What Chronic Migraines Have Taught Me About Productivity and Rest

November 11, 2023 | by Tess

For a long time, I thought productivity meant pushing through. Ignoring discomfort. Powering past exhaustion. Hustle culture told me that rest was something you earned only after you’d done enough—and “enough” was always more than yesterday. Then chronic migraines entered my life and completely rewrote that script.

Migraines don’t care about deadlines, to-do lists, or how motivated you feel. They force you to stop. And at first, I fought that reality hard.

When Hustle Culture Meets a Nervous System With Boundaries

In college, especially, productivity is glorified. Late nights, early mornings, caffeine-fueled study sessions—it’s practically a badge of honor. As someone who genuinely loves learning and staying busy, I bought into it fully. If I rested, I felt guilty. If I slowed down, I felt like I was falling behind.

But migraines made it painfully clear that my body has limits—and ignoring them doesn’t make them disappear. It just makes everything worse.

I learned the hard way that “pushing through” a migraine doesn’t make me more productive. It usually means losing the next day too.

Redefining What Productivity Actually Means

One of the biggest mindset shifts migraines forced on me was this: productivity is not about output alone—it’s about sustainability.

Some days, productivity looks like:

• Finishing a workout or a solid study session

Other days, it looks like:

• Canceling plans
• Taking medication and lying down without guilt

Rest became a strategy, not a failure.

I started asking myself different questions:

• What does my body need right now?
• Will doing this help me tomorrow, or hurt me?

That change alone transformed how I manage my time, energy, and expectations.

Rest as an Act of Self-Respect

One of the hardest lessons was accepting that rest doesn’t need to be justified by pain. I don’t need to be “sick enough” to slow down. Chronic migraines taught me that honoring rest before crisis is an act of self-respect.

What I’m Still Unlearning

I won’t pretend I have this all figured out. Hustle culture is loud, especially in academic and professional spaces. I still catch myself equating my worth with how much I accomplish in a day.

But migraines have given me something valuable: a forced honesty with my limits. And within those limits, I’ve found a healthier, kinder version of productivity—one that includes rest, flexibility, and compassion.

If you’re living with chronic pain or illness, I hope this reminds you that slowing down isn’t falling behind. Sometimes, it’s the most productive thing you can do.