Blood Pressure: Look Inside
It is just me or has the world been going a little crazy? Economic orders are changing, bringing uncertainty in our lives. As if there wasn’t enough.
Amidst all this, it is likely many people may experience an increase in blood pressure.
So what is the role of stress in blood pressure?
Your body works to optimize blood pressure in your circumstances. Balance, in this case, means the right amount of blood pressure, given the state of your life.
So imagine you are very stressed. Your body has to adapt to chronic stress. Remember, your body can’t differentiate between a tiger attacking you and your business not doing well.
If a tiger were to attack you, god forbid, and its claws cut a part of your body, you would start bleeding profusely.
The bleeding would cause a drop in blood pressure, preventing adequate blood from flowing to your brain. In such a case, having elevated blood pressure is a good thing.
Which is why your body optimizes for a higher blood pressure when you are stressed. It imagines that at any moment, you could bleed to death and so the higher pressure is better.
One connection between stress and blood pressure.
Reducing chronic stress should be your number one goal if you have elevated blood pressure.
So how can you reduce stress?
Counter intuitively, it starts by being more aware of your body instead of your thoughts. It is called somatic awareness.
Somatic awareness occurs when you look inside. Simple as it may sound, if you are deliberately looking inside, there has to be less stress outside.
You would not turn your gaze inwards if there was stress in your environment. The simple act of looking inward sends a signal to your mind and body that perhaps things are not so bad. It can turn the chronic switch activation switch off.
The answer to your stress, counter intuitively, may lie within, not outside.
PS: the image was sent to me on a what's app group, I am not aware of the authenticity or source of the image, but it seemed apt for the article.
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