Getting Support
You're Not Alone
Eating healthy and exercising regularly can be helpful in reaching your blood pressure goal. But you don't need to do it alone! Ask for support from your family and friends. Leaning on loved ones can go a long way in helping you start a healthier lifestyle to better manage your blood pressure.
Getting Support
Support starts by asking for help. This can be as simple as asking your spouse or a friend to go to the doctor with you. They can sit in on the visit to help you remember all your instructions. Family or friends can take walks with you, work out with you and participate in other sports with you.
Also talk to people you work with or friends in your community groups. It's quite possible you are not the only person with high blood pressure. It may give you comfort to share your stories and experiences. You also can eat lunch together or participate in noontime exercise classes together. Be sure to talk to your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Dealing With Stress
Everyone experiences stress. But if you don't handle it properly, it can increase your blood pressure. This can damage your blood vessels, heart and kidneys over time. In addition, reacting to stress by smoking, exercising less, drinking too much alcohol or eating unhealthy foods is not good for you. It increases your risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
Spending time with your family and friends can help lower stress. There's nothing like a good belly laugh to get you smiling again. And laughter releases "feel-good" chemicals in your brain. These stimulate body to make you feel better.
So seek out those you love to talk to, ask for helpful advice and share some smiles and laughter.
Support Resources
There are a number of places you can go to for support. Besides your family and friends, you can reach out to local health centers, gyms, YWCA/YMCAs, or your house of worship.
There are also a number of online support resources and forums especially for people with high blood pressure. Some of them are:
- WebMD: Hypertension: Support Group (http://boards.webmd.com/webx/topics/hd/Heart-Health/Hypertension-Support-Group/)
- Daily Strength: High Blood Pressure Support Group (http://www.dailystrength.org/c/High-Blood-Pressure/support-group)
- MDJunction: High Blood Pressure Support Group (http://www.mdjunction.com/high-blood-pressure)
- American Heart Association: Forum: High Blood Pressure-Management (http://my.americanheart.org/jiveforum/forum.jspa?forumID=17)
- MedHelp: Archives of Hypertension Questions (http://www.medhelp.org/win/forums/cardio/archive/hypertension.html)
- eHealthForum: High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, High Cholesterol Forum (http://ehealthforum.com/health/high_blood_pressure_symptoms.html)
- CardiologyChannel: High Blood Pressure (http://www.cardiologychannel.com/hypertension/index.shtml)
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