Since I’ve been gingerly re-entering the workforce and community a number of people have been commenting along the lines of an enthusiastic,
Lovely to have you back and that you’re feeling better!
Or concerned,
How was staying with your parents? Are you feeling better now then?
Obviously both of these questions/comments come from trying to engage with me and my recent unwellness and a genuine hope that I am now feeling better. Which I do really appreciate and recognise is better than just ignoring me. This is the kind of thing I totally would have said before people asked it of me several times a day.
I found the first few times of having this kind of conversational expectation set up only led to an awkward silence…….. followed by a rather brutal “er, no.” Because I just wasn’t yet and that was the honest answer. Actually I was pretty shit. But then I felt I was kind of bringing a downer on everything by explaining the whole ‘taking things slowly’/ ‘actually migraine is something you have forever’/’I’m making some quite substantial changes to my life and general attitude and it’s all a bit unsettling’ shebang. I’m getting better at explaining it breezily and confidently and as if it’s all ok, but in the meantime thought I’d offer up a suggestion that’s a bit more neutral and open for freestyling off as appropriate:
Hey, how are you feeling today?
Open Letters on Migraine 