I get terrible migraines.  I mean the kind where I am completely incapacitated and sick.  I have tried tons of different treatments.  Medications don’t typically work for me because I usually end up getting sick before they can start working.  I also tried massage, which is wonderful when I don’t have a migraine but impossible when I do.  I found out, the hard way, that I cannot really deal with being touched when I have such an extreme headache. 

I started using deep breathing exercises to try to help to deal with the pain.  The breathing exercise that I found the most useful is simply focusing on, and being aware of, my breath.  I force myself to breath evenly and deeply.  I focus on each breath and how it feels entering and leaving my body.  I also try to think of it as inhaling light and exhaling pain.

I have to admit that this does not work with all of my headaches.  Sometimes, I just cannot seem to focus on anything but the pain.  The breathing exercises have definitely made an improvement though.  If I am able to concentrate completely on my breathing, it is almost as though there is room to focus on the pain.  The pain, unfortunately, is still there but it is pushed to the background.  It took a bit of practice to be able to do this.  I found that the best thing for me to do is to go into my bedroom, try to make the room as dark and quiet as possible, lie down on my bed, and focus on my breathing.  This helps me to relax enough that I can fall asleep.  Usually, when I wake up, my headache is gone or has at least eased up.

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