New Year’s Eve and Year 2021 are quickly approaching! Why not consider having a more migraine-healthy celebration to kick off a healthy new year with resolutions to keep your migraines at bay?
It’s a great time to mentally run a 2020 slideshow in our minds of our experiences – ups and downs and in-betweens – from the year. It’s a good time to check in with ourselves, take stock of our current health, relationships, career, lifestyle, and habits. Refreshing our awareness can help us plan a healthier, happier, more migraine-free new year.
Setting New Year’s resolutions is a good thing. It’s even better if we fully intend to take them seriously and act on them. When it comes to resolutions, there are many that can be contemplated for action. They can include healthier eating, better sleep patterns, more exercise, and so on. It can be different for each of us.
Personally, I set intentions. Now, this isn’t something I do on Dec. 30 or 31, but at least a handful of times each year. I write out my intentions each month – for my family, my health, how I want to feel, what I am going to work on, and what I am going to take more time for (mindfulness).
With a history of migraines, I have navigated as best I could through festive holiday gatherings and avoiding triggers. Sometimes my holidays lead to a bit less down time because that time is filled with errands (last minute shopping, farm stand runs, holiday decorating, quick day trips to see loved ones, and later evenings wrapping gifts for family).
I hope you too have successfully navigated through the holidays and that The Honest Migraine has been able to provide you with support and helpful tips. I hope whatever daily practices, methods, and therapies you have been doing have paid off and led you through to a happy, healthier holiday season.
Since New Year’s Eve is a few days away, it’s time to finalize plans! I personally love holidays, hosting, and happy moments.
My mindfully constructed New Year’s Eve menu this year looks like:
*Homemade Apple Cider (probiotic) Punch
*An hors d’oeuvre style spread of fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries), assortment of veggies (carrots, cucumber, tomatoes) with freshly made rosemary ginger garlic dip and artichoke spinach garlic dip, poached pear arugula spinach salad with homemade candied pecans (low sugar, egg whites), and organic ground chicken made into oven-baked meatballs with fresh farm stand basil, sea salt, onion powder, and one clove of garlic finely chopped. Warming the meatballs in a nice, organic marinara sauce, and topped with freshly shredded parmesan works out well. For dessert, I’m making my grandmother’s peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. This menu provides: antioxidants, vitamins, omega 3, protein, and just a small amount of indulgence.
Perhaps consider looking over your menu and making some small substitutions that may lend to a more enjoyable, migraine-free celebration. Provide your body and mind an opportunity to be pain free, celebratory, and wake up ever-so-present on January 1, 2021. Those small changes and swap-outs can end up adding up and becoming quite beneficial!
Fill your body up with highly nutritious bites and beverages. Set the tone for the new year. It’s never too late or too early to start! Our actions need to be meaningful.
No matter what we’d like to do or how we’d like to feel, it isn’t until we start walking in the right direction (making mindful decisions about how we eat, making time to stretch, signing up for pilates or yoga, and scheduling a medical check-up) that we are able to see progress and a difference.
“Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first,” said Frederick Wilcox.
Through my actions the past 6 years, migraines are on the bench and I’m on the court still playing and tossing the ball to reach my next intention / goal.
Sure, I will snap a few photos of the night, the company, the food, and the candid moments – but then I will “disconnect.” I will put my phone away, enjoy the moments with my loved ones, and be present. This helps me manage migraines – trying to just let my mind and body be where it is – not be overstimulated by phone calls, text messages, or news updates. There is nowhere I need to be other than with my loved ones on this occasion.
I hope you enjoy a safe, healthy, happy New Year’s Eve! We’ll continue and reconnect in 2021, friends.
Coming next: The value of pets and finding peace amidst migraines