Thankful and Grateful Despite Migraine

I am thankful and grateful despite migraine. My chronic illness has made me a thankful person in general.  I’m thankful when I’m not in my dark quiet room.  It doesn’t mean that I’m not in pain, but if I’m good enough to be out of bed, I’m thankful.

Thankful with Migraine

I’m thankful for many, many, people who love me for just who I am.  I have had to weed out the people who don’t understand but isn’t that life and maturity?  I’m at an age now where my confidence is at its highest.  I know who I am and have surrounded myself with people who truly deserve my time.  I can be knocked down and dragged out by my migraines at any moment so I don’t waste my time with people who don’t make me happier or feel better.

I’m thankful for cuddling with my husband and eating dessert while we watch our favorite TV show.  It’s the small things in life that count and I’m so thankful that I get to spend my life with him.  Waking up to his face allows me to put one foot in front of the other during my worst days and if I can’t walk, he’ll carry me.

I’m thankful for my kids more than words can explain.  I’m thankful for my body that carried those babies and fed them.  I had never been thankful for my body before my two children. Not many girls are in love with themselves due to way too many unrealistic expectations.  With that added to being chronically ill, I never gave myself credit for what it can do.  It’s easy to focus on how much my body restricts me but  I’m now grateful that my body gave me children that motivate me every day.

Grateful Despite Migraine

I’m grateful for my third child, who came to me first, my amazing dog.  She’s so much more than a dog, she gives me love that a human can’t and is one of my strongest therapies. (My dog my nurse my love)

As always I am thankful for my family.  My parents, my in-laws, my sister, and beyond are my rocks.  You don’t get to pick your family, but if I had the choice, I’d choose them.

The people that I have chosen and am so thankful for are my friends.  They are people who could have walked away from our friendships because of my illness.  Most of my best friends have seen me in a lot of pain, throw up, packed me in ice, and have had me cancel my plans due to my migraines.  But they love me, dry heaves and all.   I’m thankful to have the most loving, supportive, funny, intelligent, and amazing women as my friends. They are great examples to my children of what true friendship means.

Up until last year, I had been a stay-at-home mom and it was the most challenging and incredible experience.  I now have the opportunity to be a full-time mom and part-time teacher.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to join the workforce again but mostly how I was received.  My boss and coworkers instantly became friends and confidants in life.  They are aware of my migraine and not only are they judgment-free but are supportive.  They either have migraine attacks themselves, have a spouse who suffers or sees migraine as more than a headache and how it alters my life.  It is an accepting group and one that wants the best for each other.

Thankful and Grateful

My students and their families are people I go home with each night feeling grateful that I get to be a part of their lives.  I love teaching and being able to go back while keeping my migraines in check during school hours has been a blessing. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever been able to go back to teaching and it fills a void I had while being at home.

I’m grateful for the migraine community and My Migraine Life.  My life and confidence, once again, changed when I began my blog.  Fellow sufferers are so powerful in their words and encouragement and I am confident that it has saved and improved lives.  We have laughed and cried together while sharing stories, advocating for foundations, and taking steps towards greater health.

My list of thankful and grateful can go on forever.  I am so blessed!  I guess I can complain about migraines, and believe me I do, but being thankful is way more fun and productive.  Migraines are depressing and many people get sucked into the pain hole that seems too deep to come out of.  Remembering my blessings keeps me mentally battling with pain, nausea, aura, weakness, fatigue, etc. in a more positive way. The mental battle is incredibly difficult and I’m so thankful I have so much to be thankful for and motivated to fight for.

What are you Thankful or Grateful for Despite or because of Migraine?

Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting on my blog and thoughts.  I’m thankful for you!!!  Without your feedback, there would be many days that I would not be able to continue my blog.  It is difficult and uses spoons I may not have.  Your comments, likes, and shares motivate me because I know I’m helping you or someone who may stumble across this page.

