Top 3 Lessons Learned from Migraine

By Holly Harding

1 min read

A life with migraine presents a unique set of challenges, most of them are quite difficult and cause us to have to dig very deep. As we do so, with each attack, we are given opportunities to learn more about ourselves and what we’re made of.

Learning over time

While Holly has shared a "lessons learned" video before, in this video, Holly talks about the way that what we learn from migraine evolves over time. In this video, she shares her current top three lessons learned and invites you to join in with her in the comment section below.

What are you learning from living with migraine? In the comment section below, please join in and share your current top three lessons that having the condition has taught you along the way so that we may learn from one another.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Migraine.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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azreynolds Member
What have I learned? Patience! Trying to be patient, knowing it will eventually pass. Patience, with myself accepting this illness is not my fault. And patience with others not understanding what they don't experience themselves. Also compassion, for myself and others going through the maze of pain and the hunt for relief. It's a never-ending process.
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention user-id="3677307" username="azreynolds"/> - After sharing so many exchanges with you over the years, I feel like we know each other. I had to write to thank you for the most recent post you wrote below. That is such a gift you gave in the way you expressed how you have incorporated some of the things we've talked into your life in such a positive way. What you wrote is a keepsake for me and I wanted you to know it moved me deeply. Joy shots! What a beautiful concept. Isn't this just a wonderful back and forth dynamic that <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>migraine.com</a> offers? I'm so warmed that my words have helped you and I want you to know that yours help me as well. The way you articulate your life shift and evolution is inspiring to me and helps me continue along my way and evolve as well. Thank you for taking the time to share in the way you did. With such gratitude, Holly (migraine.com team).
2. azreynolds Member
 Holly, I think the thanks shoul go back to you! I wish I knew the name of your article. Seems like it was back in 2018. I looked it up a couple of times to share with other people, but its been a while back. Anyway if you remember the title, please tell us and I will store it in my notes. I wish everyone would try looking for joy shots. Even now in a 4 day migraine, I am practicing joy shots. The wind is ringing my chimes and I am sipping on my hot cinnamon tea, listening to Native American flute CD, just waiting my head pain to ease up. Now I'm hearing my dog have a doggie dream, yelping at something important, I'm sure. It all makes me smile in spite of my pain. God bless all!
Melissa Arnold Community Admin
Holly, what you shared about feeling the need to overcompensate and apologize is also very true of mental illness. So many people falsely believe that it doesn't carry the same weight, or that it's somehow their fault. Such an important message. Cheers! -Melissa, <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>migraine.com</a> team
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 Thanks, Melissa! I'm often quite unaware of the larger messages or connections my articles carry until they are pointed out to me and then I find them fascinating- there is such a universality between migraine and other conditions and life challenges. Thank you for helping me see and learn this one! Warmly, Holly (migraine.com team).
azreynolds Member
Melissa Arnold, The article Holly wrote was about embracing her pain and walking with it as a friends. She wrote it under Holly Barbour. It had to have been in 2018 or early 2019. I haven't been subscribing longer than that and it was one of the first articles I read. Good luck on finding it. And I will definitely look up the artist you mentioned. I love going to sleep to the flute music especially when they pair it up with rain.
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 AZReynolds! You found the article! Bravo! I'm posting it here in case anyone following this chain is interested: <a href='https://migraine.com/living-migraine/guilt-trip' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/living-migraine/guilt-trip/</a>. I'm so moved by the way it moved and inspired you. Incredible how you took it and flew. I want to share one of my favorite quotes with you: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie With much warmth and gratitude to and for you, Holly (migraine.com team).
2. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 Melissa- Thanks so much for the kind words. I have been writing for <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>migraine.com</a> for quite some time now- you are quite kind and patient to have crawled through all of my work to unearth just one article! I think I may be one of the OG's at this point (one of the contributors who's been around the longest). As you know, it is an honor to be a part of this site. Glad to partner with you! Warmly, Holly
azreynolds Member
Melissa, No, that's not it, but it was a good article too. I know for a fact I read the article about embracing your pain no earlier than 2018 because I moved in April that year and I read the article in my new home. I will try to look on my computer to see if I saved it. Like I said, I have shared the article with other people.
1. azreynolds Member
 I have gone through every article looking for it and you won't believe what it was! The Guilt of Migraine! There was one line that obviously resonated with me and I forgot what the rest of article was about. (It's a really, really GOOD article, BTW!) The line was "Acceptance was a major step. It took many years to stop fighting against the pain and see it instead as a partner with whom I needed to make peace. Doing so freed up what little energy I had to put toward more positive and healthy endeavors. I no longer felt angry or sad. I stopped feeling victimized." That one line changed my life!! No kidding. No exaggeration. You can ask my husband and family. I went from being angry at the world to being happy in spite of my pain. And it's not that I feel better! My migraines have gone from 12-15 per month up to 20-26 per month. But I still function because I have no choice. My house is often dark and I don't look nice. I wear pjs way too long every day, but most days I do dress by noon to walk the dog....in my silly disguise, but the neighbors are used to it. (The kids used to ask me what was wrong with my sunglasses because I wear wraparound plastic ones underneath my transition lenses.) But my secret now to living with migraine is finding joy in simple everyday things. Like birds or clouds or examining closely the brush strokes of paintings or wood grains. I look for beauty to counter the pain. God only wants us to be grateful in ALL things, so this is my way to be grateful...in spite of the pain, I look for joy shots to prop me up throughout the day. Thanks Holly for opening my eyes to the things God has given me. He may let me live in pain, but He also gave me love, beauty and laughter to get me through it.
2. azreynolds Member
 Holly, Although I found the other article I was referring to, I wanted to thank you for sending this one about acceptance-productivity-pain. Yes, it's the same train of thought, and also a great article. I saved it on my phone too. Keep up the good work! Y'all are definitely changing lives.