The Migraineur's Guide to Surviving Christmas and Holidays

The “Silly Season” can be a time known for hectic schedules, back-to-back social events, emotional stressors, days in the sun, expectations and well…just a lot of silliness!

For busy women who live with migraine, this time of year can be especially challenging. You're likely to encounter late nights, party food, alcoholic drinks, noisy environments and even more toxic people, which can throw anyone off balance. That’s why having a solid strategy is crucial.

And so I’ve created one for you!

Strategy 1: Maintain Daily Routines

During Christmas holidays, New Year and summer holidays it's crucial to maintain a daily routine as much as possible. Neglecting this can lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.

How to Implement

Think about setting daily priorities or non-negotiables that you will follow each day. Here are my recommendations, based on what I see as important for migraine prevention:

1. Wake up at the same time each day

2. Eat 3 solid meals a day – including protein and healthy fats with each meal

3. Make time for stretching or gentle exercise

4. Maintain health appointments, don’t neglect self-care practices and take your migraine-preventative supplements

5. Keep hydrated with water and electrolytes

6. Go easy on alcohol – sip slowly, and have a glass of water between each drink

7. Avoid high-sugar foods

8. Get to bed at the same time each day

Strategy 2: Set boundaries

Christmas for busy women often means juggling more than usual. Ultimately, it’s up to you to set boundaries to ensure you are not overwhelmed.

How to Implement

1. Decide in advance any requests that you may receive, which you don’t really want to fulfil.

2. Develop confidence to say no. Many women living with migraine tend to be “people pleasers” (I relate!). And remember, you don’t have to justify your response. “No.” is a complete sentence.

3. Consider delegating where possible. Or take advantage of deliver services. For example, consider ordering a meal box for Christmas, rather than battling it out at the busy supermarket on Christmas Eve.

Strategy 3: Practice relaxation daily

Finding time for relaxation is essential, especially for women with migraine. This strategy helps by keeping cortisol, other hormones and neurotransmitters that can drive migraine attacks in check.

How to Implement

1. Create a self-care menu of relaxation techniques that you like. Examples include a nature walk, meditation and yoga (plenty of free options online), gratitude journalling, craft, listening to music, deep breathing, singing, dancing, reading a book etc.

2. Plan to include at least 15 minutes of this activity into your daily routine.

Navigating the summer festivities as a busy woman living with migraine is all about preparation and smart strategies. With these tailored approaches, you can not only survive but thrive during this event/season.

Want more personalised tips or need help crafting a detailed plan? Reach out today, it’s literally my job to help you with that!

Xx Josie