Invisible Disabilities: Breaking Down the Barrier of Comprehension

A little about me. 

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Throughout my life, I have struggled with an invisible disability - chronic migraines.  My personal experiences dealing with an invisible disability for the last 20+ years, navigating personal and work life, has motivated me to share my story to raise awareness and create a safe place for others like me to share their stories. 

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I started having bad headaches when I hit puberty.  By the time I was in high school, I was knocked out for half of the week with migraine symptoms, missing school, and social activities.  My health had a massive impact on my studies and social network.  I was forced to leave school for a year in high school and work with a tutor at home because I was missing too many classes to keep up and could not handle the sound and light exposure in a classroom.  At the same time, I was trialing different medical treatments, trying different medications, alternative therapies, food eliminations, and limiting exposure to scents, sounds and light that exacerbated my symptoms.   

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My world became very small - I lost friends because I was not in school and had to rely on my family for emotional support.  I felt very alone and lost, as my health was dictating what I was able to do, and greatly limited the activities I could be involved in.  My family did not understand my struggles and had mixed responses.  I learned to hide my struggles with smiles, and a put-together facade, so even those people closest to me could not see my pain.  It made the day-to-day experiences simpler, not having to answer concerns about my feelings and health. 

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I wanted to be "normal", and not be considered "ill" or seem like I was asking for special treatment.  I took this mentality to the extreme, especially in university and my career.  I did not want my invisible disability to hold me back, or for anyone to think less of me because of it.  I pushed myself to my physical extremes to prove that I could do it, I could be just as productive and achieve the excellence that was expected of me, without factoring in the challenges I faced from headaches and migraines.  I pushed myself to the point of burnout multiple times, impacting my overall health, and feeling that I had "failed" at being normal.  My mental health has definitely been impacted and has been become another invisible disability that I have been struggling with for almost three years. 

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In recent years, I have learned to own and share my challenges as part of myself, instead of trying to hide.  I no longer apologize or push past my challenges to prove to those around me that I am "normal".  There is now more social recognition of invisible disabilities, and I firmly believe that I should be respected for what I have accomplished, despite the challenges I have had throughout my life.   

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It is time to start shouting from the rooftops that I deserve respect, and allowances to compensate for the struggles that I cannot control or avoid.  Empowering myself to be the best person I can be, and sharing my story to allow others to empower themselves through shared support is the next step in my journey with an invisible disability.  I look forward to hearing your feedback and stories!