Headaches and Science Don’t have to Mix

I’m sharing #Advil in my life as part of an Advil® sponsored series for Socialstars™ #fastadvilfacts

“There is a difference between mental work and physical work.” This is what my Dad said to me over dinner as we discussed my Ph.D. committee meeting that took place earlier in the day. I’d been explaining to my him that I was completely exhausted and felt like I wanted just to sleep for days.  He then went on to explain that the body can become more fatigued from work that requires more thinking than it can from performing a rigorous task. He was right. I’d done nothing physical at all besides mentally prepare to defend my experiments and my dissertation hypothesis in front of my Ph.D. committee.  While this preparation had been going on for weeks the last three days leading up to the event were probably the most stressful.

My past couple of weeks has been a culmination of late nights and early mornings. I’m pretty sure I spent way more time in the lab than I did in my house in hopes of generating the perfect data to present to my committee. As a scientist, we’re trained to be critical thinkers, and with this type of thinking comes our fair share of headaches. Did you know that human emotions may be a trigger for tension headaches? Feeling anger or anxiety are commonly blamed for these types of headaches. 

When I find myself dealing with a headache one of the first things I do is take a minute to relax and breath. Usually, my headaches are brought on by me trying to accomplish the job of 20 men in one feel swoop. For me, relaxing means to turn completely off whatever it was that caused me the stress in the first place. While analyzing data, I found myself in the middle of a brutal headache. Instead of pushing through I simply called it a day and put the data for analysis to continue at a later time.  Taking a moment allows me to recollect my thoughts and to bring everything back into focus. 

I also love to light a candle with a calming scent. My favorite scent for dealing with a headache is Lavander followed by a softer scent like honeysuckle or even ocean breeze. I love these scents because they help me to take my mind off the current situation by aiding me in thinking more relaxing thoughts. To supplement my candles, I also love soft/smooth jazz music. This combination is a winning team for sure. 

Sometimes when you’re so busy focusing on work, or even at your place of business you don’t get that moment to stop and breath. This is why I keep Advil Film-Coated tablets at my desk to make sure I’m ready for whatever results science decides to bring my way. Advil^® Film-Coated has a Rapid Release Formula that dissolves quickly because let’s be honest nobody has time to be sitting around waiting for medicine to take effect.  By taking 1-2 Advil^® Film-Coated  Tablets every 4-6 hours  I know that I’m going to be performing at my best.  Now if only there were something I could take for dealing with problem PIs. 

 

So how do you deal with headaches when you’re under pressure from work to meet deadlines or produce a product?