How Migraine Sufferers Can Regain Their Ability to Plan Ahead

“A man who does not think and plan long ahead will find trouble right at his door.”
--- Confucius

The progress of the human race and of individuals depends on their ability to plan ahead, to prepare for those future moments which have the potential to further develop our lives. We lose a key dimension of our existence if we do not plan. Planning is an essential skill.

Plans don't always work out - many things can change before an event happens. For migraine sufferers like you, planning involves further elements of uncertainty. You know this from experience - how often have you made plans and then had to cancel them because you weren't 'feeling well' and you reluctantly realized that you just wouldn’t be able to enjoy the experience? Then, as you repeatedly cancel arrangements, you may find yourself thinking "Why bother planning at all?"

Conventional wisdom urges us to live in the moment, to be aware of what is happening right now with all of our senses. Although living in the moment does have its advantages, actually choosing not to plan ahead in significant parts of your life limits you to your current circumstances or to the choices of other people.

Let's examine how you can learn how to plan effectively once more. Here are some typical things for which we plan:

1. Meeting a deadline at work.
2. Attending an event for which you have paid in advance.
3. Going to a social function with family or friends.

Let's assume that, in general, you are doing the right things to fight your migraines:

• You avoid your migraine triggers as much as possible
• You have a regular daily schedule
• You get the right amount of sleep, and
• You take the appropriate medication or are receiving other treatment.

In order to begin regular planning again, it's desirable to achieve a few successful outcomes, that is, you need to experiment. The first step is to get accurate knowledge about your migraines - how often do they occur and how severe are they? If you haven't done so already, record your headaches over a one month period or longer. Knowledge is power - hopefully you now understand there are a significant number of days when you are well, when there is good potential for your plans to be realized.

You cannot predict exactly when migraine pain will strike; however, you can exert some influence on this.

In a word, achieving the right pace is your key to planning around your migraines successfully. To meet a work deadline, you can't allow everything to be done at the last minute. Your most advantageous path is to prepare well and to aim to complete most of the work early. Having a longer target for completion allows greater flexibility for migraine days. While you won't have complete control over the progress of the work, you will know that you contributed with your full capacity. From my own experience, working collaboratively with the other people involved in the project will maximize the chances of bringing it in on time.

For the more social examples 2 and 3 above, pace is still relevant but with a shorter term meaning. As your objective for the day is to get to and enjoy the event or function, do your best to limit any stressful activities beforehand. Calmness, instead of panic, will give you the best opportunity to enjoy the evening.

As you achieve successes in following through on your plans, you will find that you are once again in charge of your life. Then you can fully incorporate planning as one of its vital components.