time outdoors.
• I will spend time each week to pursue my hobbies.
• I will use more time to prepare timely blog posts.

• I want to get into better shape and be healthier.
• I will exercise at least 3 times a week.
• I will change my diet and eat better.
• I will maintain a low carbohydrate diet.
• I will eat fewer sweets.
• I will eat smaller portions.
• I will lose 25 pounds by implementing the above changes.

I don't know that this is the perfect outline for my goals. After letting this sit for a week, I am having a mental block. I hope that, this in some way, inspires your to create a statement of your goals. Take time to ask yourself, "What are my spiritual and leisure goals?"

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• The Life Wheel (celestinechua.com)

Setting My Personal Goals

I am adamant about setting my goals for my life, so I set myself up in my blog. As I shared in my post, Goal Setting Tips, I am sharing my goals as I make them and hoping that others will take this challenge to sit down and set goals in their own lives in order to reach their dreams. Today, I am working on my Family, Spiritual and Personal Goals.

Our personal goals are those outside of our career path. They often have to do with family, friends and personal growth. In order to set these goals I need to list specific objectives I want to achieve in:

1. My Relationships
2. My spiritual life
3. My leisure time

It's best to focus on activities and the amount of time and effort you want to give to these activities. It's important to be reasonable and live up to your plan. Take the steps - not leaps - needed to meet your goals. So, today, I am focusing on goals for my relationships.

My Goals;


I. My Relationships
   My family and myself are slighted of time we spend together due to my
   migraines. I want to make sure that any reprieve time that I have is spent with
   my family and friends.

• I want to become closer to each member of my family. Even when we are all home, it is difficult to plan time together. At any moment plans may be scuttled due to my illness. A migraine usually means that I go to bed and the family goes on about their business without me.
• I will spend at least one hour a week with each immediate family member that currently resides at home. This does not mean that is all the time they get, but rather that in addition to smaller amounts of time spent together, I intend to spend at least one hour of one-on-one time each week as they are able.
• I will work with each person to plan our time together. Examples of time together could be walking, going out to eat, exercising together. Or my serving them in some way such as back or foot massages.
• I will take time (several times per week) to call, text and/or Facebook my daughter and son who are currently away at college.
• I will call my parents and my brother at least once a week.

• I want to cultivate my relationships with my friends. My relationships with my friends has suffered due to my chronic illness. I don't see them very often, and when I do they don't know what to say to me. My friends have all but stopped calling to invite me to ball games and other functions.

• I will find ways to communicate with my friends via phone,email, texting, Facebook, church  and local activities.
• I will attempt to spend time with one or more of my friends at least once a month.

If you have suggestions for things that could be added to this portion of the outline, PLEASE feel free to send me your comments. My next post will examine my Spiritual Goals.

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Goal Setting Tips

I'm writing it. I'm seeing it. I'm believing it, but, I'm just having trouble getting started. Having trouble getting my head around it. I'm trying to tell you how important it is and yet I'm having trouble setting goals for myself. Maybe my first goal should be outlining my goals in smaller pieces that will make the overall task much more manageable. Join me over the next few posts as I attempt to put my goals down.

Dr. John Ingram Walker in the Summer 2010 issue of LifeWorks, breaks the goals up like this;

Family, spiritual and personal goals
Personal goals are those outside of your career path and often have to do with family, friends and personal growth. List specific objectives you want to achieve in:

1. Your relationships
2. Your spiritual life
3. Your leisure time/relaxing/learning/volunteering

Focus on activities and the amount of time you want to give to these activities. Be reasonable with these areas and then live up to your plan. Take the steps - not leaps - needed to meet your goals.

Career goals
Career success requires a game plan and persistence. Most of us make career wishes or we follow career goals mandated by our companies. We fail to make and write down specific plans for our professional life, such as how to meet our goals and feel successful.

Ask yourself what your goals are for your career. Be specific. How can you advance your career in the next 12 months? What do you want to accomplish in the next five years? What are your lifetime career goals?

Self-improvement goals
Success in life depends on a steady pursuit of self-improvement. Read books that improve your attitude and people skills for 15 minutes every night. Reading just before you go to sleep allows the words to sink into your unconscious. Reading positive literature daily helps dilute the negative in your life. Listen to educational cassettes or disks when you are driving in your car. Join Toastmasters, or a group like it, to help set your words – and your career – on fire. Learn a foreign language.

Goal Activity List
To achieve your goals, act. Act now! Without action, your dreams are worthless, your goals are wishes and your plans are ashes. Action alone gives worth to your dreams. Your actions describe you.

Plug away at the daily activities that fulfill your dreams. Through self-discipline, you can gain the maximum benefits from your time. Cultivating a strong, healthy routine supports a successful, fulfilled life.

Your activities become habits. Habits become your character. Your character becomes your destiny. Become a slave to good habits. Doing the right things right develops strength of character that leads to success.

Routine activities develop habits that will help you achieve your goals and your dreams. If your goal is to write a book in one year, one of your daily activities would be to write a page a day. If you wanted to make a million dollars in annual sales, one of your activities may consist of making 10 sales calls daily.
Focus your activities on those things that will help you achieve your goals. Make a list of activities that you will do daily or weekly to accomplish your goals and do them every day, every week, every year.


