Do you ever get “bored” when you have a migraine and need distractions? Crazy question, right?! I mean, who can even think about doing ANYTHING during a migraine? The Prodrome symptoms are completely out of left field (vertigo, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and the list goes on). The aura is disturbing (visual disturbances, numbness and tingling, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS), hemiparesis, paralyzation of one side of the body, etc.). The headache pain is unbearable (for most). The migraine hangover is exactly what it sounds like, a hangover without the night out at the bar (aka Postdrome).
Timeline of a Migraine Attack
The American Migraine Foundation (AMF) discusses the timeline of a migraine attack in their article, The Timeline of a Migraine Attack. In the article, AMF points out that “understanding migraine progression can help you better anticipate and manage your symptoms.” I agree. It wasn’t until I understood the lifecycle of a migraine that I was able to communicate with my doctor in an educated manner. Educate yourself!
9 Migraine Distractions
Now that you’ve educated yourself, and maybe freaked yourself out a little, how in the world do you expect to feel BORED during a migraine? Let me tell you how! *I sound like an infomercial, hehehe* Anyway, I won’t generalize, so I’ll say most of us people with migraine live in our beds during the duration of disabling symptoms and headache pain. We camp out in our dark rooms and drown out all sounds if our ears can’t even imagine a pin drop. Sometimes, that isn’t an exaggeration unfortunately. Having all the symptoms listed in the graphic above doesn’t mean we are asleep 24/7. If we’re lucky, whatever cocktail of medications we take will take the edge off the pain and we can feel slightly human for a bit. We might not be able to join the world of the living downstairs with our families, but we can remain awake. I don’t like to just stare at the wall or the at the pinhole of light coming through the blinds.
I know a lot of people with migraine disease can’t fathom being able to do any of the distractions we’re about to talk about. Migraine is different for everyone. Pain tolerance is different for everyone. My pain level of 8 might be your level of 5. Don’t feel ashamed if you can read with a migraine and others do not. We’re all different. These distractions are mostly done during the Prodrome, Aura, and Postdrome phases. I couldn’t imagine doing any of them during the Headache phase. The pain is just too intense. I hope today is a good day for you! If my eyes or body allows, here are 9 things I (and other people with migraine) like to do while living through the pain:
1. Binge Netflix & Hulu
I know this sounds strange because bright light is a major trigger for most of us. I have found a few hacks to be able to watch TV or shows on my laptop. Digital Trends has an article that will show you step-by-step how to enable these filters on your PC or Mac. Screen filters and screen brightness are my best friends. Also, I’ve recently reviewed TheraSpecs migraine glasses and can suggest the indoor glasses for movie watching. If you read the review post you will find a $10 Off coupon towards a purchase of $70 or more on the TheraSpecs website. Depending on my mood, I normally watch shows that don’t make me think to hard. I like easy-to-follow plots and funny characters.
2. Stalk Social Media
I’m not a stalker. Ha! I do love me some Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. As a migraine blogger, it’s sorta, kinda part of the job. It’s not work for me, though, because I am able to stay in touch with my followers. They are my heart because they know exactly what I go through on a daily basis. Shout out to my Instagram followers!! I am also able to keep up with my families lives back in Texas. I’m now a North Carolina resident and it’s only been a few months. I love that I can watch my niece and baby cousins grow up everyday day. As I mentioned above, blue light filters are the best. This includes for my iPhone as well. Learn how to put your Android phone in night mode. Have an iPhone? Follow these steps to set up your screen for Night Shift, allowing more comfortable viewing, in my opinion. The indoor TheraSpecs migraine glasses work great for cell phone viewing as well.
3. Play Phone Games
Nothing beats passing the time than playing phone games. I have my favorites and my not-so-favorites, but here’s a few I enjoy the most:
- Toon Blast by Peak Games
- Solitaire
- Puzzledom
Yes, phone games are addicting. Yes, I can get pretty frustrated when I’m not winning. Yes, I get excited during a winning streak. No, I can’t stop. Ha! Really, though, the brain games keep my mind busy.
4. Listen to Uplifting Podcasts
When I have a migraine and I can’t really set my eyes on any kind of screen, but I’m also not able to sleep, I put on a podcast if need uplifting or a little laugh from those who understand best – Spoonies! The Caring Voice Coalition has a great list of podcasts for those of us stuck in bed all day. Healthline also has a great list. Check them out when you get the chance, even when you don’t have a migraine. I don’t just limit myself to podcasts about illness, I also listen to motivational women and podcasts about blogging. Helps me to not think about my illness specifically, but keeps my mind full of distractions for a bit. Keep in mind, when I say distractions, I don’t mean the pain mysteriously goes away. Trust me, the pain is still there, but I’m not dwelling on it specifically. It seems to help me.
