It seems very many people have this problem - skim through the hundreds of comments on this page [0]. I remember when I first panicked about having my BP taken

It seems very many people have this problem - skim through the hundreds of comments on this page [0]. I remember when I first panicked about having my BP taken: I had an irrational thought that the cuff would completely cut off my circulation and kill me. (I since discovered I have OCD.) So of course my BP shot up. And a second time, I was running like crazy to get to the appointment, and very stressed from a new job I'd just started and had just finished for the day, so again the BP was crazy high. Since then, I always panic about taking my BP, even at home, though it's worse in the office. To my previous worries, I've added fears about heart attack/stroke from high BP, irony of ironies but a common one. My solution is to buy a machine with a memory, take several readings per day over a period of at least a week (2-3 weeks is better), and cover up the screen on the monitor with a piece of card when taking the readings. At the end of the 2 weeks, remove the card, discard the first two days' readings, and take the average of the remaining readings. When I do this, my BP is almost normal (low 120s over low 80s). I don't waste my time trying to relax, since it tends to make things worse, although I do make sure I've been still for a couple of mins. I have a supportive doctor who understands statistics, which helps. (Standard disclaimer: this isn't medical advice. IANAD. Real hypertension is dangerous.) [0] https://www.innerhealthstudio.com/phobia-taking-blood-pressure.html?ezpage=11 https://www.innerhealthstudio.com/phobia-taking-blood-pressu...