Practices for Emotional Heart Health
Gratitude
I love to wake up in the morning and spend a few minutes feeling gratitude for all the gifts in my life. I feel it starts my day on a positive note and gets me into my ‘flow’, that carries throughout the day. I believe we create and attract to us, what we focus on.
And it’s a great way to shift your perspective when ever you’re experiencing negative emotions or simply in a slump.
According to ‘Psychology Today’, gratitude improves self esteem, increases mental strength, fosters empathy, better sleep, happiness, general health and resilience. And reduces depression and aggression. That pretty much covers it all.
Don’t forget to include gratitude for yourself. Most all of us could benefit for a bit more self love, which we need in order to love others.
Decrease Stress
Modern life rewards us for multi tasking and being in a constant state of trying to achieve more and more. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 10 percent of Americans struggle with anxiety disorders.
Research is showing that stress, and more importantly, the way we handle it, is the ultimate cause of disease. The fact that chronic stress causes premature aging is well documented.
Begin a practice of checking in with yourself regularly as to your stress level. Pause to take a deep breath, slow down, and maybe even stretch for a moment. Hamstring and gentle neck stretches, as well as spinal twists are especially helpful.
I find the practice of pausing and coming back to stillness for even 2 minutes, resets me back into ‘the flow.’ I end up being happier and more productive.
Take Time for Fun
Find what ever brings you joy and do it often! Remember how it felt to play as a child or take a couple lessons from a young person in your life. A little goes a long way.
Nurturing Relationships
Make regular time for relationships that feed your spirit. Community and connection are a basic emotional need. We as a culture have strayed away from connection, replacing it with over achievement, media and ‘keeping up with the Jones’.
Service
I believe that service to others and the earth feeds our hearts and helps elevate us out of our own problems. It brings meaning, connection and satisfaction. Research shows that it increases happiness, may extend life expectancy and reduces blood pressure.
Smile More
I love smiling sincerely at people, whether I know them or not and seeing it bring a big smile to their face. It’s bound to make you feel happier. It often catches people off guard and snaps them out of isolation and stress.
Heart Focus
An internationally renowned bestselling author and pioneer, Gregg Braden, is one of my favorite inspirational speakers. Here is one of my favorite practices.
He teaches a simple method of tuning into your heart. You start by quieting your mind, then place your hands on your heart while focusing on your heart and/or feeling gratitude for 5 minutes. I find that inhaling into my heart, then exhaling it out into the world takes it to an even deeper level.
This exercise has been found to increase the length of the telomeres. Telomeres are the DNA protein that protects the ends of our chromosomes, and shorten as we age. Lengthening our telomeres is believed by researchers to reverse aging.
Check out this video ‘How to Harmonize Heart and Brain’ on YouTube, and also learn more at the Heart Math Institute
Conclusion
I believe we are all connected. How we live in the world affects everyone and everything else. With a balanced holistic approach, we can keep our physical hearts healthy and create more meaning, connection and fulfillment for ourselves and the greater world.
To learn more about staying healthy
contact Natural Health Asheville today
828.777.7678
Cindy Graham
Natural Health & Wellness Coach
Cindy Graham is a holistic health practitioner providing professional coaching and support to her clients in Asheville and throughout Western North Carolina. Specializing in several alternative health modalities, let Cindy guide you to nutritional wellness, emotional health, and optimal well-being.