healthmedicinet

The Huffington Post: I’d love to talk to you about how you manage your personal health. You’re a spokesperson for Treximet [a migraine medicine] — can you tell me a little bit about your experience with migraines? How do they interfere with your daily life?

I’ve had migraines since I was a child — and as anyone who has had them knows, even if you don’t have them currently, you’re always on guard because one could pop up at any moment. You’re always living in fear of your next migraine. It’s just always a specter hanging over your head.

What advice do you have for people who experience migraines?

I would encourage people who are suffering to go talk to their doctors because it’s not a hopeless situation anymore. There are so many new medicines on the market… that may help solve your symptoms. There’s probably a strategy plan that will particularly work for you.

You’re a big fan of meditation — does that ever help when you aren’t feeling well?

My migraines start out feeling like an ice pick in my left eye — it’s horrible. Meditation helps my whole lifestyle and I do personally feel like there’s a correlation between stress and the frequency of my migraines. Besides changing your brain and opening your heart and all these other wonderful benefits, meditation abated my suffering.

How else does meditation help you?

I feel like it’s grounded my life. It’s been such a change and it’s only been with me the last eight to 10 years. It continues to reveal itself as sort of a life partner.

Probably one of the biggest excuses for not meditating is not having the time for it. Give that you’re so busy, how do you make time for it?

I feel like I don’t have time to skip it! My life is much more chaotic and out of balance — the wheels of the bus are off — if I haven’t centered myself.

I’m not a morning person. I get up five minutes past when I should, so I do it at night. My meditation practice is right before bed because I don’t want to take the negatives of the day with me.

How do you go about practicing it? 

It’s very simple. I use three words like “yes,” “thank you,” and “love” that I just sit with for a little while. Then I try to open and clear my mind, that way I can go to sleep in a purer state and wake up ready to face what happens tomorrow. 

What do you want others to know about meditation?

Don’t be scared. Don’t be daunted. Let it be your own. I think people just think “I don’t know how to do it!” but as much as there are a million ways to meditate, there’s no wrong way to meditate, either.

You just need to sit down and listen to yourself. I think we spend a lot of time pushing out the noise in a very awkward, outward way instead of a peaceful way. It’s an easier way to live.

The practice certainly has a ton of benefits, so I’m dying to know: Which character on “Scandal” do you think could stand to use meditation the most?

Cyrus! It’s so Cyrus. I don’t know if you’d want sort of a “Dalai Lama” Cyrus, but for the sake of his heart, for the sake of his marriage, for the sake of the Union, Cyrus should totally take up meditation.

I also think David Rosen could probably benefit from it as well.

They should totally be meditation buddies. They could check in with each other on how it’s going, how they’re feeling. That would be a totally different show, but I would watch it.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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