TENSION HEADACHES IN THE BOARDROOM
Does your head begin to hurt after a long day? Does your neck get stiff and achy when deadlines near? If it does, then you have plenty of company. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, tension headaches are the most common headache and symptoms are quite varied. One woman says it feels like there is a tight band around her head every time her boss screams. Another reports pain in the back of the neck and skull for no clear real reason at all.
But there are many things you can do to lead you along the road to recovery. The Mayo Clinic claims that managing a tension headache is often a balance between fostering healthy habits, finding effective non-drug treatments and using medications appropriately when necessary. In addition they say, a number of preventive, self-care and alternative treatments may be all you need to deal with headache pain effectively.
Healthy habits include eating nourishing foods and getting regular exercise, 4 to 6 times a week. (Exercise relaxes muscles and releases those feel-good brain endorphins.) If going to the gym is more than you bargained for, try an early morning walk or a brisk bike ride after dinner when your daily chores are done. Yoga and stretching can release the pain of tight muscles too.
Progressive muscle relaxation techniques where you tense each one of your muscles from head to toe, then release them, can lead to an overall feeling of serenity. Some people couple this with a soothing tape for better effects. (There are infinite sources on the web) You can even ask your kids to make the CD or video selection with you and to join you when the package arrives at home!
Trained psychotherapists may be more helpful if you want to learn ways to deal with the demands of work, home and relationships more positively.
Also, be sure to treat yourself to plenty of rest each day and to take time away from the stressors in your life, even if that means teaching the kids that daddy needs 15 minutes of private time after he comes home from work. Hot showers often help and scented baths can be a Godsend after a hectic day.
Still, when work is excessively stressful, you might feel the pangs of pain that mark the onset of a tension headache. When that happens, it’s best to address things right away. That way, you stand the best chance of nipping the pain in the bud or at least minimizing the suffering in the hours to come.
Massage and acupuncture are both wonderful techniques to reduce stress and manage pain. It might suit you well to find a practitioner located near your office who can take you on your lunch break with short notice. Even easier, health food stores carry natural homeopathic remedies that you can slip into your briefcase or pocket book to have on hand whenever it’s needed. Calcarea Carbonica will help those who get headaches from stress and over-worry. Nux Vomica will work better if you have a Type A personality and become irritable and impatient when you get headaches. Staphysagria will work even better if you feel like there’s a block of wood in your head or if your brain feel squeezed each time you are around a conflict. With these three remedies, simply take 2-3 pellets every four hours until you feel improvement.
Of course, if your tension headaches don’t get better, or if they get worse, call your doctor for advice. In these cases, conventional medication may provide just the relief you need to see projects through and to keep you in a bright frame of mind.
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