Wounds Of The Soul And Headaches
Headache. It comes as a shadow that surrounds us with its sharp garments in the form of migraines or headaches. Sometimes they can be truly disabling, other times, they become that persistent companion that accompanies our day to day. Like an invisible veil that affects our quality of life.
But what is behind those frequent headaches? It is striking that this ailment is the most suffered among the population, beginning already in adolescence. Sometimes, when we inquire into these triggers of migraines, factors such as stress, anxiety and even many types of depressions are very commonly found.
That is, leaving aside purely organic or physiological dimensions that can make us more or less prone to suffering from this type of ailments, there are psychological and existential pillars that can further aggravate these so frequent states.
Relationship between headache and emotions
There are many emotions that we experience every day, but as you already know, not all of them are beneficial. Stress, anxiety or states of sadness generate very noticeable chemical changes in our body.
Stress, for example, causes high cortisol spikes that will “shape”, so to speak, many of our most basic vital functions, such as blood pressure. In turn, sadness activates a series of neurotransmitters that can weaken our immune system , and with this these persistent headaches can appear.
Although there is another fact to keep in mind, one that you may have experienced yourself in person at some time. Stress and anxiety constrict many of our arteries. But when we relax – or try – the blood vessels in the brain dilate, thus creating a headache.
That is why these ailments are so frequent on weekends or, simply, when we get home after a day of work and stress. In other words, you just have to try to “disconnect to rest” and, then, that headache emerges.
The sadness that lasts for months will take away our energy second by second, like an inner devourer that will show itself in fatigue, in a headache. And in turn, this state will become a kind of “uroboros”, that mythological creature that devours its tail in a circle.
Emotional pain translates into physical pain, and physical pain in turn incapacitates us, gestating an onset of depression. It is a risk, a high risk, hence the importance of managing our emotions day by day, setting priorities and setting limits.
Take care of your emotions and you will make your body happy
It is very easy to say: “take proper care of your emotions and be happy.” One of those common self-help phrases that are not always easy to carry out. How to do it? You need that stressful job to support your family. You have problems at home, with your partner, with your children, with your family … What can I do?
Life’s problems are not always solved with extremes: quit stressful work, or quit mine. Absolutely. Hence we must always start with short-term goals, achievable goals.
Establish limits, be aware of how far you can go and distribute your time appropriately: hours of work, hours of personal leisure, hours of rest. Always find a moment throughout the day for yourself. For your thoughts, for your identity.
That quality of everyday and simple life is the one that most relieves our tensions, and therefore the ones that take us the most away from that tension that always leads to a headache. Remind yourself that happiness can always be recovered and that we all deserve to have it. It is an aspiration and a reality.
Sleep well, enjoy your daily life, balance your stress until you master it at an appropriate level where it can no longer harm you, where that tension that damages your body no longer exists. Preventing a headache from being that persistent leivmotiv in your life sometimes requires making small changes. Taking care of yourself physically and emotionally is an obligation and a duty that you cannot neglect.
Image: Vladimir Kush
