Whether it is from work deadlines, financial struggles, or personal issues, stress shows up often in life. Your body reacts to stress with an increased heart rate and a narrowing of the blood vessels and over time, these little reactions can add up causing damage to your health, particularly your heart. With chronic stress, you are more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and poor sleep. Even other parts of your body, from your lungs to your gut, can take a hit.
Limiting the amount of stress in your life is often difficult, but you can work on changing how you respond to it. Just like the automatic “fight or flight” response that kicks in when you are scared, causing your muscles to tense, heart rate increases, and brain becomes more alert, your body also has a built-in, healthy relaxation response. When your relaxation response is triggered, breathing and heart rate slow down and blood pressure decreases.
Luckily, with practice, you can learn to trigger your relaxation response when needed. Try these techniques on your own or find a teacher or class to help you get started. Try not to get discouraged if you are not able to get the hang of it at first, sometimes it takes practice. If one approach is not working for you, try something new. You can learn to de-stress in a variety of ways.
- Meditation. One of the most studied approaches for managing stress involves developing your ability to stay focused on the present, instead of worrying about the past or future. Find a quiet location with as few distractions as possible. Get comfortable by either sitting, lying, or walking. Focus your attention on a specific word or set of words, an object, or on your breathing. Let distractions, including thoughts, come and go without judgment.
- Progressive muscle relaxation. To feel the effect, first tense your muscles for a few seconds, then relax them. Start by tensing and relaxing your toes, then your calves and on up to your face. Do one muscle group at a time.
- Deep breathing. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, let your stomach or chest expand and then exhale slowly through pursed lips. Repeat a few times. Many people are not accustomed to breathing deeply, but it is relaxing and something you can do anytime, anywhere.
- Guided imagery. This involves a series of steps that include relaxing and visualizing the details of a calm, peaceful setting, such as a garden.
Other healthy ways to manage stress include taking a yoga or tai chi class, talking to a professional counselor, joining a stress management program or an art class, or meeting up with a friend for a brisk walk. Being in nature can be very soothing for some people.
Combining de-stressors like the ones mentioned above with other healthy habits can go a long way toward strengthening your heart. Try to eat more veggies, fruits, and whole grains, while eating less sodium, sugar and saturated fats. Find physical movements you enjoy, like dancing or gardening, and do them regularly. Remember to get enough good, quality sleep and develop a strong social support system. Avoid ways of coping with stress through drinking alcohol, using drugs and other substances, smoking, or overeating. These can increase stress levels and be detrimental to your health.
Taking care of your heart health is a lifelong journey and learning new ways to make your heart strong is an important way to stay healthy.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact me, (903) 473-4580 or email Sarah.Latham@ag.tamu.edu. To view upcoming events or additional information please visit https://rains.agrilife.org/ or follow Rains County AgriLife on Facebook.
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