"101
Ways to Attack Your Headache
BEFORE the Pain Starts!" Tip 59 : De-stress yourself.
De-stress yourself. This is particularly true for those who suffer
from tension headaches. Below I have included some tips on how
to distress your self.
Meditation brings with it peace of mind as we learn to observe
our surroundings. We become one with it and it helps us to focus
our mental energy on one thing at a time. The human mind is a
virtual power house of energy but often this energy goes un-channeled
or untapped.
A lot of it is lost on extraneous things. Through the process
of meditation we can harness this energy and use it for constructive
purposes.
In the initial stages you may find your mind drifting but gradually
you will learn to focus more and more. The idea behind meditation
is not to cut out all the forces around you but to become one
with them.
I have seen people plug their ears with cotton to shut out sounds.
But that is not the purpose that we wish to achieve. On the contrary
we should focus on the sounds around us.
Be aware of them, listen to them. First listen to the bigger
sounds around you like the traffic or machines or even loud music
from your neighbor’s apartment.
Then listen to the softer sounds like the drone of the refrigerator,
or the A/C. And then bring your attention to the sound of your
own breathing. If you can actually hear yourself breathing then
you have arrived and this is what you have to keep doing.
Try to focus on the ‘here’ and the ‘now’
and not on the tomorrow or the yesterday. After all we all live
in todays and not in yesterdays and tomorrows!
The Mind Settling Procedure:
- Sit comfortably in silence with your eyes closed for 30 seconds.
- Perform a brief body massage. (Some meditation traditions
recommend that the massage be executed slightly differently
for men and women, and I would like to describe these recommendations
here. To be frank with you I am not clear as to why these gender-related
differences exist, or if the need for the differences is real.)
- The massage begins by gently pressing the hands against the
face, then upward on the top of the head, back down the neck,
and towards the heart. (By the way, all massage elements move
towards, and finish at the heart.)
- Then, men continue by gently using the left hand to press
and massage, first the right hand, and then up the arm, and
back down towards the heart. Again, this is all done with the
left hand.
- Women do the same, but they begin by massaging the left hand
and arm (back toward the heart) with the right hand. Then both
men and women switch arms and massage the other hand and arm,
again, back toward the heart. Then men continue by massaging
the right foot and leg, upward toward the heart. This is done
by pressing with both hands gently.
- Then, massage the left foot and leg, again, upward toward
the heart. Women do the same, but they begin with the left foot
and leg, upward toward the heart, before repeating the process
for the right foot and leg. This is best done with the eyes
closed. The total time for the massage is about a minute.
- While sitting comfortably with the back straight, perform
a breathing technique that is called "pranayama."
Begin with 10 seconds of fast pranayama. This is done using
very short, gentle breaths, closing one nostril at a time after
each outward and inward breath.
- Close the nostrils (one at a time) with the thumb and the
middle fingers (alternately) of one hand. Men use their right
hand to do this while women use their left. The mechanics of
the procedure are similar to slow pranayama (see below), except
that the breaths are very short and rapid (although still gentle).
- This is best done with the eyes closed. The procedure should
be effortless and easy, and if someone is experiencing any problems
like dizziness or hyperventilation, it is being performed incorrectly
and its practice should be discontinued until getting personal
instructions in this technique.
- While sitting comfortably with the back straight, perform
9 to 10 minutes of slow pranayama. This is done similarly as
with the fast pranayama, but using normal breaths (not short
or long ones), closing one nostril at a time after each outward
and inward breath. Be sure to complete both the outward and
inward breath before switching nostrils. On exhaling, let the
breath flow out naturally, not forcing it. The inhaling breath
should take about half the time as the exhaling breath.
- Hold your breath after inhaling for a brief moment (a second
or two) while alternatively closing the other nostril with the
other finger, and prepare to exhale. The entire procedure should
be effortless and gentle. If you feel you need more air, simply
take deeper breaths, but do not hyperventilate. You should be
breathing normally, just alternating nostrils after exhaling
and inhaling. This is best done with the eyes closed.
- Sit quietly and comfortably for 5 minutes with the eyes closed.
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