Are your emotions weighing on your heart? The link between mental health and heart disease

When we talk about heart health , most of the time, things like cholesterol, high blood pressure, exercise, and diet come to mind, right? But have you ever thought about how much the emotions you feel every day, like anger, sadness, and loneliness, affect your heart? In fact, keeping our minds as healthy as our bodies is very important for the heart.

Why is awareness so important?

Simply put, there is a very strong connection between our emotions and our hearts. Studies have repeatedly shown that people who experience feelings of loneliness, depression, and social isolation are several times more likely to die prematurely from not only heart disease but also from any other disease than those who have good relationships, love, and unity with others.

Think about it, many people today don't have the large extended family that we used to have, neighbors who live together for generations, stable jobs, and a temple or church that we go to every week. Although we don't think about these things much, these social relationships have a much greater impact on our lives than we think.

Many people think of spending time with friends and family as something that should be done after all the 'important things' (like eating and exercising), like a luxury. But the truth is, these are the things that really matter . We are emotional beings who want to be together. If we neglect these things, it will only harm us.

Therefore, the first step to recovery is to realize that you are alone and suffering from depression and to be aware of how to deal with it. If you can talk about this with your doctor, you can start making different decisions in your life.

The relationship between depression and the heart

Doctors now recognize that depression is a major risk factor for heart disease. In particular, depression is more likely to have bad outcomes (such as early death or another heart attack) if someone has already had a heart attack and has undergone surgery to repair blocked blood vessels.

Similarly, social isolation and low levels of social support also contribute to an increase in heart disease complications.

Don't be afraid to talk about your feelings.

Many people in our society are willing to talk about their cholesterol levels, but they are reluctant to talk about their mental health. There is still a certain stigma and shame surrounding depression in our society. When patients don't talk about it, it becomes even harder to diagnose and treat it.

A person who has had a heart attack may say, "I had a heart attack, so it's normal to feel sad." But in many cases, upon closer examination, these symptoms of depression may have been present even before the heart attack.

The sadness that comes after a heart attack usually goes away within a few weeks. But if the symptoms persist, it could be a separate, unrelated depression that needs to be treated. We definitely need to be concerned about these long-term feelings, because they can have a big impact on our cardiovascular system.

Why does this condition affect women more?

When it comes to depression, women are twice as likely to suffer from it as men. One reason for this is that many women tend to bottle up their feelings of anger and frustration, rather than expressing them outwardly. This is exacerbated by our culture's belief that "women should be patient." But keeping everything bottled up inside can actually increase stress-related reactions in the body.

A recent study has found that sudden emotional stress (for example, the death of a loved one, an accident) can cause the heart muscle to suddenly become severely weak. Although this may look like a heart attack, it is not. This condition is called "Broken Heart Syndrome" or Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy . This condition is especially common in women.

Many women in our country put their health and family at the bottom of their list, thinking about their children. They don't even have time to exercise or take a little time for themselves. That's why it's so important for women to identify a support network and connect with them.

How can you help the doctor balance his emotions?

When a doctor asks you about your illness, it's also very important to ask about your feelings and your mental state. Because when helping you make changes in your life to improve your health, you need to understand that there are barriers beyond whether you can afford the medication or go to the gym.

It's important to understand your patients' fears and anxieties. Sometimes a doctor can get an idea just by observing you. For example, the way you sit in your chair, the way you look at yourself, or your weight gain can give you clues about your depression.

A doctor can:

• Refer patients with severe stress to a behavioral psychologist for help in changing their responses to certain things.
• Refer for psychological counseling .
• If necessary, prescribe antidepressants.

Ultimately, when you help, forgive, and love someone else, you are actually healing your own loneliness. So, being unhappy can actually be the most selfish thing you can do.

Heart disease, mental health, depression, stress, broken heart syndrome, heart health, women's health