Living with migraine may change your holidays, but you can still have enjoyable and meaningful celebrations. Although migraines may make some holiday traditions challenging, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy connecting with friends and family during the holiday season. By communicating your limitations due to migraine, being flexible, and adjusting your expectations, you can help make sure the holidays are happy and memorable.

Communicate Your Needs
Let your loved ones know that connecting with them over the holidays is as important as ever to you, but migraines are making it hard to plan as usual due to severe headaches and the fatigue that lingers afterward. Stress can trigger migraines, so you need to put yourself first or risk worsening your condition.

• Don't be afraid to say no.
• It can help to use direct "I" statements. For instance, "I am not feeling well enough to host this year" is better than "Having everyone over is just too stressful." Communicating in this way makes your needs clear without making others feel accused or burdensome.
• Even if you usually maintain healthy boundaries, the holidays are a time when they may be tested. If a friend or family member tries to make you feel guilty for setting your boundaries, gently remind them that your migraines don't take the holidays off, as much as you wish they did.

Be Flexible
Instead of saying "no," say "yes" to something else. If a family tradition no longer works for you since you developed migraine, it may be time to suggest an update.

• If you can't travel as usual, consider offering to host. Ask others to bring potluck dishes and help clean up so you don't wind up overdoing it.
• If you usually host the gathering but can't do it this year, encourage someone else to host instead. They may be delighted to welcome everyone to their home for a change.
• If you worry the traditional holiday meal will contain food ingredients that trigger your migraines, offer to bring a dish you know will be safe for you.
• If you always bring a beloved dish, pass the treasured recipe on to a loved one like you would a family heirloom, or shine the limelight on another chef in the family and invite them to bring their favorite dish.
• If alcohol triggers migraines, offer to bring some fun nonalcoholic beverages like sparkling cider, flavored seltzers, or a festive punch. You may be taking a task off the host's list and ensuring that you, other nondrinkers, and children have something to toast with.
• If you can't bring yourself to give up the party, think of ways to save time and energy. Use paper plates, plastic flatware, and disposable tablecloths for easy cleanup. Make decorating (or de-decorating) part of the event and get everyone to help. Plan a low-impact meal such as a stew that simmers all day in the crock pot with little prep work or tending.

Ask for Accommodations

• If scented candles, perfumes, or other chemical smells trigger migraines, talk with your family members about skipping the holiday candles and colognes this year. Try to use direct "I" statements and approach the subject as lovingly as possible to avoid defensiveness.
• If you are sensitive to light, ask your host ahead of time if they can dim the lights or use lamps instead of overhead lighting. You can also ask if there's a dark, quiet space in their home you can use if the light in the main areas begins to bother you. Bring sunglasses along just in case.

If it's just not possible to get together in one place this year, consider using a video chat service such as Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime to have a special holiday call on a smartphone or laptop. During a video chat, you can:

• Watch family open gifts
• Have them show you the decorations around the house
• Read a holiday story or poem to the children
• Sing favorite holiday songs together

Adjust Your Expectations
Even without a chronic illness like migraine, holidays often come with high expectations that lead to disappointment and stress. Letting go of the illusion of a "perfect" holiday can help you keep expectations realistic and focus on what's most important about the holidays. For many people, that means connecting with loved ones, being thankful for what you have, and finding hope for the new year.

Here are some mindful tips from Johns Hopkins Medicine for adjusting holiday expectations:

• Accept that your holidays won't be perfect and will be different from celebrations in years past.
• Focus on what really counts. Find things to be grateful for and look for new ways to connect with loved ones.
• If you get into a conflict with someone over the holidays, take a few breaths before you react. Try to stay compassionate and react with kindness.
• As you reflect on last year, be kind to yourself and let go of any negativity. As you look forward to next year, make smaller, gradual resolutions rather than huge goals that will be difficult to achieve.

During the holidays and year-round, the members of MyMigraineTeam are here for each other. Joining MyMigraineTeam means gaining a support group of thousands of others with migraine who understand exactly what you're going through.

Here are some conversations from MyMigraineTeam members about navigating the holiday season with migraine:

• "Do any of you get a bit hesitant to leave your home? I worry about having a really bad migraine when I’m out. I’m extra worried about a holiday I have planned. I want to go so badly, but I am scared, too."
• "I'm going to be driving 15 hours soon to travel back to see my family. Inevitably, I find myself in bed with a migraine my first day there. Anyone have any suggestions to prevent the migraine?"
• "I am good but traveling with a headache. Trying my best not to let my husband know. It should be a wonderful time on vacation, but in pain."

Have you found ways to celebrate the holidays despite migraine?
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