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Science is backing up what many of us already know: our mental health plays an important role in our overall wellness. On January 25, 2021, a scientific statement was released by the American Heart Association-- this is big, folks! The statement specifically mentions cardiovascular disease [which is disease of the heart and blood vessels] and it's no wonder as this disease plagues so so many Americans.
Happier, more positive people are shown to be healthier than those depressed or pessimistic. So now we have even more reason to smile, love and laugh!
Here's an abstract from the statement:
"As clinicians delivering health care, we are very good at treating disease but often not as good at treating the person. The focus of our attention has been on the specific physical condition rather than the patient as a whole. Less attention has been given to psychological health and how that can contribute to physical health and disease. However, there is now an increasing appreciation of how psychological health can contribute not only in a negative way to cardiovascular disease (CVD) but also in a positive way to better cardiovascular health and reduced cardiovascular risk. This American Heart Association scientific statement was commissioned to evaluate, synthesize, and summarize for the health care community knowledge to date on the relationship between psychological health and cardiovascular health and disease and to suggest simple steps to screen for, and ultimately improve, the psychological health of patients with and at risk for CVD. Based on current study data, the following statements can be made: There are good data showing clear associations between psychological health and CVD and risk; there is increasing evidence that psychological health may be causally linked to biological processes and behaviors that contribute to and cause CVD; the preponderance of data suggest that interventions to improve psychological health can have a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health; simple screening measures can be used by health care providers for patients with or at risk for CVD to assess psychological health status; and consideration of psychological health is advisable in the evaluation and management of patients with or at risk for CVD." Click here for the full article: Psychological Health, Well-Being, and the Mind-Heart-Body Connection: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association | Circulation (ahajournals.org)
Here's my take away [at least part of it😊]:
Make time to do things you enjoy
Spend time with people you care about (can be done social distance style!)
Be kind
Smile often
Laugh... even when the jokes are corny!
Exercise
Eat well
Practice Gratitude
With love and sparkles,
Senia