Managing stress, high blood pressure and emotions
As I continue with my training on social emotional learning / meditation /yoga and wellness, I find myself drawn to more articles on the topic. This article from the Mayo Clinic caught my eye as a current client is struggling with grief and also high blood pressure. The grief many have felt over the last few years is so thick it has been described to me as “palpable” by some clients. The loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of their community if they moved. This grief is a stress on our emotions for sure, and also on our physical bodies. There are things we can do, for instance, as the article states, “Stress reducing activities can reduce your blood pressure.”
Breathing techniques can help you relax which can help you to manage stress. Slowing your breathing intentionally and taking deep slow breaths can be very calming. There are many techniques to explore with a trained mindfulness guide.
Yoga and meditation may not only help you to relax, they strengthen your body and your mind. These techniques also may help to lower your systolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg or more. This author can speak to this specifically.
Walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, tennis, cycling, tai chi. Whatever, the exercise, find an exercise that you enjoy doing and engage in that exercise for at least 150-300 minutes per week of moderate intensity, or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity. Please make sure you have a doctor’s clearance before beginning any new exercise first.
Sleep. That’s it. Make sure you sleep! The importance of sleep cannot be discussed enough.
Mindset: part of social emotional learning is self-management and self-awareness. By learning how to connect with and acknowledge our emotions, and with our thoughts, we can decide how we want to show up for ourselves, for our families and our communities.
For more information on how you or someone you love may benefit from a wellness workshop where we connect body / mind / emotions and thoughts for optimal wellness: