Tricks to Enjoying Your Halloween

This is my first Halloween as a mom, and I can’t wait to dress my daughter up in her first costume. I also can’t wait to decorate the house and even dive into some candy corn. But along with these plans for a fun Halloween, the fear of a migraine attack striking and ruining it all is always looming.

These moments are so important to me as a mom, I don’t want to have them taken away from me because of a migraine.

How can I avoid missing out?

I had always been worried about migraine attacks colliding with upcoming events, but now as a mom, I’m even more aware of it. It’s one thing for me to be disappointed, but I don’t want my daughter to be disappointed that Mommy can’t be with her at these events.

So, I’m double downing on my migraine prevention plan this time of year and need to carry it through the winter holiday season too!

Here’s what that looks like for me.

Step 1

What I find to be most helpful is to plan ahead, so I don’t have a stressful mad dash at the last minute for any event. This means thinking about a Halloween costume early and buying it early. I bought my daughter’s Halloween costume in the beginning of September so I could cross that off the list.

The same goes for buying any Halloween candy for your trick-or-treaters. Get it early – but here’s the real trick, you have to tuck it away so that it doesn’t get eaten as snacks!

Another aspect of planning ahead is lightening my schedule as best as possible during the week leading up to Halloween. This, of course, isn’t always controllable, but I’ll be mindful of not booking a lot of extra appointments the week prior to an event, in this case, Halloween. I try to give myself a little buffer time.

Step 2

Exercise is always important for me to manage stress and muscular tension – both of which can be migraine triggers for me.

I like to keep my exercise routine balanced between walking, yoga (stretching), and some type of strength training. Keeping that routine is important for migraine management for me.

With it being fall, the walks outside with the brisk air and colorful leaves are my favorite form of exercise now.

Step 3

"Let go" is actually an affirmation that I say while taking deep breaths. I inhale to “let” and exhale to “go.”

I’m saying this both literally and figuratively.

I’m literally trying to let go of the tension in my body. I tend to hold my breath when I’m stressed, so this reminds me to let go of that holding. I’m also reminding myself to let go of any tension that I can carry in my neck and shoulders when I’m stressed.

I’m also letting go of any expectations that I put on myself to have things perfect. I remind myself that I’ve done my best to plan well for a wonderful time, but the most important thing is that I remain present with them. So, I "let go" of the stress and high expectations so that I can show up for my family and enjoy the moment.

What do you do to avoid migraine?

These are just a few tricks that help me to avoid a migraine attack for an upcoming event, but of course, there are no guarantees.

I would love to learn what you find to be helpful in managing migraines for you too! Please share below.