Today I woke up with a pretty substantial headache, as happens from time to time, and rather than take that as an excuse to have an entirely lazy day, as I would be tempted to do, I decided to get some errands done that did not demand too much work, or that would have given me a headache anyway. So, I ended up doing some light reading, but not finishing any new books, did some editing of articles, and did my taxes, which made the day a productive one despite the fact that I was not feeling my best overall. I’m still not exactly sure what caused the headache, unless my interrupted sleep last night was that much of a problem, which may have been the case. Still, if it was not an enjoyable day, at least it was productive enough that I didn’t feel bad about not doing as much as I would have liked, especially since all of the essential tasks were done and I have hope of getting a reasonable night’s sleep if my body and mind will cooperate with me.

When one gets a lot of headaches, it is a worthwhile task to examine just what type of headache it is, if it can be done [1]. If a headache’s source can be recognized, then it is possible to at least work to treat it. Today’s headache was one that seemed to stubbornly resist diagnosis. It didn’t seem like the usual headache from a lack of sleep, which is usually behind the eyes. It was not a headache that responded to food or water, despite my best efforts, nor was it a really light sensitive migraine. I suppose, in the absence of firm knowledge about it, I will let it rest as best as I am able. I hope that this is not a headache that lingers on for days, but I suppose we will see about that as well.

There are, I suppose, a variety of different approaches that one can take when one is dealing with a day that does not feel well. I tend to find myself torn between the two obvious solutions to feeling bad, and end up doing a little bit of both. Some people power through as much as possible and others take not feeling well as a sign that one should rest and try to recuperate. As for me, I try to rest a bit more than usual, but do activities where I will either not feel worse for doing them or that are not greatly taxed by the way I feel. Perhaps that might be more than I should do, but I am not the sort of person who does being still well. A day like today doesn’t feel that productive, but at least it wasn’t a waste. Now, to see if I can actually get some peaceful sleep.

[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/a-migraine-you-dont-deserve/