• Home
• About
• Products/Services
• Blog
• Resources
• Contact

Posts Tagged ‘spirituality’

Migraine and Headache Blog Carnival: How Spirituality Helps us Cope with Migraines

July 14th, 2008

July Headache Blog Carnival – How Spirituality Helps Us Cope with Migraine
Disease

Hop on over and read the great entries in the July Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival, at Somebody Heal Me.

You will find a variety of posts directly on that theme, and more on other themes related to migraine, pain and our heads.

Generally speaking, a blog carnival is a collection of links to a variety of a
blogs on a central topic. The Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival has
been created to provide both headache and migraine disease patients and people who blog about headache disorders with unique opportunities to share ideas on topics of particular interest and importance to us. Visit the link to this month’s carnival for a collection of informative entries on how spirituality helps us cope with migraines and headaches.

Look for the August 2008 Headache Blog Carnival on the theme of “How You Handle People Who Don’t ‘Get’
Migraine Disease“ at Somebody Heal Me on Monday, August 11th. They may be submitted through the form on the carnival website or directly to Diana Lee by e-mail.

Entries are due by midnight (the end of the day) on Friday, August 8th.

– Megan

Tags: headaches, migraine, spirituality, Weblogs
Posted in Religion, Weblogs | Comments (0)

God Grant me the Serenity to Accept the Migraines I Cannot Change

July 11th, 2008

I try to live by the serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

This simple prayer has seen me through family issues, recovery from major illness, life crisis and transitions, grief, job loss, financial difficulty.  It is the mantra I repeat as the pain takes over my head, as I wait for my meds to work, as I practice deep breathing to relax my mind and body.  It keeps me focussed where I need to be, in knowing what I can change and what I can’t, not wasting my energy where I cannot change something, not sitting in useless despair when there is something I can do.  It also keeps me in the moment.  I cannot change anything in the past.  I can only change the future by taking the next right action to lead me where I want to go, not by wishing, hoping, fantasizing or sitting immobilized in fear.

There’s no way for me to write a post about spirituality without talking about what I believe, which is deeply personal and which I rarely discuss.  I grew up with a Jewish mother (from a not very religious family) and a father who was the son of Presbyterian missionaries, celebrated holidays from both religions but was raised pretty much as an atheist, and then became a Quaker (along with most of my family) as a teenager.  Spirituality and faith may never be a simple matter for me.  I don’t consider myself a religious person, but I am a spiritual person.

There’s no way to write a post about spirituality, I think, without turning some of you off.  Some may already be turned off by the use of the word “God.”  Some were turned off by my description of my unusual religious background.  Some will be excited by it and see it as an opportunity to convert me.  Please resist that temptation!  Some will be turned off in a moment when I tell you that I consider myself to be a faithful agnostic.  What does that mean?   I have faith in a power greater than myself, in a power for good, the power of love, a power that unites people, incites altruism, brings us to care for more than our own selfish interests, “that of God in every man.”  I believe there is more out there than we can see, perceive or know in any scientific sense.  But I’m… blessed if I know what it is!  I don’t even think it’s important for me to know what it is!
How does this help me with Migraine disease?  I don’t go down the road of “God gave me Migraines for a reason.”  Whatever else I believe, I can’t get behind the idea of a God who causes suffering, for any reason.  I think more that we live in this gloriously complex world where we have sunsets and earthquakes, roses and poison ivy, kittens and sharks, senses of humor and migraines.   It’s a complex system that somehow all works together, and we are part of it, warts and all.  Migraines and all.

I do believe, though, in my God, my higher power, as a comforter.  As the force of love, of good.  To help me through pain, to help me remember that I am not the pain, that I am more than the disease, that I am here to help others, to make the world better.  Sometimes in the midst of a migraine, I have a moment of feeling like this is all there is, no world exists outside the pain.  I say the serenity prayer.  It reminds me that there is more.  That I am more.  That another day will dawn when I am without pain and can get on with living.  That the beauty of the world is still there waiting.  I do think it takes faith to live with Migraine disease.  Ridiculous faith and unconquerable hope.  I am amazed by the ridiculous faith and unconquerable hope I see in my fellow migraineurs.  And I find serenity there too.

– Megan
Wishing you serenity and freedom from pain

Tags: faith, Migraine disease, pain, serenity prayer, spirituality
Posted in Managing, Musings, Religion | Comments (8)

July Migraine and Headache Blog Carnival on Spirituality – Deadline Tomorrow

July 10th, 2008

JULY HEADACHE & MIGRAINE DISEASE BLOG CARNIVAL

Don’t forget to submit your entries for the July Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival, which is being hosted at Somebody Heal Me.

The July theme is “How Spirituality Helps Us Cope with Migraines.” Entries on any topic that is particularly interesting, educational or inspirational for headache & migraine sufferers are also welcome. Your blog need not be limited to the topic of headaches and migraines to participate. If you have relevant posts to share, you’re encouraged pass them along.

Entries are due at midnight on Friday, July 11th. They may be submitted through the form on the carnival website or directly to Diana by e-mail.

The carnival will be published on Somebody Heal Me on Monday, July 14th.

If you would like to be added to Diana’s carnival mailing list to receive updates and reminders or are interested in hosting a future edition, please send Diana an e-mail at somebodyhealme@dianalee.net.

– Megan

Tags: blog carnival, headaches, Migraine disease, spirituality
Posted in Weblogs | Comments (0)