LifeWorks is written by John Ingram Walker, M.D., director of Psychiatric Education at Carilion Clinic Saint Albans Hospital. www.CarilionClinic.org

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Setting Goals

A good friend recently told me that I needed to set some real goals. Not just a daily to-do list, but goals for my future. It's been difficult for me to see beyond the day to day and think about having a future due to the severity of my migraines. It's too easy to let the "monster" and accompanying depression keep us from making and reaching goals, so we need to take large goals and break them into smaller achievable ones.

It's a coincidence that I have been struggling with setting goals for myself and the topic of the latest publication of LifeWorks is titled "Setting Goals To Achieve Dreams".LifeWorks is written by John Ingram Walker, M.D., director of Psychiatric Education at Carilion Clinic Saint Albans Hospital. He has the following advice;


In establishing goals, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Goals should be for you and not for someone else
• Goals should be realistic and believable
• Goals must be achievable,so attack big goals in short steps,one at a time
• Goals should allow you to enjoy life - don't tackle so much work that you don't
   have enough time to relax

Follow these steps in making your goals useful:

Write your goals on a single sheet of paper and read them every day. Remember, unwritten goals are simply wishes. Forgotten goals are lost dreams. Review reinforces commitment and successful achievement depends on your commitment to your goals. So focus your energy by asking yourself daily: "Am I doing those things that will help me achieve my goals?"
One more thing...dreams are not always written in stone. As you change, change your goals to meet your dreams. Life is a trip. Directions and destinations can be altered. But with goals set, you will seldom be lost.


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Ode To Lonely

Everyone has times in their lives when they are alone. Some cherish this time and others loathe it. Being alone does not necessarily mean that you are lonely and being lonely is not always a bad thing.

I came across the video interpretation of "How to Be Alone" by Tanya Davis, and it touched me. There are so many ways to make alone time more productive to your state of mental health.

You, like me may get a lot of alone time, but it doesn't have to be lonely time. Check it. I hope you enjoy and share this.



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Overcoming Procrastination

Many of us, especially myself, put things off or do little unimportant things rather than work on the important tasks in our lives. This is procrastination. Putting off until tomorrow, causes us to worry. We worry about the priority activities that we have put aside that aren't getting completed. And, worry in our lives is a stressor that may lead to depression and/or an increase in our chronic pain.

"Procrastination or doing low priority tasks before high priority activities, robs us
of valuable time.", says Dr. Ingram walker of Carilion Clinic Saint Albans Hospital, in the Spring 2010 issue of LifeWorks.

Dr. Walker says, "There are four major reasons for procrastination:

1. Laziness – To defeat laziness, begin. Once moving, you'll tend to keep going.
It takes greater energy to start an activity than to sustain it. For example, if you're writing a screenplay, put something on paper. Forget about sharpening pencils, arranging paper, reading one more script for inspiration. Write. Writers write.

2. The quest for perfection – Nobody is perfect. Nothing created by anybody is
perfect. Stop fretting about getting everything just right. Learn to do your best
and accept the results. Expecting perfection never gets anything accomplished.
To continue with the writing analogy, get that first draft done. Get something
down on paper – you can revise and rewrite the screenplay later.

3. Indecisiveness – To overcome indecisiveness, use the “ready, fire, aim”
approach. Fire it up there, and then aim it. Make some mistakes, learn, adjust,
move on.

4. Difficult tasks – Break down a difficult task into easy steps.
Just do a little at a time. You write a screenplay or a book one
page at a time. Write one page a day and at the end of a year,
you will have written 365 pages."

I intend on getting started with all of these tomorrow (just kidding). Take the time to put these four reasons to rest. Let's overcome each of these in order to take control and live happier and healthier daily lives.


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Easing Migraine Hangover

I'm going to get the hangover, there's no way around it. I just can't go from 0 to 60 like I used to be able to do, as a younger man. The migraine lets up and I feel it sitting on my shoulder ready to pounce on me. Any movement of my head causes stiff muscles to ache, some light headedness, and sometimes pain.

I feel better. The stabbing pain is gone. No nausea. I almost feel human. But, if I try to hit the ground running, I only invite the monster to attack me that much sooner. I have to treat my retreat from the pain as a prize that I want to keep as long as I can.

To do this I need to treat the hangover that follows the migraine. The first step in accomplishing this, is to drink plenty of water. I know that my migraine leaves me dehydrated, and I have to replenish the liquids in my body. I will sometimes (when I have it) drink a Gatoraide which returns electrolytes back to your body. Water is the best medicine.

I need to rest. It feels so necessary to launch into the new day like a rocket. I feel so much better, with the weight lifted from my head. I want to pursue my normal life. To return to work, my chores, my hobbies. But a period of rest really does help prevent the subsequent return of the migraine.

I have to take my time and keep away from all my migraine triggers. Even the least amount of glutens, onions, or even bright light can start the pain all over again. I must take precautions to prevent the return of the monster.

Preventing the premature return of a migraine is very important to each sufferer.  Taking in plenty of fluids, resting, and avoiding other triggers can ease the pain of the migraine hangover and allow for the easy transition into normal life.
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