5. Read Fiction
I love to read. Big understatement. In 2016 I read over 360 books. I was also pretty much bed-bound that year too. I had migraine EVERYDAY at high levels and my body just didn’t work. While I still have migraine daily, it is not at top levels due to medications and lifestyle. I’ll let you in on a secret though. My medications are starting to fail again and I’m having more painful migraine. Anyhow, why fiction? When I read fiction I am transported into an imaginary world where there is no pain and all I’m worried about is escaping a zombie or falling in love with the cute new neighbor! 😉 Reading allows me hours of entertainment. I read on my cell phone since I am able to control the lighting as I mentioned in #3 above. Here are my favorite genre’s:
- Romantic Comedy
- Post-Apocolyptic
- Sci-Fi
- Techno-Thriller
- Young Adult
- War/Military
- Self Help
- Motivational
What’s your favorite?
6. Audiobooks
I asked my Achy Smile social media followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, “Is there something you do while you’re in migraine mode to either distract you or keep your “boredom” at bay?” So many of you answered and many had such clever answers. Audiobooks was one I never considered! I was so shocked in myself, especially since I love to read so much. So thank you to ALL OF YOU who answered with audiobooks. There were so many that I am unable to call out just one or two names. You are so smart! If you haven’t tried an Audible Membership
7. Crochet
While I have not crocheted since I was a teenager with my Aunt Sandra, I can understand why it would be soothing during a migraine when pain levels have dipped enough. I know pain varies for everyone, only you know when you’re pain isn’t strong enough to keep you from doing a certain activity. I see crocheting and other similar activities that can be great distractions. I remember sitting with my aunt and my needles, probably with my tongue sticking out, going at it! I might just look into learning again…hmmm. Thank you to Roselle from my Facebook group, Move Against Migraine, for the suggestion!
8. Listen to Music
Along with almost all my followers on social media, music seems to be a Top 5 answer. This is a tough one for me because high pitched sounds are so difficult for me naturally, but even more-so during a migraine. I don’t normally listen to radio-music because I never know what song will play next and might hurt my ears. I do have my music player on my cell phone that I can create a playlist and set my own chosen songs. But mostly, I will put on classical music featuring the Cello. I have learned through trial and error, that my ears do not like high pitched instruments found in most classical music during a migraine. I had to go through tons of songs to find the right album I knew wouldn’t aggravate my auditory senses. I found that the Cello is the most agreeable. My ultimate favorite is The Tranquility of Classical Music: Piano, Cello and Violin for Relaxation by Music for Deep Sleep (affiliate link). If I am having a tough time falling asleep or I just need to lower my heart rate with some help, I listen to this album. Hopefully you’ll love it too!
9. Meditate
I have a difficult time meditating. My mind wanders so much! Ha! But a lot of my followers commented on my post about this same subject that they like to meditate. Maybe you guys can give me some tips! I’d love to clear my mind naturally without needing to read a book or concentrate on another task. I know there are several meditation apps on the cell phone app stores. I’ve downloaded quite a few of them and they work well. For some reason, though, I just don’t stick with it. My husband loves them, I see him meditating all the time and I’m so jealous! I don’t blame him for meditating. He’s not only my caregiver, he also has his own illnesses to manage.
What Do You Do?
I listed several types of “distractions” above, but do you have one we didn’t think of? I would love to hear how you distract your mind from a day with migraine when you aren’t so consumed by pain and your migraine pain level is low enough to handle soft distractions. I hope today isn’t that day, but if it is, meditate first (be better than me) and then move on to your favorite activity that you can do with migraine. Don’t worry, I’m working on the meditation thing, I really want to be able to clear my mind organically.
Social Media Answers
Click each photo below to see individual answers from Achy Smile followers! Maybe you’ll find distractions you never thought of. I know I did!
Is there something you do while you’re in migraine mode to either distract you or keep your “boredom” at bay? #migraine#spoonie#bored#distraction#pain#myopinion
* Partner of the @amfmigraine
* Speak Your Migraine Advocate
* Your answer may be used in a blog post pic.twitter.com/ObkuHditdd— Achy Smile | Erica Carrasco (@achysmileblog) March 9, 2018
*This post contains links to other websites and affiliates.
