Quick Links
Resources
About MyMigraineTeam
Powered By
Linda has been compensated by MyHealthTeam to share her story. Images of family and friends appear courtesy of Linda. All other individuals are actors and models appearing in licensed stock imagery shown for illustrative purposes only.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:12:13
Linda
The way I cope with dealing with my migraine is definitely try to stay positive. That's the most important thing.
00:00:12:15 - 00:00:35:01
Linda
Having migraine affects everyday activity because once you get a migraine you're not able to function. So, I'm not able to get to my everyday activities at home. My husband takes a lot of the load sometimes. It makes it very difficult. When I do experience a migraine attack, I do have to enclose myself in a bedroom, no lights.
00:00:35:03 - 00:01:04:04
Linda
My husband's sweet enough to cover the window sometimes, and he'll like, put blankets over them, so it could be extra dark, but I do have to stay in there. No noise, no lights. Sometimes I will have to wear earplugs because unfortunately, there will be everyday noise that you can't avoid. Currently, I am a freelance makeup artist and my boss has been absolutely understanding, and I have the liberty to be able to say I can't work these days.
00:01:04:06 - 00:01:28:03
Linda
So, that's been good for me on that end, but I eventually want to get a full-time job. In the past, I've lost jobs because of migraine. You do have difficult moments with family members and friendships, and so it does take a toll on your relationships. One experience that I remember is when I was in El Salvador with my family.
00:01:28:05 - 00:01:53:14
Linda
My mother-in-law got a little upset when I got a migraine because I wasn't attending the activities, and she was not very understanding. Those moments are hard. The advice that I would give anyone else dealing with migraine would be, you have to find positivity somewhere, because if not, it will just drag you down.
00:01:53:16 - 00:02:19:07
Linda
I try to find things that will help me with dealing with my migraine. Meditation definitely is one of my best ways to cope with it. I try to eat healthier to help me stay on a positive track and not get as many migraine attacks. That's how I cope with it. My name is Linda and I live with migraine.
Migraine can affect many parts of your daily life. In this video, Linda talks about how migraine affects her life, from her relationships with family to her work options. Although Linda mentioned the challenges of living with migraine, she also highlighted the importance of staying positive.
Migraine affects Linda’s daily life at home. “Having migraine affects everything because once you get one, you’re not able to function,” she said. When a migraine attack hits, Linda has to go to her bedroom, dim the lights, and wear earplugs to block out noise. To help with home activities, her husband is a great support: “My husband takes a lot of loads.”
— Linda, describing living with migraine
Linda isn’t alone in this experience. A study found that 85 percent of people with migraine said migraine made it hard to do household chores and work.1 The survey also showed that people with migraine and their partners felt that migraine affected their communication, “reduced the time they spent together, and increased the number of arguments.”1
Linda is a freelance makeup artist, which gives her some flexibility to work around her migraine attacks. “My boss has been absolutely understanding, and I have the liberty to be able to say, ‘I can’t work these days,’” she said.
However, Linda noted that finding a full-time job has been tough. “It’s going to be extremely hard for me because not a lot of people are very understanding of dealing with migraine and what happens and how you just can’t function for the next days after you get one,” she explained.
Linda also said that before, she lost jobs because of migraine, showing how hard it is for many people with this disease. A large survey found that 70 percent of people with migraine said that the condition affected their professional lives in some way.2
Linda explained that migraine has also affected her relationships. She recalled a family trip when she had to miss activities due to a migraine attack, and her family couldn’t understand what she was going through. She noted that these situations are difficult and often stick with her.
Missing social and family activities is common among people with migraine. One study found that 45 percent of people missed leisure and family social activities due to migraine attacks.1
Despite these challenges, Linda finds ways to stay positive and manage the impacts of migraine on her mental health: “The way I cope with dealing with my migraine is definitely try to stay positive, because that’s the most important thing.” She recommended finding ways to cope and seeking understanding from the people around you.
If you have migraine and it greatly affects your daily life, your health care provider may recommend preventive treatment. These migraine treatment options can help reduce the number of migraine attacks and improve functioning and overall quality of life with migraine.3 Your health care provider can answer your questions and help find a migraine treatment that works for you.
ABBV-US-01692-MC V1.0 Approved 9/2024
Get updates directly to your inbox.
April Reese, Ph.D., a director of U.S. Medical Affairs at AbbVie
is currently focused on supporting migraine-related initiatives.
Learn more about her here.
Elizabeth Wartella, M.P.H., an editor at MyHealthTeam who has written this article in collaboration with AbbVie
holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University. She is passionate about spreading accurate, evidence-based health information.
Learn more about her here.
Become a member to get even more:
We'd love to hear from you! Please share your name and email to post and read comments.
You'll also get the latest articles directly to your inbox.