As a professor of literature and composition for 37 years, I have, in recent years, begun every class by sharing a poem with my students. It is my way of bringing them to the present moment, an attempt to have them shed the past and to discourage them from thinking about the future for the 50 minutes we are together.
Reading poetry requires mindfulness and insists that the reader pay attention and shut out all the noise.
Practicing mindfulness is a lifetime journey for me. I first learned of it by reading some of the work of Pema Chodron, who teaches me to rejoice in the ordinary: “The key is to be here, fully connected with the moment, paying attention to the details of ordinary life…this combination of mindfulness and appreciation connects us fully with reality and brings us joy.” In the words of Stephen Batchelor: “Awareness is a process of deepening self-acceptance. It is neither a cold, surgical examination of life nor a means of becoming perfect. Whatever it observes, it embraces” (Batchelor 59).
How do these ideas connect us to living with migraine? I’m not going to pretend that when I’m in the throes of a vicious attack I can practice mindfulness, though it is something that I’m working toward. What I can genuinely say is that I work hard to stay in the present and pay attention to the extraordinary in the ordinary, even while living day to day with the disease.
Many of us with migraine know that there are those functional days when the pain and other very difficult symptoms are present, but we do work hard to live the day as best we can. These are the days when I can practice mindfulness, and there is growing evidence that such practice can benefit those of us with migraine or any chronic illness.
According to “Mindfulness in Migraine: A Narrative Review/Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics,”
In February 2023, two qualitative studies were conducted, using interviews: “Participants who learned mindfulness techniques through MBSR experienced altered pain perception, altered response to migraine attacks and disease, increased awareness of external and internal experiences, improved overall well-being, and group benefits. Mindfulness resulted in earlier stress-body awareness and increased interoceptive awareness, resulting in earlier attack recognition and leading to earlier and more effective management. Interictal factors of self-blame, guilt, and stigma decreased, while migraine acceptance, hope, empowerment, self-efficacy, and self-compassion increased” (Paige Estave et. al).
My journey has been helped significantly by reading the poetry of Mary Oliver, much of which encourages us to live our lives by paying attention to everything around us.
Mindful
Every day
I see or I hear
something
that more or less
kills me
With delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It is what I was born for—
to look, to listen…
I encourage you to find some peace, some rest, and some beauty in “paying attention” to even the smallest of tasks, moments, and wonders.
References
Paige M. Estave PhD, Caitlyn Margol BS, Summerlyn Beeghly BS, Reid Anderson BS, Mariam Shakir MS, Alexandra Coffield BS, Julia Byrnes BS, Nathaniel O'Connell PhD, Elizabeth Seng PhD …Headache: The Journal of Headache and Face Pain. First published: 28 February 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.14481
Rebecca Erwin Wells, Elizabeth K. Seng, Robert R. Edwards, David E. Victorson, Charles R. Pierce, Lauren Rosenberg, Vitaly Napadow & Zev Schuman-Olivier (2020) Mindfulness in Migraine: A Narrative Review, Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 20:3, 207-225, DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2020.1715212 https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/head.1….
Mindfulness for Migraine And Chronic Illness
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03.01.2024
As a professor of literature and composition for 37 years, I have, in recent years, begun every class by sharing a poem with my students. It is my way of bringing them to the present moment, an attempt to have them shed the past and to discourage them from thinking about the future for the 50 minutes we are together.
Reading poetry requires mindfulness and insists that the reader pay attention and shut out all the noise.
Practicing mindfulness is a lifetime journey for me. I first learned of it by reading some of the work of Pema Chodron, who teaches me to rejoice in the ordinary: “The key is to be here, fully connected with the moment, paying attention to the details of ordinary life…this combination of mindfulness and appreciation connects us fully with reality and brings us joy.” In the words of Stephen Batchelor: “Awareness is a process of deepening self-acceptance. It is neither a cold, surgical examination of life nor a means of becoming perfect. Whatever it observes, it embraces” (Batchelor........
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