Stress and Your Heart

WARNING: This may stress you out.

You’re sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, coming home from work later than you said you would, worried about what was left undone, and the kids are hungry and want dinner now. Your heart is racing. Every muscle is tense. You want to scream. Yeah, you’re definitely stressed out. And this is what it’s like more days than not, right?

Chronic stress has been linked to a wide range of health issues, including heart disease. Stress may trigger inflammation, which is not good for your heart. It also can affect your behaviors. People are more likely to eat comfort foods high in fat and cholesterol when stressed. More likely to drink. More likely to put off exercise. More likely to have accidents. Stress is not your heart’s friend.

You can do many things to reduce the stress in your life, but a proactive approach may be required to achieve meaningful relaxation and periods of calm. We know you can’t eliminate every stressor from your life, but for the next 5 days, we’ll share a few coping techniques and tension-relieving strategies to help you breathe deeper and live calmer.

So, tell stress to get in the backseat, crank up the radio, and by the time you get out of this traffic jam, we hope you’ll be feeling much better.

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