Is your heart condition a constant added weight on your mind and schedule?
Navigating everyday life between doctor visits and treatment schedules can be more challenging than those around you realize. Maybe youre making it all look easy when it feels anything but. In reality, chronic illnesses like heart disease can negatively affect your physical and mental health.
Several studies have linked heart failure and heart disease with increased rates of depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders. Johns Hopkins Mental Health professor Dr. Joseph Gallo studies the intersection between physical and mental health and found the risk for depression is higher among those who suffer chronic illnesses. Other studies show up to one-third of Americans with heart disease also live with depression and anxiety.
Whats The Connection?
Whats the reason for the connection between heart disease and depression? The answer depends on each individuals life situation, but some reasons include:
- Loss of ability to be active or involved in preferred activities
- Living with uncertainty about the future (will this happen again and when?)
- Feeling isolated, like nobody understands what youre going through
- Increased stress from balancing lifes everyday demands with extra tasks required for heart disease treatment
- Financial stress from missing work and/or extra medical bills
- Difficulty finding time for consistent exercise and self-care
- Dealing with the physical toll of chronic illness symptoms others may not see
- Grieving the loss of abilities or opportunities due to your heart disease diagnosis
- Relying more on others for help and support/feeling like a burden
- Overwhelming responsibilities of caring for self and others
- Developing unhealthy coping mechanisms like smoking and excessive alcohol use
Chronic illness and mental health statistics dont mean everyone with heart disease is guaranteed to struggle with depression. However, research shows that diagnosing and treating patients depression can have a positive effect on the survival rates of those with a heart disease diagnosis. This study also found that incorporating self-care into treatment for depression and anxiety can help increase treatment efficacy.
The National Institute of Mental Health defines self-care as taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health.
According to Johns Hopkins, patients with a positive mental outlook have better success with lifestyle changes and treatments. Taking control of your self-care routine can help you gain confidence in your health journey. Patients who are active in managing their health also report better quality of life and treatment outcomes.
9 Tips for Self-Care
Self-care strategies are meant to be personalized and often look different for each individual. Those with chronic illness and depression may need self-care strategies focused on managing life with their diagnosis. Its helpful to speak with your health care provider or therapist to help build a beneficial self-care plan. The following self-care strategies may help you manage your life with chronic illness and benefit your mental health.
1. Join a Support Group
Joining a support group like those run by Mended Hearts can help you connect with others who are living with chronic illnesses. Relating to those who have similar challenges helps alleviate feelings of isolation. Fellow members can help each other by sharing recipes or schedule management tips. Find the Mended Hearts chapter closest to your area here.
2. Get Moving
Exercise releases brain chemicals to help you feel better, and regular fitness can help you gain confidence in your skills and strength. Moving your body through exercise is a great way to focus your mind on something other than negative thoughts associated with your chronic illness. Physical fitness can also help ease the physical and psychological effects of chronic illness.
Always consult your medical team to create a healthy exercise plan. You should also check with your doctor before making any changes to your fitness routine. Whether its taking a yoga class or choosing the stairs over the elevator, your exercise self-care should be personalized to your needs and lifestyle. You may want to join a fitness group or class to keep you accountable and help encourage you in your self-care journey. You might even make a new friend or two while youre there.
3. Eat Heart-Healthy
If youre living with heart disease, youre likely familiar with the components of a heart-healthy diet. Fortunately, many of the same foods are recommended by researchers to combat depression. If youre following a heart-healthy diet, pat yourself on the back you already have a self-care success story!
If youre still working out how to manage heart-healthy eating habits, try one new food or healthy recipe each week or day. Small changes will eventually add up over time. Remember to check with your dietician and health care team before making any changes to your diet.
4. Talk to a Professional
Talk therapy is an excellent way to work through depression. Treating anxiety and depression with therapy can help patients with chronic illnesses improve mental health outcomes. Ask your medical team for a referral to a therapist or psychologist. You may even be able to meet with your mental health professional over video chat or telehealth.
5. Learn and Follow Your Health Plan
Mended Hearts has a GoTo Guide to help heart failure patients understand and take control of their health. This aspect of self-care focuses on taking control of your personal health management plan by:
- Learning the names of your medications, their purposes and how your meds affect your heart
- Knowing the symptoms of your heart condition
- Understanding signs of an emergency and when you need to contact your medical team
- Regularly recording your symptoms, weight and blood pressure
- Being aware of medication side effects
- Understanding treatment options, including lifestyle changes
6. Address Sources of Stress
Stress can negatively affect chronic illness and mental health. Identifying stress triggers is a great start to reducing the amount of stress you experience. If you cant remove or avoid stress triggers, try to reduce the effects of stress by:
- Practicing mindful breathing/meditation
- Making a list of tasks to check off when youre feeling overwhelmed
- Asking a trusted friend or relative for help with meals or childcare
- Asking someone to attend appointments with you (in person or via video chat) to take notes and ask questions
- Eliminating or reducing any unnecessary commitments that add stress
- Keeping a list of positive thoughts or gratitude language
7. Get Plenty of Sleep
Getting enough sleep helps with mental clarity and mood. Its also a time your body uses for self-repair. Lack of adequate sleep can make it more difficult to deal with stressors in a healthy way. Consistent lack of sleep can be hard on your heart as well. Here are a few ways to make sure good sleep is a part of your self-care routine:
- Try to go to sleep around the same time every night
- Avoid blue light or bright light close to bedtimes (like phones, tablets and TV)
- Keep your sleep environment dark and free from extra noise
- Avoid eating or drinking right before bedtime
- Try reading or deep breathing in bed if youre having difficulty settling down
Its important to address any concerns regarding sleep with your medical team. Talk to your team to determine how many hours of sleep you should get each night.
8. Do What You Enjoy
Self-care can include learning new things or practicing skills that make you happy. Play an instrument, create art or write your memoir. Maybe you like to attend local car shows or concerts in your community. You may want to take time each day to read your favorite book or visit with a friend. If you dont enjoy activities or hobbies like you used to, reach out to a therapist or your health care team to address these changes.
9. Laugh
Did you know there are health benefits to laughing? Laughing can help decrease stress and increase oxygen flow to your body. Its also a lot of fun to do! If your life is feeling heavy with the weight of chronic illness, grab a joke book, watch a funny movie or find a joke of the day. Grab a friend, neighbor or stranger and laugh together.
Finding the Support You Need to Thrive
These are all great tips, but creating a self-care plan on top of all you have going on can feel overwhelming. You may want to start by reaching out to a licensed therapist or mental health professional. Together, you can come up with a self-care plan to reduce stress, eat heart-healthy and manage your heart disease in a realistic way. You may even be able to find a therapist who specializes in working with heart disease patients.
Surrounding yourself with those who care for you is an important part of your self-care. Prioritizing friendships that bring support and encouragement can have positive outcomes on your mental and physical well-being. Being there for your friends can help take your mind off your own struggles for a while.
Intentionally build and maintain strong friendships by scheduling regular time with those who lift you up. This could be daily walks with a friend/coworker at lunch or monthly meetups with heart disease support groups and their families. Heart disease may be a constant burden in your life, but you dont have to carry it alone.
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