What does it mean to follow or connect with your heart?

When your heart and your head are connected, you can make better decisions and take better care of yourself and others. Sometimes, this connection happens easily. Sometimes it takes a bit of a crisis.

This is February and it's Heart Health month, and I wanted to take a little bit of a different approach to heart health.

For years, I was disconnected from my heart. Basically from the neck down. And that was because of fear - fear that ran me for a long time. When I was put on the spot, when I was in an argument, if I was asked to give a talk, I was scared. I could feel this dividing line between my head and the rest of my body, sort of float off like a balloon. I was still talking. I have no idea what I was saying or what I was thinking. I was just disconnected.

The worst was afterwards.  I felt embarrassed. I couldn't remember what I said. I didn't know what had happened.

Over the years, the impact of that was making really impulsive decisions - many of which I regretted later. The problem with that was that there was a pretty intense 'beating up' of myself over those kinds of decisions. And that just made me feel worse and worse.

After many years of self discovery, I became aware of that disconnect between my head and my heart, and I was able to start put it together.

And then my beloved cat Teaser died. And for the first time in my life, I was literally brokenhearted. I felt my heart crack wide open. I was so upset and so deeply sad at his passing. It had a huge effect on me. Although some very sweet blessings came out of that, the biggest one was I could really feel my heart and my head start to come together.

Now, important decisions I make are from my head and my heart. How has that changed me? I feel better about the decisions I make. Most important, now I can trust the decisions that I make and I can trust myself to make good decisions.

It changes how I think about myself, how I take care of myself and how I take care of others.

If you struggle with heart disease, type two diabetes or any other chronic condition, what decisions can you make with head and heart together that can make small changes toward better health for yourself?

Thank you so much for listening.

Dr Elaine

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This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

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