What if following your heart may be the best thing you can do for your physical and mental health?

We may think that the effect of our emotions occur only in our brain, however research has shown that the effects go way beyond the brain to the heart and the rest of the body. The heart has its own nervous system which sends out more signals to the brain than the brain does to the heart. In the body, the heart generates an electro magnetic field which is 60 times greater than that of the brain. The heart magnetic fields can be picked up by magnetometers several feet from the body. This may account for why we can sometimes sense things before we realise they are there.

Different emotions create different heart rhythms – emotions such as anger, hatred, fear, and insecurity create irregular patterns and the opposite, happy, confident, feeling safe, create smooth rhythms. So if life is telling us we are not safe the heart sends the irregular messages to the brain which then tell the body to go into a fight or flight mode for our survival i.e. a stress response. For our general good health and wellbeing we need to find ways of releasing stress responses.

Breathing can create smooth regular heart rhythms which in turn allow the body to come out of the fight or flight mode. Sometimes we don’t know that we may be holding our breath – quite often in a stressful situation. It is a good idea to get used to breathing as an exercise. Breathe in to a count of 5 and out to 5, repeat a few times. Placing your hand on your chest (over the heart) can assist you to tune in.

Ann Rambaut, Chartered Physiotherapist, specialises in connecting Body and Mind. If you’d like to know more please contact her without obligation.
01323 411900 or 07436 810181
annrambaut.com