Bob called me this week to talk about how The Habit of Daily Reflection helped him get off blood pressure medication.
I’ve known Bob for some time and he can best be described as a Type A personality.
Bob is hyperkinetic, always on the go, pushing himself to the very limit and doing everything at 100 miles an hour.
He is a driven high achiever who seems to thrive on deadlines, calamity and catastrophe. Bob is at his finest when his back is against the wall and when he is not actually busy doing things, he’s an incessant worrier, constantly anticipating disaster in all areas of his business and his life.
A routine physical several years ago alerted Bob to a problem that is all too common in many of us. It is one that that has no symptoms and yet the consequences of which can be deadly.
On that day Bob’s blood pressure readings were 167/98. His doctor, naturally alarmed by the reading, prescribed medication and cautioned Bob that failure to comply with his instructions would almost certainly result in the direst of consequences.
Bob is a seemingly healthy fellow. Like many of us he carries a few extra pounds, is physically active, a regular attendee at the gym and follows a diet that is, “not quite as good as it could be.”
Bob left the doctor’s office that day, naturally alarmed and drove straight to the drugstore to fill the prescription. While waiting for the prescription to be completed he wandered around the store, found a blood pressure monitor for home use and became quite fanatical – almost obsessed – with measuring his blood pressure day.
Eighteen months ago a friend introduced Bob to The Habit of Daily Reflection. His friend explained that this habit had been of enormous help to him and felt that Bob would benefit equally by taking time each day to become proficient at this practice.
Somewhat sceptical, Bob said out to “give it a try” convinced that The Habit of Daily Reflection was a bunch of touchy/feely mumbo-jumbo and would have no beneficial effect on his life other than take precious time away from important activities.
How wrong he was.
Bob learned very early on that just the act of taking time several times throughout the day to sit, quiet his mind and just reflect in a relaxed manner on how his life was unfolding had not only a soothing effect but also contributed to a substantial increase in his productivity.
To his surprise he discovered that this newly acquired habit was having a powerful effect on his physical health. He noticed his blood pressure remained well within the range of normal and after less than three months after of adopting The Habit of Daily Reflection he visited his doctor to share with him his new secret weapon.
His doctor was impressed enough with Bob’s tale that he reduced his medication by half but insisted he stay on the half dose for at least three more months.
At the end of that time Bob revisited his doctor and was given the all clear to throw the pills in the garbage.
That was more than a year ago and Bob, still fanatical about taking his blood pressure several times each day, happily reports that The Habit of Daily Reflection has played an enormous role in improving his health while at the same time has helped bring clarity to his thinking and greater performance to his work life.
A side benefit of The Habit of Daily Reflection is that Bob no longer reacts as harshly or angrily as he once did and has found and calm peacefulness within himself that has converted the way he deals with life’s challenges into a stress and anxiety reduced process.
The Habit of Daily Reflection is a simple, effective tool in helping us raise the quality of our lives in more ways than we can possibly imagine.
It costs nothing and brings much. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
We should all make this part of our daily lives.
Let’s make a habit of meeting like this.
My book Life Sinks or Soars – the Choice is Yours is selling very well. Please visit us at www.lifesinksorsoars.com and let me know what you think.
