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Migraines

Working in VO Through Chronic Migraines

February 7, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

The Reality of a Chronic Condition

Laura Schreiber on SofaI’ve blogged about migraines before. This was yesterday. A migraine day. On days like this I sleep a lot and do the work that I can horizontally. With my dogs on top of me. As a full-time, working voice actor, on my good days, when my head is perfectly clear, I often let the thought creep into my mind: maybe I’ll never get another migraine. On a clear day, meaning a headache free day, I feel amazing. I am happy. I have no pain. I can record and work with clients and I am myself. But for me, migraines have been chronic since I had my twins almost 18 years ago. So, what does this mean as a working mom and a small business owner who wants to serve my clients well on good days and on bad ones? It means that I have to make choices that will not cause more migraines, and when I have them I have to be realistic about what I can reasonably do on a given day to accommodate my voice over clients.

No Live Sessions

Put on Lipstick and GoAs a working pro voice actor, I love doing live sessions, but will not do them on migraine days. Why? Migraine medication is strong. On a clear day, I am responsive. I can listen to client feedback and deliver. I also mimic well. On a migraine day, I struggle. Every thing I do all day long is a struggle. I am proud of what I accomplish on those days, but I do not feel a need to put my struggle under a microscope. The few times I have made exceptions for clients I have regretted it every time. They have not been my best sessions. If you are a migraine sufferer too, I suggest only self- directing on those days.

Hydrating and Eating Healthy

On clear days and migraine days, the choices I make about what I put in my body for food and drink make a profound difference in my well-being. On a clear day, I always try to drink half my body weight in ounces of water. I need to stay hydrated so that I can do my voice over work. My hope is that by hydrating I will also prevent headaches from coming on. On migraine days, I hydrate to help get through the headache. I will confess that I typically also need a ginger ale to help combat the nausea, but beyond that I drink a lot of water to help make the headache pass.

Making healthy food choices is essential to migraine survival. In general I am gluten and dairy free and try to avoid foods hat cause inflammation. According to Healthline, “Gluten may trigger migraines in people who don’t have celiac disease but instead have a sensitivity to gluten. Gluten sensitivity isn’t well-understood yet.” I have to avoid a lot of foods, like bananas and those that contain milk products, particularly fresh dairy. For me, there is a difference between having a small bit of melted cheddar cheese and fresh mozzarella. According to Harvard University’s journal Article, “Could a Hidden Allergy Be Causing Your Migraines?” the article explains that “Foods high in fat can also trigger headaches [4], but, to many migraine sufferers, supposedly healthy foods such as wheat (gluten), dairy and bananas, are also problems. However, there is currently no accepted consensus among scientists on how so many innocuous foods could induce migraines.” So, for me, I have found that my headaches are more easily managed when I eat small, frequent meals without my typical triggers. On headache days, I tend to want to eat more carbs, which must be a comfort food for me.

Remembering my Limitations/Keeping Goals in Focus

Make Ourselves StrongI will confess that I do make choices knowing that the wrong one could lead to a Migraine. I leave fun events early, like industry wide BBQs. I often turn down dinner invitations that I really want to say yes to, even at conferences, because I know that late nights will certainly lead to a migraine. Essentially, my limitations have to stay in the forefront of my mind, otherwise I will have more migraines come my way than I can handle, and that, frankly, would no be good for my voice over business. I also have to limit my work day. For example, this week I got a new demo back. I was so excited to start marketing it that I worked for hours after dinner, well past my bed time. Guess what? I had a horrendous migraine and lost most of the next day. I pushed beyond my limitations and it was not smart.

I think about it this way: I try to set myself up for success. I regularly keep my small business goals in focus, and in order to stay on track for those goals, migraine maintenance is part of my strategy. If I lose site of my health and wellness strategy, it is inextricably linked to my business goals. I was reading a new book about food and nutrition yesterday and it sparked I kind of light bulb moment for me, but it relates to this, too. First, there was a survey about my physical health. Then there was a survey about my mental health. Lastly, there was a survey about my financial health. The book went on to explain how the three are linked, and when any of them is not in balance the others too are out of balance.

For me, as a working mom, I need to my business to run well for so many reasons, but that is another blog. If I cannot keep migraine maintenance in check, then none of my voice over goals will be within reach.

