Hey Migraine Mentees 👋 

Today’s newsletter takes another 5 minutes to read—so if you’ve only got 60 seconds, here’s what you need to know:

• Holidays stack triggers like sleep loss, sugar, dehydration, stress, and loud/bright spaces can turn a holiday into a nightmare… 

• It’s essential for you to protect your sleep window and hydrate with electrolytes for a steadier brain…

• Keep your food choices on-point with high-quality omega-3s, magnesium-rich plants, fiber + color, and healthy sources of protein and fats…

• Be selfish in order to be selfless = set boundaries and be willing to say “no” in order to say “yes” to the thing you want to do…

• Don’t forget that movement is the language of the brain, so try to move your body on a daily basis…

❄️ Wishing you calm lights, cozy sleep, and quieter holidays this year…

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

First time reading?! Sign up HERE.

👉️ In This Week’s Edition…

• 🥡 Weekly “Take-Meme-Out”

  • Take Me Home…

• 🗒️ Read This Now!

  • The 5 Best Ways to Manage Holiday Stress and Migraine Symptoms

• 🍴 Migraine-Friendly Recipe of the Week

  • Gentle Chicken, Rice & Zucchini Bowl…

⌛️ Don’t have time to read this week’s newsletter? No problem!

🧬 We’ve put together a full-stack supplement combination that will help you buffer the stressors of the holidays and help you make it through your family intervention without flaring up your migraine symptoms.

❤️‍🩹 This supplement stack packs a 1-2 punch by supporting your adrenals and stress responses while also making sure to control inflammation, optimize sleep, and help you recover from whatever the holidays sent your way.

👉️ Click the link below to sign up for our Full Script account to access our holiday stack. Once you sign up, we will write a “script” that will allow you to purchase the products and be on your merry way!

🥡 WEEKLY TAKE-OUT

Meme of The Week…

🗒️ READ THIS NOW!

The 5 Best Ways to Manage Holiday Stress and Migraine Symptoms

The holidays are meant to be full of laughter, joy, and happiness…

In reality, they’re often packed with migraine landmines like stress, travel, late nights, alcohol, sugar, and bright/loud gatherings.

If the holiday seasons tend to spike your symptoms, you’re not alone… And more importantly, you are in the driver’s seat.

Small, consistent habits during the holidays can add up to significant outcomes and help keep the nervous system calm during times of turmoil…

🧬 Why Holidays Often Spike Migraine Risk

As you know, irregular sleep, late nights, skipped meals, sugar-filled foods, dehydration, and sensory overload can quickly trigger migraine symptoms.

But understanding why they cause symptoms is important…

🔥 In essence, all of these activities destabilize the brain’s circuitry and trigger inflammation, which are prime conditions for provoking attacks and causing full-blown migraine episodes.

As you know, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s consistency, especially throughout the holidays. 

🪜 Our Top 5 Steps for a Calmer, Happier Holiday Season

1. Be Selfish and Protect Your Sleep Window 😴

• Keep the same sleep/wake times, especially when you’re away…

• Power down screens an hour before bed, dim lights, and follow your same unwinding practices (belly breathing, reading, warm showers, etc.).

• Travel Plans? Pack an eye mask, earplugs, and a white-noise machine to help you get as much restorative sleep as possible while also blocking out new or excessive noise.

2. Eat (and Drink) for a Steady Brain 🥗💧

• Skip your usual and known triggers, even if they’re a “just this time exception.”

  • Red wine, aged cheese, chocolate, ultra‑processed foods, excessive sugar, etc.

• Hydrate proactively (~2 L/day) and be sure to add electrolytes.

• Healthy Meal Options. Anchor your meals with healthy amounts of omega‑3s (salmon, sardines, walnuts), magnesium‑rich foods (spinach, almonds), cruciferous veggies full of fiber/color (leafy greens, berries), and spices (ginger, turmeric).

3. Manage Stress Before It Manages You 🧘‍♀️

• Make a realistic to‑do list and avoid over‑committing yourself; You will pay for it!

• Insert random 5-minute “down‑shifts” to focus on belly/box breathing, mindfulness, and short meditations.

• Selfish = Selfless. Practice graceful “no’s” and “no thank-you’s” to protect your bandwidth. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you need to say yes to everything!

4. Tame Sensory Overload 🎧️ 

• Take 5–10 minute breathers from bright/loud spaces and environments to let your nervous system reset.

• Use sunglasses/blue‑light glasses at night and/or noise‑canceling headphones, when needed.

• Find Your Happy Place. Create a quiet, dim spot to recharge at gatherings or in transit. Less overstimulation prevents escalation from prodrome to full-blown migraine attacks

5. Move Your Body (To Your Tolerance) 🏋️ 

• Utilize low‑impact movements like walking, yoga, stretching, and tai chi.

• While sitting or engaging with others, try to stretch your body, change positions, and relax your jaw/shoulders.

• Get Outside (if possible). Daylight and fresh air boost mood and energy levels, while also calibrating your circadian & sleep rhythms. Exercise also supports proper circulation, brain health, and stress resilience.

🩺 Own Your Health & Your Outcomes

This plan sounds great, doesn’t it?! Just do these simple steps and you’re gonna be perfect…

Reality is rarely scripted. Or this simple.

So while you can’t control what other people do in your life, you can control what YOU do… And by owning your health and habits, you can take back control of your health and actually enjoy the holidays on your terms—without migraines running the show.

🎄 ⛪️ ✡️ 🪷 Happy Holidays to you and your families!

🧠 The Migraine Mentors

🍴MIGRAINE-FRIENDLY RECIPE

✨ 🍲 Gentle Chicken, Rice & Zucchini Bowl

📖 Ingredients (1–2 servings)

• Fresh chicken breast (not pre-marinated, not leftover)

• White rice (jasmine or basmati work well)

• Zucchini, sliced

• Olive oil

• Sea salt

• Optional: fresh parsley or basil

✅ How to Make It

1. Cook the rice in water with a pinch of salt.

2. Cook the chicken fresh (bake, pan-cook, or grill) using olive oil and salt only.

3. Steam or sauté the zucchini until soft—not browned.

4. Assemble the bowl and eat shortly after cooking.

👉 If saving leftovers, cool quickly and eat within 24 hours max.

🧠 Why This Recipe Is Migraine-Friendly

1. Stable blood sugar

White rice digests easily and helps prevent blood sugar drops, a common migraine trigger.

2. No common migraine food triggers

There’s no aged cheese, vinegar, citrus, fermented foods, chocolate, or artificial additives—things that often provoke migraines even in people without food sensitivities.

🌊 Why This Recipe Is Histamine-Friendly

1. Fresh protein = low histamine

Histamine builds as protein sits. Freshly cooked chicken is much safer than leftovers, deli meat, or slow-cooked dishes.

2. No histamine liberators

Zucchini and white rice are low-risk foods that don’t trigger histamine release.