Migraine Burnout Is Real — And Self-Help Can Shove It

I wish I’d had a better day today.
Maybe a cheerful evening last night.
It’s the weekend, after all.

Not that it matters.
But—it’s the weekend, after all.

And still, migraine burnout hit like a truck.
The kind that flattens not just your head, but your will to participate in life.
You know that special kind of tired where even blinking feels like a sport?
Yeah, that.

And then come the self-help evangelists:
“Merl, it’s all in your control. Make the best of it.
One life. Live, laugh, love.”

Yeah? Well, one life just handed me a migraine,
sinuses that feel like cement bags,
and joints that creak like ancient floorboards.

“Make the best of it”?
Sure. Let me just conjure my imaginary wand
and turn this migraine burnout into a Pinterest brunch.

Meanwhile, I’m horizontal on the bed,
negotiating with my body like it’s holding me hostage:
“Fine. You win. I’ll lie still,
think dark thoughts, and pretend that’s meditation.”

It’s not just the pain.
It’s the weight of pretending I’m okay through it —
the pressure to convert suffering into something inspirational.

No thanks.
Sometimes migraine burnout is just that:
a whole lot of pain and nothing poetic to say about it.

So to hell with “one life.”
If life gives me lemons, I’m not making lemonade.
I’m going to lie down and let the lemons pelt me in the face.
Hard.
Maybe it’ll help drain my sinuses.