10 Ways to Relieve Pre-Wedding Headaches
From choosing a photographer to fretting over the dresses, the favors, and the food, planning a wedding is arguably a stressful event. With so many options and opinions surrounding a wedding – the bride's, the groom's, both sets of parents, relatives and friends – it's no wonder headache sufferers are feeling the pain.

In times of heightened stress – like planning a wedding – it's not unusual for the frequency and severity of headaches to increase. Follow these tips from the National Headache Foundation, a nonprofit organization which serves headache sufferers, to find relief from headache pain.

1 Breathe. Lie on a firm surface and place one hand on your stomach. Focus on breathing from the abdomen rather than the chest – it promotes relaxation.

2 Massage. Neck and shoulder massages can relieve tension. You can also apply hot or cold packs to these areas of the body.

3 Think. Recall the sound, feel, sight, taste and smell of pleasant things. Use guided imagery to conjure up specific pictures such as the beauty of a sunset.

4 Relax. Tighten a group of muscles and hold them in extreme tension for a few seconds. Then, relax the muscles while focusing on releasing tension or stress. Start with muscles in the toes and feet, working your way up to the muscles in the neck and head.

5 Stretch. Stretching relaxes the muscles. Stretch each muscle group for five minutes, beginning with feet, ankles and legs moving up to arms, torso, neck, shoulders and face.

6 Walk. Walk for five minutes and think calming thoughts. The activity can release endorphins, which are the brain's natural pain relievers.

7 Visualize. Envision your worries and stress being placed inside a large trunk floating out to sea. Visualization can help alleviate pain related to stress headaches.

8 Repeat. Close your eyes and repeat words aloud or to yourself. Choose words like "calm," "relax" or one of your own.

9Meditate. Focus on inward silence to reach a peaceful state. That way, you can concentrate on one calming thought to relieve tension.

10 Sleep. Maintain a regular sleep schedule to help reduce the occurrence of headaches. §

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