Too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing for the migraine brain

I am a longtime advocate of taking plenty of time to rest, relax, and read. I believe that taking time for yourself leads to better mental and physical health and allows you to perform at a very high level when working.

I never understood workaholics, people who slave away long hours at their desk way past sundown and who wake early to get a head start on work. There have been jobs I really value and appreciate, but I’ve never had a job that makes me want to work much more than my allotted time. When it’s time to punch out, it’s time to punch out. Time to go home, see friends, hang out with my man, read a book, go for a walk, and just goof off.

But everything changed when I started working full time at my own business. Suddenly it’s amazingly easy to work 12 hours straight, forgetting to eat and forgetting that I need some time off. My bookshop is less than a mile from my house, where I have a little home office set up. It’s so very easy for me to come home after a long day at the shop and “quickly” do a few things on the computer before bed.

Too much work is not good for anyone, but it’s especially dangerous for those of us with migraine disease and other issues that are related to stress levels. A friend told me recently that, in the Zen way of thinking, everything must be balanced in order to have harmony in your life. Of course it’s natural to see that too much of a bad thing can be harmful, but it’s a little harder to wrap your head around the idea that even good things, in excess, are not good for us. So even though I love to work with books and customers all the livelong day, it’s having a negative impact on my relationships with others, my relationship with myself, and my health.

Do you ever overdo something you love, spending so much time and energy on it that other areas of your life—including your migraine brain—are affected in a negative way? I’d love to hear your stories.