*Please excuse any misspellings, comes with the migraine. I sometimes mix up words if I’m writing during any one of the migraine stages, except the headache phase. I do not write then, I’m usually buried under my covers with my headphones on OR asleep from the meds I took. Sometimes Spell Check doesn’t catch it all 😉
26 Comments
Crochet… that’s one I’ve never tried, but I’d be interested in giving it a go as it should be less intensive than some other activities, and it’d be good to have a little more variation when migraines are impending. Great post!
I agree! I want to get back into it now. Maybe they have some cool patterns on the web that I’d enjoy creating. Let me know how it goes!!
Great post.
Some of these I can’t do because of the screen time involved. Listening to books is my go to since my migraines cause bad visual issues.
Audio books are awesome! The only thing that gets me sometimes is when I fall asleep and can’t remember where to restart! Ha!
I usually just lay in bed with popsicles and a bucket. I get so sick when I have a migraine. Thankfully I haven’t had any since I had my oldest 3 years ago… weird right!? I use to have a migraine at least once a week. Crochet does sound like a great distraction!
That is weird! Maybe your hormones balanced out 💙 I know my hormone imbalance is one of my biggest triggers!
So I went skiing and the cold air and movement did me a world of good during the migraine hangover… However this was v Short lived as I believe the altitude & bright mountain light set me back to headache & nausea. I’m now ill in bed 🙁
The top 4 distractions are my ways to distract myself. This is such a good read, I used to get migraines all the time but I haven’t gotten them in years thankfully.
Thanks!! I so glad you haven’t. They are definitely one of the most painful things I’ve lived with.
Podcasts are a good idea. Usually, I sit in the dark and pout 🙄
Audiobooks work too 📚
This was a very informative post. I’ve never had a migraine and I can’t imagine what migraine sufferers go through. I’m glad that you have found ways to distract yourself during the bad times and I hope that your tips help others to do the same.
Thank you for your empathy for people with migraine. It’s really hard for us to help other’s understand when they’ve never had an attack themselves. Migraine is not a headache, rather headache is just one symptom of migraine. Migraine is actually a neurological disease and is the 6th most disabling condition in the US. Should you ever meet someone with migraine, you can drop a few of these facts and impress them with your willingness to empathize and understand. 💙
This is Really indeed when I have migraine I still using social media and more instead to sleep this is a great article! Thanks for sharing your article!
Thank you for reading!! I’m sorry you’re a person with migraine, but you’re not alone. We are definitely out here just trying to live life. I hope you get some sleep soon.
I used to have really bad, debilitating migraines. No light, no sound, no smells, no motion- so I would pretty much be bed bound on those days. I have since been put on a mix of Trokendi for migraines, and a blood pressure medication, which have alleviated almost 100% of them in the last 6 months. I have only had 1 or maybe 2 total, where before I was having least 1 a week. It is amazing to have my life back.
I am so glad you found a combination of meds that work for you!!! I just took my first dose of Aimovig a week ago, so far so good. Still having migraine almost daily but intensity has lessened. Excited to see where it goes!
I have chronic migraines and they are the worst! Will be saving for sure!!
Ugh I’m so sorry you do!! I’m definitely here if you ever need to vent 💙
I get migraine every other month. I normally take a nap, binge Hulu, play coloring-by-number app on my phone, reading articles online, etc. I try to stay away from things that would stress me out like watching action movies or playing video games that require a lot of thinking and strategies.
I’d say that’s the smart move. You know what you need best. I’m glad you know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your body and your mental health.
I’ve just had a really bad month of sporadic migraines. I can rarely sleep because I’m so stressed about the fact I’m wasting so much time in bed. I started listening to the RadioLab podcasts and they’ve saved me from losing my mind this month. So many podcasts get super loud or the commercials make my head explode but radiolab seems to keep quite quiet. Its engaging so i forget about the pain for a while and it’s educational so I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time being bedbound. I feel a bit like I’ve discovered a new migraine drug 😂
That’s awesome!! I’m going to have to check it out. Hugs!
When I have a migraine, one of my worst symptoms is anxiety, so passing the time and keeping the anxiety at bay are huge for me. A couple of things I find helpful if I start going a little stir crazy in bed are organizing something in my room. This could just be sitting on the floor and organizing a drawer in my nightstand or taking all of the hangers out of my closet and sitting on my bed organizing them in color order before I put them back. Something else that helps to pass the time and help me get in some light but do-able movement is stretching in bed or on the floor. Just simple slow movements that feel good. Hugs to everyone!
Hugs to you too!! I have found that I can still do things depending on the severity of my attack. I can go from able to work on my computer with a low pain migraine to bed bound, don’t touch me, don’t talk to me, I need sleep high pain migraine. So if anyone ever tells you you don’t have migraine because you can arrange hangers, remind them of this. 😉
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