Filed Under: About Me, Voiceover, working mom Tagged With: choices, chronic migraines, healthy lifestyle, live sessions, Migraines, planning ahead, professional voice over actor, strategy, VO, voice over, voiceover, working mom

Migraines and Voice Over: Oy Vey

February 3, 2020 by Laura Schreiber

It’s a Conundrum

I have so many good days, when I am super productive, I have tons of energy, and I get more accomplished than I had ever thought possible. On such days, sometimes a crazy thought creeps through my head: what if they’re gone? What if just as suddenly as they came, I will never get a migraine again? Then, like a load of bricks dropped on my head, I wake from my sleep with the throbbing pain behind my right eye and I hope that I get the medication in me in time so that I can take the lowest dosage possible. So, how can the good days seem so immeasurably good and then the bad days I am just so thankful for each task that is completed. When making toast seems like climbing Mount Everest, the vast contrast between the good days and the bad days of this working mom is mind blowing. But here’s the real kicker: I speak for a living. As a migraine sufferer, on bad days, I don’t want to talk. At all. The sound of my voice seems to echo against the inside of my head and is excruciating. How frustrating that all of the things I am passionate about, including voice over, are not easy on migraine days.

Making it Work

As a working mom I try hard to exhibit good coping for my twins Emma and Jack, so laying curled up in a ball on the sofa all day is not a good longterm strategy for a chronic problem. When I’m “lucky,” and believe me I am using that word loosely, my migraines will come on a weekend and I can sleep them off. Often they come as they like as they are triggered by all sorts of things: stress, lack of sleep, my cycle, the weather, so in short- life triggers them. When they come on a week day I try to take the medicine as early as I can. I tend to be a heavy sleeper and wake up confused, but if I can actually get the medication in me early, that helps. I try to always have both coffee and ginger ale in the house as they help. My strategy then changes. Daily routines will be completed, but anything extra gets pushed to another day. Nothing fun will happen on a migraine day. I try to give myself a break and only do what is essential. Booked work will be recorded. Auditions will likely be skipped. All emails will be replied to. I will likely defer any direct marketing. In terms of mom tasks, if I can ask Harlan to help with anything, I do!

Planning Ahead

My migraines started when I had my twins, almost 17 years ago. It is safe to assume I will have them until the kids go to college, so now, like with everything else, I plan ahead. Here are some tricks that help me a lot, just in case a whopper of a head ache should descend:

  • Pack school lunches the night before. I actually make sandwiches or entrees for a few days at a time so that I just have to grab the sides each night. It really speeds things up!
  • Have set laundry days.
  • Order groceries weekly so your house is always stocked with the basics at minimum.
  • Plan your food for the week. I have a weekly print out so if I am down for the count someone can figure out the food.
  • Make sure to refill the migraine medication regularly. It is terrible to realize that you have run out at 3 am when you really need it. Keep a stock of it on hand.
  • If you cannot drive on your medication, as I often cannot, make sure you have carpool arrangements that are flexible for your kids.

Voice Over Specific Issues and Migraine

There are work related tasks that I will and won’t do on migraine days. I will happily do any self-directed sessions at my leisure. I will happily record short and normal length scripts. A migraine day is not the day to have an ISDN session with new clients and multiple people giving directions. My brain just can’t process the input and it is not a smart, career promoting move. I also wouldn’t promise to deliver 10,000 words of eLearning with a migraine. It doesn’t mean I couldn’t record a few modules, but I pride myself on being a meticulous editor, and nothing is meticulous when you are on such strong headache medicine. The other task I would avoid on migraine days is voice matching. I have a knack for being able to match others’ voices and my own past jobs. But, on a headache day, that is just too tricky and I would wait.

Pros of Working with a Migraine Sufferer

Yes, I wish my migraines would stop and never come back. But, I do think they have changed me. I have so much more understanding of what people with much more serious chronic illnesses go through. I am much more patient. I am genuinely thankful for every non-migraine day. I am very sympathetic when others have to reschedule and are under the weather.

Filed Under: About Me Tagged With: challenge, Chronic, focus, full time, guided sessions, Migraines, plan, professional, role model, self-directed, VO, voice matching, voiceover, working mom

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