It’s Not Just Stress — 10 Spiritual Reasons You Might Be Getting Chronic Headaches
Sometimes the pounding in your head isn't just physical; it's energetic.
Polina Shirokova | Unsplash The throbbing pain that beats through your head when you experience headaches can be almost too much to bear. Migraine headaches are much worse because you also have to deal with nausea and dizziness.
But headaches are not just a medical condition. There are also spiritual reasons you may be having headaches. What are the spiritual and emotional causes of headaches? Paying attention to the type of headache you have, as well as when, where, and how they occur, can help you to uncover the messages the universe is trying to send you.
A sudden onset of migraine attacks could be caused by allowing negative energy or spirits into your world. This includes things like anxiety and depression. From a religious perspective, a headache warns that there is evil afoot. It tells you to check yourself to make sure your spiritual guard is still intact.
Depending on which side of the head the headache is on, you can interpret it to mean different things. A headache on the left side is a message from the universe that someone wants to harm you. This is most likely someone close to you, so check your circle and proceed with caution.
A right-sided headache is an indication that you are making a lot of moves without stopping to consider the potential consequences. Slow down and make more thoughtful decisions before acting. The right side of the head is also where your sense of logic lives. Pain is a signal to start trusting your intuition and ignore the external pressures. Headaches can also be a warning of impending danger from the universe, but what are the spiritual meanings of headaches?
Here are 10 spiritual reasons you might be getting chronic headaches:
1. You're overloading yourself
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Being overworked can impact the physical body, as well as spiritual and emotional well-being. A headache could be one of the spiritual side effects of stretching yourself too thin. The universe is telling you to take away some of your responsibilities, reduce your stress levels, and take care of yourself.
Emotional or mental stress is the most commonly identified trigger for both tension-type and migraine headaches. Research shows that stress can aggravate existing hypersensitivity to pain in people with chronic tension-type headaches.
2. You're a worrywart
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Worrying can easily trigger a migraine. Anxiety and depression go hand-in-hand with worry, so if you start to have sharp pains in your head, it’s time to detach from the situation. No matter how much worrying you do, it won’t change the circumstances you are concerned about. Instead, it can be detrimental to your spirit, health, and emotions, so relax.
Catastrophizing is a tendency to focus on and exaggerate the potential negative outcomes of pain. A 2018 study suggested that this can lead to avoidance behaviors, where a person stops engaging in activities they love for fear of triggering a headache.
3. You’ve lost track
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The universe has a way of reeling us back in when we veer too far off our intended life path. If you start experiencing visual disturbances or develop sensitivity to light, you might be out of focus. This means you need to revisit your vision, get clarity, and remove any distractions from your life. Focus on the things that matter.
Instead of being a single cause, losing track of time or memory can be both a symptom of these conditions and a contributing factor that worsens them. Research recommends taking frequent, short breaks during demanding mental tasks can help alleviate cognitive fatigue. If brain fog is a frequent symptom, try to focus on one task at a time and remove time pressure.
4. You're having a spiritual awakening
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The first stage of a spiritual awakening is confusion. Confusion is akin to anxiety. If you are starting a spiritual journey, a headache could be a sign that you are in the first stage. Trust the process and relieve any anxiety-related stress you may be under. This is part of the process, and before you know it, you will be back to normal.
A spiritual awakening can be a period of intense change, and the initial stages might feel difficult or lead to a temporary worsening of symptoms, research has suggested. Understand that the headaches may be a temporary part of a larger process of healing and increased awareness.
5. You’re holding on to anger
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Everyone knows that hanging on to negative emotions about someone does more harm to you than it does to them. The spirit of anger and hate is closely tied to headaches. If you are having constant headaches, your guardian angels are telling you to let it go. Release any hate, anger, or ill intentions you are holding onto.
Expressing anger can sometimes provide a release valve for emotional tension. When you inhibit this expression, you may be maintaining a higher level of muscle tension, which is a known trigger for tension-type headaches, one study revealed.
6. You have negative energy
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Negative energy is the root cause of headaches. Sometimes, you have so much negativity built up in your system that you need to purify your energy. If headaches have become too much to handle, try cleansing your spirit with purification rites and a spiritual cleansing.
Mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing exercises can calm the nervous system and reduce muscle tension, helping to minimize the frequency and intensity of headaches. Research indicates that improving emotional intelligence and coping skills can be beneficial for managing chronic headaches.
7. You can't let go of the past
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Many people carry guilt and regret from events of the past. If you are having recurring headaches, the universe is letting you know you need to forgive yourself and move on. Make peace with your past and live in the present moment. Take the lessons from mistakes you’ve made and set goals to create the best future possible for yourself.
Rumination can amplify the brain's perception of pain signals, keeping the nervous system in a state of high alert. Studies show that people with chronic pain who engage in rumination following an activity experience more pain than those who actively use distraction.
8. You need to practice acceptance
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If you’re having trouble accepting something that has happened in your life, the universe may send a message imploring you to practice acceptance. Fighting against what is natural or unavoidable causes stress and worry, so a headache is a strong indicator that you need to accept it for what it is and move forward.
The ongoing struggle to avoid and control pain leads to inflexibility. This refers to an inability to stay in contact with unpleasant thoughts and feelings while still engaging in meaningful, value-based activities. Reduced flexibility is associated with worse pain, greater pain interference, and lower quality of life, one study argued.
9. Someone is lying to you
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Think of a headache as your intuition. It’s a nudge from the spirits watching over you to let you know that someone is being untruthful to you. Take a step back and assess everything you’re being told. If you find that you are being deceived, confront the truth head-on and accept it.
When you experience psychological stress from an event like being lied to, your body enters a 'fight-or-flight' state. A recent study found that persistent emotional stress causes the muscles in the neck, shoulders, and scalp to tense and contract. This muscle tightness is a direct cause of tension-type headaches, which often feel like a tight band of pressure around the head.
10. You're not living up to your values
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Any time you go against what you truly believe, you become out of alignment. A headache can warn that you are going down a path you don’t agree with. Your life is guided by your values. They tell you what direction to go in and how to avoid things that are harmful to you.
A headache is a clear sign that you need to reassess the choices you are making. Are spiritual headaches good or bad? If you are having a spiritual headache, the good news is you are becoming self-aware and making changes in your life to create a better future for yourself.
The downside of having a headache or migraine is very unpleasant. Be sure to make your pain and suffering count by looking for the message that the universe is trying to send.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and the author of seven books. She focuses on lifestyle and human interest stories that deliver informative and actionable guidance on interpersonal relationships, enlightenment, and self-discovery.
