New Delhi: The heart, often seen as an organ filled with emotions, plays a dual role in our lives. While the physical heart pumps blood to sustain life, the emotional heart showcases our feelings of love, joy, sadness, and stress. Psychiatry reveals a fascinating connection between the two, highlighting how emotions directly impact heart health. Dr Ashish Bansal MD, Consultant Psychiatrist and co-founder of House of Aesthetics in New Delhi, spoke about how emotions affect the heart.
The Impact of Emotions on the Physical Heart
When we experience stress or anxiety, our body goes into the “fight or flight” mode, releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These chemicals increase heart rate and blood pressure, putting strain on the cardiovascular system. Chronic stress is a significant risk factor for conditions like hypertension and heart disease. Depression, too, affects the heart. It increases systemic inflammation and influences lifestyle choices, such as poor diet or lack of exercise, further contributing to heart problems. Similarly, grief or emotional trauma can cause stress cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome), a condition where intense emotions mimic symptoms of a heart attack.
Healing the Emotional and Physical Heart
Managing this mind-body connection involves addressing both emotional and physical health. Psychiatrists recommend practices like mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing to reduce stress and strengthen the vagus nerve, which links the brain and heart. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can also help in managing negative emotions, while regular exercise, healthy eating, and quality sleep support overall well-being.
Aamish Dhingra, ICF- PCC certified Life Coach, and Co-Founder of Cocoweave Coaching International, Delhi, said, “Heart is the epicenter of life and is one of the most vital organs for the physical survival of the body and also for our emotional regulation. There is a strong interplay between the physical heart and emotional heart and as a life coach, I have observed how both of these shape the individual’s overall health and relationships. When we gain more clarity about the mind-body connection, we get a better insight into life:
The heart is one of the crucial organs of our body which is engaged in pumping oxygenated blood to all the body cells. The things that directly impact our hearts include our daily diet, the physical activities we are engaged in and our stress levels. But the breakthrough research has found an association between this physical organ and our emotions too. Whenever an individual faces prolonged stress, anxiety, deep worry, or unresolved and unaddressed grief, it manifests in the form of heart ailments or hypertension. This means that our emotional health is an interesting parameter for deciding our heart health.
The emotional heart is the master of our feelings and relationships. It guides us through emotions of love, compassion, sadness, and joy. The physical heart may maintain its normal rhythm, but the emotional heart can still be in distress and this can take a toll on the physical health too. As a life coach, I have witnessed that individuals who are in self-doubt or have faced trauma in the past are more sufferers of heart ailments.
The mind-body connection
This strong connection between our emotions and their role in affecting our physical health needs to be well understood and focused on. Practices like mindfulness, gratitude, and self-awareness can influence not just your mental well-being but also your physical health. When you cultivate peace in your emotional heart, you lower stress hormones like cortisol and improve the health of your physical heart.
The relationship between the emotional and physical heart is important to understand and focusing on both physical and emotional health not only keeps the disease away but also keeps the emotional level balanced with love and compassion. There is a deep interplay between physical and emotional heart and by catering to the emotional heart, you can protect your physical heart and vice versa. If you feel overwhelmed emotionally or notice physical signs like chest discomfort or palpitations, consider seeking professional help to care for both hearts. A holistic approach ensures lasting health for the body and mind.
Emotions are an important part of heart health and that is not known by most. Here’s what experts have to say about the emotion and heart health connect. Health News Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
