This is Part 42 of a serial blog originally titled 'Martha Carter's Healing Journey'. Curious about the earlier posts? To start from the beginning, read Part 1.

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Stress is a natural human response; it’s a state of worry or physical tension of which we are all familiar. We all experience stress to some degree. Sometimes it can feel like it lays us flat, yet other times it is helpful, pushing us to address a challenge or perceived threat. But when stress lasts for a long time, it may harm our health.

I don’t really think of myself as a stressed out person.

Generally, I feel like I hold my calm pretty well.

Yeah, I move fast and think fast and try to do way too many things…

butttttt…

I also take walks in nature.

And I do yoga, and lots of deep breathing, and I have a regular Somatics movement practice, and some of what I teach is how to calm the nervous system including how to master the art of long slow Ujjayi breathing (sometimes referred to as ‘ocean breath’ in yoga).

After years of feeling very stiff in my twisted ribs, I have worked hard to learn how to expand and contract the ribcage; how to control deep and long inhalation and exhalation — like BKS Iyengar demonstrates in a truly remarkable way.
Check out that video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/fcPjvp4La8A?si=_bqWzTnTLhCSN750. Amazing control or what?

But I digress.

For a few months during the spring, I was feeling more stressed out than usual. It felt like every cell in my body was contracted and I kept forgetting to breathe. I assumed it was related to the combination of juggling my busy schedule with some difficult personal events including family emotional stress, etc. But I kept up with my usual routine and expected it to subside on its own.

However, one day, I was feeling so strange that I started pacing.

My usual deep breathing and gentle yoga was not calming me down. I kind of felt like I was going to burst from the pressure. Pressure? For whatever reason, I remembered I had a blood pressure monitor, so I pulled it out and checked mine. To be honest, it never occurs to me to check as my blood pressure has always been on the low side.

But this time the reading was high. Very high.

What the heck?

Of course I quickly googled the topic and immediately freaked myself out with the fact that it is called the ‘silent killer’, and there are all kinds of scary potential long term side effects (stroke, heart attack, and more…). This all made my blood pressure spike even higher!

I can definitely understand why it’s referred to as the ‘silent killer’ as it’s very hard to actually feel our own blood pressure. Thankfully, I noticed my heightened nervous system enough to get me to check my BP, but I have no idea how long it has been so high. Could this have come on suddenly, or has it been high for months? I have no idea. The doctor asked me why I don’t check it more regularly. I honestly didn’t realize I was supposed to, beyond the annual checkup. When did I miss that memo? And did I miss other symptoms? Back to Google…

The main symptoms of high blood pressure that come up are:

Headaches
Shortness of breath
Pressure in chest
Back pain
Nosebleeds

Aside from nosebleeds, which I never get, it occurs to me that those of us with scoliosis and/or spinal fusion often experience ALL the other things on the list, so that certainly makes things a bit trickier for us to diagnose! And there is no question that all scoliotics and fusioneers experience varying amounts of chronic stress on their bodies, but we just get used to it. All the more reason to check regularly.

So now what? What does one do to reduce blood pressure?

The first list of 8 suggestions that come up on Google for controlling blood pressure are:

Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline...
Exercise regularly...
Eat a healthy diet...
Reduce salt (sodium)...
Limit alcohol.
No smoking.
Get a good night's sleep...
Reduce stress.

The suggestion to exercise actually comes up a lot. Apparently even 10 minutes of brisk or moderate walking three times a day makes a difference by reducing blood vessel stiffness so the blood flows more easily. Other suggestions online include biking (stationary bike counts), hiking, ‘desk treadmilling’ (that’s a thing!), weight training; swimming. And the key for lowering blood pressure and maintaining the lowered number is apparently to keep at it - “use it or lose it”.

Back to the list of 8 above, I already think I am pretty balanced with these things. Decent diet, little alcohol, good sleep, plenty of exercise, and only normal levels of stress—I think? Of course, there are a few extra pounds. And I spent the last few years limping around in pain waiting for a knee replacement, so that didn’t help me stay aerobic. But that has been improving for several months now.

So what is going on?

