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As many of you’d know I had to attach a 24-hour blood pressure monitor to my body recently. It was uncomfortable, annoying and not fashion forward, but it was a necessary step for me to take. You see my blood pressure readings have been high the last few times I’ve been to the doctors. My doctor needed to find out if I had to start taking some form of medication or if I had something called “White Coat Syndrome”. This means my blood pressure goes up because I’m nervous and anxious about the doctor taking my blood pressure. Crazy I know.

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With high blood pressure in my family I was quite resigned to the fact I’d be taking tablets. I also have a tendency to over think everything and worry about all of the things. White Coat Syndrome also didn’t seem that far fetched either.

The whole issue of blood pressure and making sure you get regular checks is really important to me. My friend recently wrote about her own family’s story. What an ordeal. They are amazing.

So as you can understand I was nervous and keen to get my results so I could get treatment if needed. And you know what? I got my test results back and it was good news. It seems my blood pressure is all ok. Instead what was confirmed is I make myself stressed, anxious and nervous which pushes up my blood pressure temporarily. Yes, I am a worrier, which to me is unsurprisingly to say the least. I am so relieved though.

It seems cutting back on the caffeine also helped a little. For someone so nervy as me, stimulants are probably not required. This fact is also not surprising. One thing I have noticed since cutting out the coffee is my heart doesn’t race anymore, I feel a lot calmer, I’m sleeping better and I’m not getting up to go the loo as much. I wasn’t even drinking that much of it. A simple switch to decaf has been really good for me.

This whole process has reinforced to me that what might seem like small changes can in fact have a big impact  on your health. It’s also given me renewed determination to get healthier.

Someone recently told me that it’s about focusing on the good you are doing for your body, rather than getting upset about the things you can’t have. I don’t want to deprive myself, that won’t make me happy, but good health will.

Little-by-little can go a long way.

Bianca Wordley x