Grateful for a headache? These are words that in my wildest imagination (and my imagination has been pretty wild in the past) I would never have thought I would say!
As a very young person I started getting headaches which could easily turn to migraines.
With symptoms and pain I learnt a variety of ways to support myself with preventative strategies, and when that wasn’t sufficient, I medicated to suppress and relieve – this method I used a lot.
Since choosing to live in a way that offers a deep awareness and honouring of myself in all that I do, the headaches have reduced significantly and the occurrences are very far apart. Also, I haven’t had a migraine since I chose not to drink alcohol.
Then, yesterday morning, I found myself just out of the normal rhythm that supports me in preparing for my day. There was nothing ‘wrong’, but I found that something in me had shifted and there I was talking on the phone with the phone pressed between my ear and shoulder – it was uncomfortable and definitely not supportive! Clearly I was not with myself – this is rule no.1 for what not to do for potential headaches. Next I ‘decided’ that I didn’t have time to finish eating breakfast at the table and instead took spoonfuls as I walked past. I could feel that was yuk so I did stop and sit for the last couple of bites.
During the afternoon I could feel the headache coming through and I could also feel the cause: so simple were my ‘earlier little antics’, but significant enough to place me in a momentum that had stayed with me for the day and brewed up to become the warning signal – that I hadn’t been fully with myself.
The pain was just giving me the gentle reminder that I needed to stop, reflect and consider that what I do to myself matters.
Not to mention that how I then am in the world reflects to others – no matter how subtle or seemingly invisible.
So I am grateful for my in-built detection device, and very grateful for the presentations of Universal Medicine. With the loving livingness that is offered from Serge Benhayon and all the Universal Medicine practitioners my awareness has grown to really appreciating what and how my body naturally shows me when I am starting to go off, and the ability I have to discern this – to listen for myself.
From this place and space of awareness I can then choose my next step to support where my body is, and what will lovingly assist it to return all of me to the natural harmony I now know I am.
By Sandra Williamson, Hairdresser, Brisbane
949 Comments
Sometimes it doesn’t have to be pain, my ear will block or ring sometimes when I need to pay attention to what is felt, but it doesn’t necessarily hurt.
Without pain we would be even more lost as human race then we are now, our body communicates to us profound messages it only becomes painful when we do not listen.
This is really where we need to go, in yes absolutely get the medicine and the medical support etc but to look at first why we have the ailment in the first place. This happened to me last night where I had to wake up and deal with a sore toe that I did not have in previous day, it asked me to look at why I had it and what part of my day did this happen at (I did not knock or bash it against anything). Since doing that the pain has gone.
I’ve noticed when I don’t support myself I too get headaches. Dehydration is one area, also i get overtired. I’m learning to really value naps.
Our body has a way of getting us to pay attention – pain. When we do it can be an amazing experience. When we don’t it can be miserable.
It is awesome that you knew exactly what caused the headache for I feel that is the first step to the path of true healing … when we know the cause and disharmony we have lived, as when we know this we can then change it.
Pain is the way our body communicates with us and sometimes it shouts a bit louder.
and sometimes our bodies scream and still we don’t take a blind bit of notice. I was going to say that I remember a time when my legs routinely ached so badly from excessive exercise that I struggled to walk up the stairs and yet I continually ignored it but then I stopped in my tracks because last night I struggled to walk up the stairs even though I don’t exercise excessively any more. So for me standing here what has just come to light is the fact that because I am holding the belief that it is only excessive exercise that causes me to have fatigued legs then I ignore my fatigued legs when I am not exercising excessively. But something is going on for me to be so fatigued. Hmmm this is very revealing as to how our beliefs blind side us to what is going on in our bodies. Much for me to ponder on.
This is such a great comment because you are stopping to ask yourself what is going on and this is something we don’t give ourselves in the rush that is our day. I was pondering on this recently as I was starting to go into rush mode. What is the point in rushing after all we are all continuously going round and round in circles as the earth makes it way around the sun so eventually I’m going to end up at the beginning again. I’m going no where so I might as well take my time and by taking my time I’m putting less stress on myself.
