Thanks for visiting my little blog, Please note that this is my online diary, thoughts & feelings expressed on this blog are mine & mine alone. I hope that you will take the time to comment & tell me what you think about the things that I write. If you do not wish to know what I am thinking in my tiny little head then please do not read on, but I will not apoloize for my spelling (although I'm trying to be better!) or my posts!

Thanks for stopping by,
Princess Steph

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Thoughts on Twitter as a support group for migraines or is it becoming a migraine trigger

I have finally become addicted to Twitter. (You can find me at user name Stephintoronto). We all knew that it would happen, especially me, as I have been addicted to updating my status on Fbook and it was inevitable. I am anonymous on twitter as I am here, accumulating a dear and wonderful group of friends that I cherish. What is so interesting about twitter is that it is direct and immediate communication if you are online. Unlike a blog or an e-mail you are chatting with someone directly if you choose. I have communicated with many of the individuals that I communicate with through my blog like Liberty London Girl, Migraine Chick, Coco at Coco's Tea Party, but I also have had conversations with John Mayer, Ashton Kutcher, Perez Hilton, George Stroumboulopoulos and lots and lots of perfect strangers, many of whom have migraines just like me.


What I have been pondering lately, is the use of Twitter as a support network, but also as a trigger or permission to "give in" to a migraine. I love that when I am feeling crummy there is always someone to say that it is OK and alright to crawl into bed and say f.u. to the world. They also provide suggestions for dealing with pain and ideas for managing with the day to day life. I really do love them. They also all understand.

On the flip side though..... I am sensing that Twitter is empowering me to give into more migraines and the ability to admit that I am feeling awful. Earlier in the week, as an example, I had a mediocre migraine, that I would have usually struggled through. I wonder if admitting and twittering about it, made it more in the forefront of my activities and that made it harder to deal with. If there was some way of measuring that, I am sure that thinking and writing about the fact that I had a headache enabled me to embrace it, for better or for worse. Give into the pain more readily. Does that even make sense?

Anyway, I am curious about others thoughts on this and would be open to others comments. Let me know how you feel about this if you are on twitter and are using this as a way to cope with chronic pain or illness. I know that I will be writing about this more as I use twitter more.

I look forward to following more people and getting to know more people on twitter in the mean time.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, I've been a big blog follower and recently a twitter person too. I've been stuck in migraine land for a string of days and still twittering. I am more aware of how I feel, and where I am at. I have not noticed a change in my coping skills. It could be b/c I know less people; I'm more on the fringe. Jeselle

PrincessSteph said...

Oh dear Miss Jeselle. I wish that you had left your twitter name so that we could have become friends. there is a great support network out there. Hope that you are finding some support and friends.

Steph

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