Love Your Heart
February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is one of the most common morbidities in our community and is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
You might think that heart disease is linked only with physical activities such as little exercise, poor diet, smoking and excessive drinking. However, heart disease has many other mind-body connections that you should consider.
Heart health and mental health are deeply entwined. In fact, the connection goes both ways: mental health affects heart health, and cardiovascular disease can contribute to mental health disorders.
The connection is both behavioral and physiological: our thoughts and emotions shape our habits and routines — like how well we sleep, how often we exercise, and how we cope with stress — in addition to impacting heart rate, blood flow, and cortisol levels. And, in turn, our physical health has the power to impact our emotional and social well-being.
Prolonged stress due to the pressures at home, on the job, or from other sources can contribute to abnormally high blood pressure and circulation problems. How you handle stress also influences how your cardiovascular system responds.
Depression, the persistent feeling of sadness and despair that can isolate you from the rest of the world also impacts heart health. Research shows that approximately 20 percent of us experience an episode of depression in our lifetimes. Men and women diagnosed with clinical depression are more than twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease or suffer a heart attack.
Research has also found that while having both heart disease and anxiety doubles a patient’s risk of fatality; the combination of depression and heart disease triples the risk. It’s important for people with heart disease to proactively address symptoms of depression if they appear, regardless of whether they’ve dealt with depression before.
The dangers associated with a lonely heart are not a myth. We live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet we are experiencing a loneliness epidemic. Loneliness and weak social connections have been linked with reduced lifespan, a greater risk of heart disease, dementia, anxiety and depression.
Unfortunately, the ongoing Covid pandemic that has forced many into extended isolation in order to protect their health is also creating health issues related to that isolation.
Prioritizing mental health doesn’t only improve your moods and relationships, it can potentially lower your risk for heart attack or stroke too. Given the link between mental health and heart disease, any efforts you make on the self-care front, like prioritizing rest or exploring where you find professional and personal fulfillment, can only help to boost heart health.
The good news is that taking care of your mental health often looks exactly the same as taking care of your heart. Lifestyle changes that help manage heart disease, like following a balanced diet, drinking less, and getting those steps in, can also alleviate symptoms of depression and other mental health disorders. Additionally, happy thoughts are literally good for the heart.
Of course, it’s more difficult to practice gratitude when you’re experiencing the isolation of clinical depression, so if you’re dealing with symptoms, remember that seeking help is taking charge of your well-being — and your heart.
The next time you’re feeling stressed or anxious, center your mind and keep your heart beating strong with these proactive strategies:
Do a deep breathing exercise.
Check in with yourself by journaling.
Try a stress-related guided meditation.
Explore visualization strategies to mentally picture a positive outcome to a challenge you’re facing.
Consider taking something off your plate at work or at home.
God created us as social beings with a desire for human interaction. Covid isolation means we have to be intentional and creative to maintain our relationships with others. Virtual connections such as video calls and zoom meetings can help reduce loneliness and maintain connections. It may be helpful to return to calling loved ones rather than texting. This can help remind us of and reinforce our human connections.
If you are isolated at home, be creative in finding ways to engage in meaningful, productive activities. Find an activity that you enjoy, restart an old hobby, or take an online class to learn something new. Consider fostering or adopting a pet. Arrange to watch a film at the same time as a friend and video call while watching. Have a video lunch or coffee date with a friend.
If you enjoy helping others there are lots of ways that you can volunteer from home. Some examples include baking cookies that a friend or family member can pick up from your porch and deliver to police, fire, EMS or health care workers; creating cards and writing letters to send to nursing homes or hospital pediatric departments. Many companies are currently experiencing staffing shortages. Contact local agencies and offer to help from home.
For help in finding virtual opportunities or for tech assistance, check out these offerings.
Boosters for Joy: A Guide on Ways to Connect, a resource guide from the Global Council on Brain Health and AARP; designed to help adults of any age to connect safely and enjoyably during the pandemic.
AARP Virtual Community Center, a new online destination for AARP members and non-members alike.
With everything from free movies, concerts, cooking classes, and museum tours, to exercise classes, caregiving help, and lectures from top professors, the virtual center offers free interactive online events and classes designed for learning, self-improvement, and fun for all ages.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
- Cynthia D. Warner, RN, HM, FCN
Parish.nurse.cynthia@gmail.com
