Mind Over Body

This weekend I was out with my daughter looking for a baby shower gift. In our travels we came across one of those blood pressure machines you see in pharmacies. (She has always been fascinated with those for some reason! ) She asked if she could take her blood pressure and told me in a very authoritative way,  "You should check yours too mom!"

I decided to use this as a teaching moment.

Although my daughter (soon to be 12 years old)  is a fun loving free spirit, on occasion she tends to get stuck on memories of upsetting situations. I have taught her imagery techniques to help with this, but as she gets older she is becoming resistant to my help. I don't think she really 'believes' that these techniques can really help or that they have any scientific validity and that I'm just another grownup trying to gain 'compliance'. I decided I would show her how well imagery works so she could see it with her own eyes.

I let her go first, (Her reading was 'normal' but her heart rate was slightly high, most likely because we had been walking for a while. )

Then I sat down and told her that I could control my blood pressure with my thoughts. She laughed. So I  told her to push the button and start the reading. First I just sat there quietly & did a regular reading - 120/75. (She understands what 'normal' blood pressure is.) I told her this is a 'baseline' reading. (120/80 or lower is normal blood pressure; 140/90 or higher is high blood pressure.)

I removed my arm, sat still a moment & told her to repeat the test. This time, I talked about every person who irritates me & every upsetting memory-past and present- I could think of off the top of my head, like she does sometimes when she comes home from school. (She started laughing because apparently I was making my angry face too which she finds not only unnatural to me, but hilarious!)

The machine finally stopped. The reading was 146/90. She knew this was high & she was concerned. (Side note: I am 46 years old and going through biological changes and have been working to maintain a healthy weight. She was concerned because she hears other people & family members taking about 'getting old' and she associated this high reading with me getting 'old'. She has lost close family members when she was very young & now at the age she is this is all very scary. When someone says 'old' and she hears 'sick/death'.)

I reassured her and told her that I am not 'getting old' - and that I was not sick. I made my pressure go high with my thoughts. I told her to remember the first reading & compare.

I took my arm out, walked around for a moment and sat down again. This time when she started the test I spoke in a quiet voice about all the fun things I've done-many with her-and I imagined our favorite place-the beach and resting in the sand (Much like my Starfish Imagery.)

When the test was finished, the reading was 111/72. A significant drop. She was speechless.

I realize that this was not exactly a controlled experiment or ideal environment, but for my purposes, my point was made. With daily practice, you can feel calm and relaxed, and keep your body's reactions under control no matter what is occurring around you. Most children can learn these same relaxation techniques and how & when to apply them when they need to.

Your mind-your imagination- is the most powerful tool you have. It can and does have control over your body.

The good news is, you have control over your mind.


Find the Starfish Imagery  here to start practicing!


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