Whether it is daily deadlines, financial difficulties or the COVID-19 pandemic, stress often appears in life and your body reacts: your heart rate increases, your blood vessels constrict and, over time, these small impacts add up and damage your health, particularly your heart. With chronic stress, you are more likely to develop hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and sleep disorders. Even other parts of the body can be affected; from your lungs to your intestines.
Although it’s not always possible to limit the amount of stress in your life, you can modify your response to it. Just like the automatic “fight or flight” response that is triggered when you feel fear and your muscles tense, your heart rate increases, and your brain becomes more alert, your body also has a healthy relaxation response built in. When triggered, the opposite happens: your breathing rate and heart rate slow, and your blood pressure drops. Fortunately, with practice, you can learn to activate that response.
Try the following techniques on your own or find an instructor or class to help you get started. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get up to speed quickly. Also, if one method doesn’t work, try a new one. You can learn to reduce stress in many other ways.
Meditation. One of the most studied approaches to managing stress involves developing the ability to stay focused on the present and not worry about the past or the future. Find a quiet place where there are as few distractions as possible. Make yourself comfortable, whether you are sitting, lying down, or walking. Focus your attention on a specific word or group of words, an object, or your breath. Let distractions, including thoughts, come and go without judgment.
Progressive muscle relaxation. To feel this effect, first tense your muscles for a few seconds and then relax them. Start by tensing and relaxing your toes, then your calves, and work your way up to your face. Work one muscle group at a time.
Deep breathing. Take a slow, deep breath in, allowing your stomach or chest to expand, and then slowly exhale. Repeat a couple of times. Many people don’t take deep breaths, but it’s a relaxing thing you can do anytime, anywhere.
Guided Imagery. This involves a series of steps that include relaxing and visualizing the details of a calm and peaceful place, such as a garden.
Practice self-compassion. Understand that life’s challenges are inevitable. Give yourself the care and attention you need when you are going through difficulties. However, taking your body and mind to a place of tranquility does not always mean being still. Other healthy ways to manage stress include yoga or Tai Chi classes, talking with a professional counselor, taking part in a stress management program or art class, or meeting friends for a brisk walk. For some people, being out in nature is very calming.
Combining these stressors with other healthy habits can go a long way toward strengthening your heart. Eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grains and consume less sodium, sugar and saturated fat, for example. Move more, for example through dancing or joining other people for walks. Find exercises that you really like and practice them regularly. Try to get enough quality sleep and develop a strong social support system. Next, reconsider some of the usual ways you deal with stress, such as drinking alcohol often, using drugs or other substances, smoking, or overeating.
These things can actually make your stress and health worse. Taking care of your heart health is a lifelong process, but in times when the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 remains higher for For people with cardiovascular health problems, learning new ways to strengthen your heart is even more important.
