Conditions

The holidays can be a dual edged sword. They’re full of music, food, love and good old fashioned cheer… but they’re often coupled with a long list of social obligations, a long list of unfavorable social interactions and a long list of charges to your credit card. Everyone is stressed out during the holidays and, for those of us who suffer from mental illness, that strain is often magnified.

All the well-intentioned, relevant, good advice is usually appreciated, but sometimes people just don’t realize what they’re saying to someone who suffers from migraines. When it comes to the excruciating pain and the helpless feeling that your head may split in half, most people can’t relate. In most cases, empathy trumps well-intentioned, relevant good advice.

As scientific research has progressed, a surprising amount of mistaken information about the brain has stayed in our collective consciousness. For example, have you ever heard someone suggest that they don’t excel at math because they are ‘left-brained’?