The doctor ordered some tests to see if there was indication of an underlying condition like a thyroid imbalance, or high cholesterol, as these can cause issues.

Nope. Nothing came up on my tests.

So, I asked my doctor, what is causing my high blood pressure?

And she surprised me by saying, WE DON’T REALLY KNOW!!

She explained that it’s really all about stress. Bad lifestyle choices put strain on the physical body and emotional stress can also put pressure on the system and cause high blood pressure. But am I really that stressed? Why am I so stressed?

I keep googling and uncover another list of potential causes:

Cold and allergy medications
Chronic pain
Over 65 years old
Have a relative with high blood pressure

Hmmmm. I did have extreme allergies this spring, which caused me to take medications for several weeks. Plus, like most people with scoliosis and fusion, I live with a fair amount of chronic pain; additionally my knee was very uncomfortable for several years. And yes, I am getting close to 65. And yes, it runs in my family. So maybe that explains some of the stress on my system. Maybe?

I feel myself getting more stressed out as I desperately try to make sense of it.

The doctor suggests that I pay attention to the ‘list of 8’ and to my dismay, she also prescribed medication. I would much rather avoid medications and figure it out on my own as the medications only treat the symptoms, not the underlying issue. She said to start them, but to also keep monitoring to see if I will need a stronger dose or, if I can get it under control, I won’t need to keep taking them. Ok. I agreed to start them, but I also really want to figure out a way to get it under control on my own so that I can stop taking them.

So I ask myself, what is the underlying issue? What is going on with me? Just saying ‘reduce stress’ doesn’t give me enough information.

I go back to the computer and amongst the myriad suggestions of how to control blood pressure, what really catches my attention are the words from a meditation master who talks about how stress all comes from the brain. Thus, he recommends some very simple meditations.

The BRAIN! Of course!

As I have learned in Somatics training—the technique that I have been loving for its positive impact improving my own mobility—ultimately, the brain is in charge of everything that happens in our body. All somas experience ‘unconscious muscular stress reflexes’ that can get caught in the brain, leading to chronic loss of ease and mobility in the body. It doesn’t really matter why or how these reflexes become chronically stuck, or where the exact pain lives in the body. Instead of trying to ‘diagnose’ everything, what we have to do is regularly repeat simple targeted exercises that help the brain-body connection become revitalized. Somatics helps us control the stress reflexes, leading to optimal mobility.

So it makes sense that after eliminating underlying conditions, blood pressure is ultimately controlled by the brain as well. And therefore, maybe it doesn’t matter why, how or what exactly is causing my stress? I could spend all kinds of time trying to better my diet, my sleeping patterns, talking to a counsellor, and everything else - and these things are important. But maybe if I regularly repeat some simple targeted meditations, I can possibly control my overall stress and reduce my blood pressure?

I download the meditation master’s recommended three daily meditations specifically for blood pressure and I do them immediately. They are simple but deep. I am amazed at the amount of emotion they bring up. Maybe I am more emotionally stressed than I realize? Maybe I am holding unconscious thought patterns deep in my brain that are adding up to this new high level of pressure I have been experiencing?

No matter what, it feels so good to have something very specific that I can do on my own.

These meditations are now part of my daily routine and now, barely a month into this journey, my numbers are much lower most days… but not every day. Even with the medication, there are high days and low days. It occurs to me that the trick is to work on my stress from the inside out. It’s easy to think of stress coming from outside sources - life’s pressures that are imposed ON us. But my new realization is that the stress comes from within. It’s up to each of us to learn how to let it go. Ah-ha moment.

And of course, just like managing our scoliosis discomfort, it’s best to do it one day at a time, slowly but surely gaining new control over ourselves in our own time and in our own way.

Getting older is full of surprises, including the fact that we always have more to learn. Just as I discovered with Somatics, having a tool that I can use regularly to relieve my own discomfort gives me sovereignty over my own healing. It gives me a sense of peace and calm, which is definitely better than panicking over all of the questions!

It’s also helpful that summer is here and some serious lazing around (along with healthy exercise) is on my schedule!

Facing STRESS

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