“The pain was just giving me the gentle reminder that I needed to stop, reflect and consider that what I do to myself matters” Lets please get taught this common sense approach to life in schools.
One day in the future it will be more widely accepted that we are the ones who are responsible for our health, until then we will continue to look outside of ourselves, not wanting to learn and looking to blame.
And so many do – look outside themselves. Taking responsibility for our health and wellbeing will be another area which will be de rigeur in the future. Our national health services can no longer cope with the illness they are having to deal with, much of it through our poorlife choices.
Sandra, we may not like pain, but the body is so great at giving us information to stop and observe what we are doing to it. Only this way do we stop and listen… without the messages of pain, we would continue to live in the same way. So although we don’t like to get headaches or back ache, the purpose of the messages feels clear.
Yes, a great point Gill. Pain makes us sit up and take notice. We need education that supports us to become aware of the nature of pain and how to deal with its messages for us, rather than take a pill and try to distract ourselves away from it. Illness may have taken a while to manifest, so it’s not always going to vanish in an instant. As Sandra entwined in her blog, ‘ what I do to myself matters.’
On the flip side I am experiencing a lot of pain in my back today and rather than getting down about it I can feel a calming warmth in my hands that reminds me to be easy on myself. A reminder that it’s not all pain-full.
Sandra what stood out for me from the blog you have written are these words
“what I do to myself matters.”
How many of us completely disregard ourselves as we take care and look after others. It’s as though there is an unwritten rule in society especially for women that they should take care of others before taking care of themselves. but what we do to ourselves first I have discovered really does matter if we don’t look after ourselves then what we do for others is done in an emptiness that can be felt as we feel everything.
The body has many ways to tell us where we are with the way we live and can be very subtle or full on loud. If I go into frustration I know the next day I will have a headache, this thankfully is rare these days as I used to live in a constant state of frustration at life and everyone in it. Sometimes when I get an inner earache, I know that I’m not listening to myself and that something I have clocked is being ignored.
When I listen to my body I discover I have a lot of ‘in-built detection device(s)’ that I’m so grateful for else I’d never know how to take care of myself. So simple, it keeps me from going into my head and debating what’s right and wrong.
There can be much to figure out about all the potential triggers for migraines, but careful awareness and nurturing of oneself are surely key, along with things like staying hydrated, not getting frustrated.
A message from the body, not an annoyance, something to pay attention to, because it does tells us something, what is out of balance?, what are we choosing that is not supportive?, simple questions to ask and ones that are deeply supportive…all because we stopped to notice and not react to a headache…or some other issue that shows itself.
Sandra, this is very wise to listen to the body in this way; ‘The pain was just giving me the gentle reminder that I needed to stop, reflect and consider that what I do to myself matters.’
When we’re not with ourselves – i.e. not paying full attention to what we’re doing in that moment, how we’re moving and holding our bodies – it’s easy to abuse the body because we can’t feel the full extent of what we’re doing to it. The signal from the body of when to stop, or do things differently, is drowned out by the noise of whatever else we’re choosing to focus our attention on.
I love how you do not try to numb the headaches and see them as an inconvenience; instead you learn from them and reflect on how you have been – awesome.
Sometimes the painkillers are much needed and not to be shunned. But drowning out the pain with painkillers and not taking a moment to listen to why the headache or ache is there in the first place isn’t supportive for learning going forward with ourselves. These days I find myself inquiring about the cause of the pain, i.e. my choices, THEN supporting with medication
Absolutely Leigh. We don’t have to deny ourselves painkillers if needed. But to enquire and feel when we have any symptom is key to enable healing to occur.
Sandra, what you are sharing about headaches is really helpful. I have been getting headaches lately and I had felt that me eating certain foods could be the cause, I will also now observe if these occur when I am not present in my body.
The appreciation and love for our body is beautiful and all it is showing us and a truly healing and responsive way to live from and to also learn from.