Please add to my Thankful list.  I will compile the answers and post the list for Thanksgiving. Come back every day and add something you are thankful for.  Showing gratitude, even for the smallest things, gives strength.

Thank you to those who showed gratitude in November on My Migraine Life.  I am so thankful to have a community of supporters and those I can support throughout the year.  We may suffer a lot but we appreciate the things in life that make us better.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  May it be filled with health, gratitude, and many blessings!

I asked:

How are you Thankful or Grateful with Migraine?

• “Thankful for friends, family, a safe place to live, and ability to pay my bills.
• For this group.
• Thankful for modern medicine
• Laughter
• I live for the pain-free moments of laughter with family and friends!!
• When pain level is low enough to be functional
• I am thankful that I am able to still keep a job that I love and be a good mommy to my kids
• Thankful for my family, my jobs, and my animals!
• I am so thankful for my amazing husband who allows me to tag out when I need to lay down and take care of myself. And for his willingness to work past exhaustion to take care of me and our family when I cannot “pull my weight” during times of pain.
• I’m thankful for my amazing and supportive husband. I’m also thankful for the awesome support system I have at work! Without my husband and my work family, my life would be awful.

I’m Thankful and Grateful for My Migraine Life

• I’m thankful for my amazing husband and children who support me every single day and for my beautiful family of migraine warriors!
• I am thankful for your blog! I do not like having “this thing” in common with anyone….but am thankful that you can put into words what I often can’t…or won’t.
• I am thankful to live in a city of doctors and options.
• A long list of relatives that share in our unfortunate disease, but not all at such a high level.
• I am thankful for my husband, who from day one has understood me, and what the future holds with my health, and has never flinched, never questioned, never judged.
• For my children, good lord are they a blessing, God’s greatest gift to me by far.
• I am thankful for my energetic children, who give me a reason to muddle through my painful fog, even though sometimes I’d rather hide in bed.
• Thank You, My Migraine Life for your post on being a mom with a migraine.  You are right it takes a village to raise a kid.  That’s why God gave us the ability to ask for help.   But reading that other moms feel like I do is wonderful.  So thank you and I pray that your message touches other people as it did me.
• I feel blessed in many ways and could write a very long list. The big one I will share is that I am thankful my migraines and headaches are not as frequent as so many others who have to deal with them so regularly. I am amazed at the strength that you and so many others have in not only “getting through the day” but kicking ass doing it.

I woke up today, I’m thankful for that.

• I’m thankful to be finding community here, too. I’ve struggled with migraines for years, tried a variety of meds and elimination diets without very good results. It’s so helpful to find understanding, optimistic peers! I’m looking into a headache hat and a new pair of glasses this month, thanks to you!
• I am thankful for so many things I can’t name them all, so I am very thankful & although I may not have the best of everything I am blessed
• Thank you for this post.
• I am thankful for my wonderful husband who puts up with a house that’s not always clean, listens to me when I’m frustrated with doctors or treatments that don’t work, and doesn’t care that I don’t cook (lol).
• My two grown children and 6 beautiful grandchildren are blessings.
• Have two best buddy dogs that snuggle when I need it and keep me entertained when I’m stuck in my house for days on end.
• I’m thankful I woke up today even though the moment I woke up my headache knocked on my brain.
• Migraine communities like this that is a place of kindness and support.
• I’m thankful for today despite the challenges.
• I’m thankful for people like you that make me feel less alone in this struggle with chronic headaches.
• Like others have already said – I’m thankful for finding your blog, and this post especially.
• Love reading this blog and hearing how inspiring you are.”

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!!!

Thank you to all who chose to take time out of your day to give thanks and share with My Migraine Life community.  I am inspired by all your kind words and strive to make this blog the community, support system, and positive place it is.  Migraines are painful, being a mom is overwhelming and life is chaotic.  May we all find strength and take each day at a time hopefully towards health and happiness!

Remember to : Pay it Forward and  Count your Blessings. and see my keys to happiness with migraine.