Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation is very important in migraine management. Like many people, I dismissed all this information as nonsense techniques social workers, psychiatrists and the like use to make us pretend our lives are OK. I knew that when I had a headache, especially one that lasted for days or weeks, my neck muscles would get tense and sore, which kept my migraine going even stronger, but I didn't think there was much I could do about it. As a result, I would wait until I was so full of pain that the soreness had moved from my neck muscles all the way down my back and I couldn't take it anymore. Then, and only then, would I go and get a massage. Every time I did this, the massage therapist would work on me for a while and tell me I have the stiffest muscles of anyone she'd ever seen. A half-hour or hour session wouldn't even touch on the pain. I was told I would need weeks of massage therapy to make a difference. Quite frankly, at $35 a half hour, I just couldn't afford it. So, I resigned myself to muscle tightness.

When I checked into the migraine hospital, one of the things on their path to headache management was using relaxation tapes. You were supposed to listen to a set of six tapes and mark off your progress on a sheet. Being bored, I figured I could get that out of the way at least, so I laid down on my bed and popped in the first tape. True to form, the first few minutes were pretty cheesy... For the sake of something to do, I started to follow the instructions...focus on a point on the wall in front of you and concentrate on your breathing, relax. I felt pretty foolish for the first couple of minutes of this, but pretty soon, started to let myself go. To my surprise, my headache actually got a little better. By the time we had to do relaxation exercises in a group class, I was more comfortable with the techniques and didn't let myself get too tensed up about the fact I was in a room full of people. Knowing we all had our eyes shut, palms pointing up and looking weird together helped, though. :)

At any rate, with some practice I was able to take a medium-sized migraine and turn it into a smaller nuisance, and actually did get rid of a couple small headaches before they got out of hand. This week, I'll show you a couple of things you can do to practice relaxation in your daily lives.

If you aren't real sure how to begin, and would like a little help, getting some relaxation tapes might be a good start. There are tapes with just music or sounds of nature and tapes with instructions on relaxing. Having rhythmic, soothing music in the background often helps create a more relaxed atmosphere. The instructional tapes might help to get you going, though. A simple exercise you can do yourself is controlled breathing. Concentrate on breathing deeply, calmly, and rhythmically. Breathe in slowly, hold it in for a couple of seconds, and slowly exhale. Some people find repeating a soothing word (such as "relax") to themselves further helps them to relax and concentrate on their breathing. Keep going and really concentrate on being rhythmic and relaxed...

Another technique, which can be used in coordination with controlled breathing, is progressive muscle relaxation. To do this, concentrate on your muscles, starting with your feet. Tense the muscles and hold them for about ten seconds, then slowly relax them. Remember to keep breathing slowly and rhythmically, and really concentrate on your muscles relaxing. From your feet, work your way up your body, tensing and relaxing groups of muscles, and concentrating on the feeling of the tension being released.

Guided imagery is another technique in which you picture yourself in a calm, positive environment. You can imagine yourself lying on a warm beach, floating, flying or anything else that will relax you and make you feel at peace. Consciously thinking of pleasant situations will often relax you and draw the focus away from the pain.

Regular exercise is also beneficial. Getting a good workout will help you feel better about yourself and can do wonders for your self-esteem. Of course, extremely vigorous exercise probably isn't the best thing to do during a major migraine attack, but even such simple things as taking walks outside can help you relax and keep your spirits up, which in turn helps you to better deal with your headaches. You should try to get in some form of aerobic exercise three times a week (or more), and strive for thirty minute workouts. Even shorter bursts of exercise (say 15 minutes at a time) done throughout the day are beneficial, and might work better for you if time is a concern.

Good luck! Stay well!

Ronda