Posted: February-21-2010 at 6:34am | IP Logged	Tweet

Practice Stress Relief to Help Keep Your Blood Pressure Low

A lot of the ways that people respond to stress - like smoking, drinking alcohol, sleeping poorly, and eating salty junk food - can raise one's blood pressure. And getting overly worked up can be bad for your health in other ways. Short-term stress is associated with headaches, back pain, and digestive upset. Over time, excessive chronic stress can raise your risk of heart disease, strokes, and other conditions.

As a result, it's wise to learn how to keep calm in the face of stressful situations. Here are some suggestions for reducing the stress in your life:

• Change how you see things. Some people waiting in the store checkout line are impatiently fuming … and others are enjoying the opportunity to rest for a moment, flip through a magazine, or simply people-watch. That's because the way a situation affects you depends on how you perceive the situation. Our thoughts can encourage stress when we blow problems out of proportion or we anticipate that things will end badly for us.

  When you're faced with a situation that would normally cause stress, take a moment to step back and reevaluate it. Is it really as upsetting as you're imagining? Or can you see it in a more positive light? Similarly, the next time you have an unrealistic negative thought - like "I'm never going to find a better job" - replace it with a positive thought like "I'm networking and sending out resumes, and my hard work will eventually pay off."

• Get more exercise. Getting regular physical activity is one of the cornerstones of controlling your blood pressure. But exercise is also a great stress reliever; it can reduce the production of stress hormones and improve your mood. You might find yoga particularly helpful for reducing stress. Just make sure to find a type of fitness activity that you enjoy and can do easily so it doesn't become one more stressful chore on your calendar.  
   
• Learn a stress-reducing technique. Experts recommend a variety of stress-relieving approaches that you can do on a daily basis or when you're confronted with a particularly bothersome situation. These include deep breathing, meditation, mental imagery (which is akin to daydreaming about a relaxing setting), and muscle relaxation. Your local library or bookstore should have books offering more instruction on these practices. Take some time to find a stress-reducing technique that works for you, and practice it regularly.

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Posted: March-11-2010 at 6:19am | IP Logged	Tweet

Yeah I recently learned that a series of "mini strokes" can leave someone with dementia.  These strokes were not noticeable but were found by a brain scan.  All the time my ex-mother-in-law was thinking her hubby had alzheimers.  Boy is he a handfull for her to tend to and she's no spring chicken either!  I get so frustrated with my ex + his brothers for not offering to help their mom.  I guess it's just a male thing.  Of ocurse, she is so sweet she would never ask anyone for a thing. 

I smoke, live off coffee, and got to have the chocolate too!  I figure I gave up all my other bad habits, I'm keeping these!