I know the first thing you want is to stop the pain, the nausea, the sensitivity and irritability. You want to be able to function instead of trying to sleep off your migraine attack. I developed this short self-reflexology and acupressure routine to help my clients reduce their migraine symptoms on their own, and to potentially prevent a migraine from developing when they feel one coming on.
If you have a migraine or headache at the moment, go through this routine every couple hours to reduce your symptoms. Once a migraine has started it is hard to stop, but this self-care will help to dull the symptoms and may get you to a more functional state. This can be used alongside other self care techniques like cold therapy, aromatherapy, or migraine relief devices if you like.
This routine is also safe to use alongside any medications your doctor or specialist has recommended for you.
Even better, if you feel a migraine coming on, or know a trigger is coming such as a change in air pressure or your period, do this routine every 3 hours until you feel the threat of a migraine has passed. I’ve had clients claim this routine has prevented a migraine from developing.
The resources on this page are not a substitute for proper medical care. None of the exercises should result in pain or discomfort, if this is the case please discontinue immediately. If you have neck issues, arthritis, or trouble with stretching your upper body, please proceed with caution or check with your care provider.
I believe reflexology and acupressure to be a safe and effective support for many symptoms, and this therapy has been shown to relieve tension, increase circulation, and support the body’s efforts to function optimally. I hope it’s as helpful for you as I have seen in myself and others.
It’s one thing to have tools to reduce your pain, however I believe our bodies are not meant to live in pain, and that long term healing is possible. I’ve seen clients time and time again, having suffered through migraines for decades, now going 6, 8 , 10 months without a migraine attack. But how?
Once you have some tools to help reduce acute pain, it opens up mental space and energy to start looking at long term prevention. Migraines are often a condition that you will always be prone to, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do. If we look at identifying and preventing triggers short term, it can reduce the chances of reaching the migraine threshold, that point where triggers and external factors build up to start the migraine process. And we can support the body, mind, and spirit to build resiliance and increase that migraine threshold to further prevent future migraines.
The first step is to become aware. Aware of what our body is feeling, doing, and responding to. Once we can piece together what our brain is reacting to, we can start to build resilience around these factors or start to avoid triggering a migraine. And the longer we can go without a migraine, the easier it is to keep them away.
I’m including my preferred ‘Awareness Journal’ printable here for you. It’s a 90 day journal to track both where you are and how far you will have come. Click the button below to download. Clients who work with me receive a print and bound copy of this in their welcome pack, as well as an online fillable form option sent to them everyday, if they prefer. This journal is wonderful paired with a daily ‘body scan meditation’, these can be found wherever you access you meditations.
What’s the top migraine trigger I see with my clients time and time again….stress. When we have erratic cortisol levels, and spend far too much time in our active, ready, working states, our body doesn’t have the time to rest, heal, and return to a state of equillibrium. It’s in this ‘stressed out’ mode that increases our sensitivity to migraine triggers and reduces our body’s ability to recover.
Simple, but consistent breathwork can have BIG affects. Studies showed that regular breathwork (2x 15 minutes a day) reduced menopause symptoms by 40 – 60%. And this works for stress hormones as well as female reproductive system hormones.
This simple practice is a great place to start. Do this 5 minute exercise twice a day for a week and see what you notice. You might be suprised.
Are you ready to find relief from your migraines for good? By incorporating healing support and sustainable practices just for you? Click the button to email me and find out what support is the right fit for you.
I want everyone to have access to healing resources. Join me every friday on Instagram @willow_therapies for guided routines. If you have a particular symptom or concern you want me to address please dm me on IG. I always love getting recommendations.
And keep checking for emails from me, or updates to my blog for more.