I’ve had a migraine/headache for 6 days straight. Today was so bad I couldn’t concentrate on what I was saying. I’m not even sure I knew WHAT I was saying because of the pain. I even mixed up two people’s names and felt really dumb afterwards. Anyone got a migraine cure? 🙂 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When you’re a lawyer, especially a trial lawyer or litigator, you’re expected to be quick on your feet, to speak eloquently and dramatically, to have a quick wit and sharp brain, and to be all around intellectually intimidating. Most television shows portray lawyers this way (if not busy portraying lawyers as slimy and unethical asses). Think of the quick dialogue from Boston Legal Law & Order (and all its spinoffs). The lawyers never pause in their speech, always know the proper case and citation, never stutter or mis-speak, and, more or less appear super-human.
Real life is different. Even taking migraine or other chronic pain out of the picture, real lawyers do not always speak perfectly. They pause. They use the wrong words. They forget what they are saying. They need to stop and read from their notes. They are, after all, regular human speakers.
Intelligence in our society seems to be a highly treasured characteristic, if slightly behind sex appeal and beauty. Intelligence is extremely valued in the legal community. The worst insult one lawyer can apply to another is “she’s stupid”.
Now lets add migraine to this variable.
When I have a migraine or a constant headache, it affects my speech and verbosity. I speak a little slower, often pick the wrong word, and sometimes have a terrible time just getting the sentence out. Its terribly frustrating and often results in me speaking and interacting less until the migraine or headache lessens. This is common with migraine and is known as transient aphasia. This is a great blog explaining another migraineur’s experience http://migraine.com/blog/migraine-symptoms-transient-aphasia/ Essentially, our speech is affected while our migraine is at its worst.
Here’s another explanation: think of the last time you were really sick and were trying not to throw up all over the place. You spent most of your time holding your breath, keeping your mouth shut, and avoiding conversation until the vomiting passed. When forced to speak, your words were simple and your sentenced shortened. Your brain power wasn’t diminished any; you just were allocating your power and effort to the most important task at that time: keeping the vomit inside of you.
This is how migraine is for me. When I am putting all of my energy and effort into making it through the day with migraine (including breathing, thinking, walking, talking, writing, and, sometimes, not throwing up) I do not have as much energy to allocate to creating eloquent wording. I’m not stupid, I’m just surviving migraine.
The point: the next time you see someone stuttering, pausing while speaking, using the wrong word, appearing slightly spacey, or just ‘off’, before you make fun of them or judge them as stupid, consider that they must just be dealing with constant pain.
The New Melissa 