Whenever I go on holiday I always seem to find myself frantically trying to tidy up loose ends beforehand. I doubt I’m alone in thinking there never seems to be enough time to get things done before a break, does that sound like you? At some point though you jut have to stop: the work will alway be there when you get back!
I will invariably always deliver on a project / piece of work / admin task that I have committed to, but one of my biggest failings is an inability to get it done well ahead of time. It’s almost as if I need that last minute stress to finish the job. I tell myself to give me a break, that there are lots of competing interests for my time, but nevertheless I’m sure I could do better.
I did once read about the psychology behind this, and it is well recognised that some people need that stress to kick them into action. Maybe I’m not so unusual?
I mention this because I thought I would write a bit about stress and the heart. I often get asked by patients whether stress may be playing a part in their symptoms. If someone is asking the question, 9 times out of 10 i expect they know the answer. .
I am really interested in the role stress has on symptoms. I am 100% certain that I have had genuine physical symptoms in the past from stress, I just didn’t know it at the time. It is obvious in retrospect: about 12 years ago I was trying to finish my research degree, had 2 jobs (one was night shifts in a private hospital on Harley Street to pay my mortgage – a research salary didn’t go far in London), had a new baby, and was packing up the flat to move to Australia for a year for a heart transplant fellowship. I felt awful. Headaches, dizzy spells, abdominal pain. I saw my GP who ran a bunch of tests, all normal, and said she didn’t know what was wrong. Within a week of landing in Australia and sitting on a beach, I felt right as rain!
I believe stress of one form or another has a bearing on a huge number of both heart and other conditions. We are only really just waking up to the importance of looking after our mental health. Actually not waking up, perhaps remembering is a better word. The Stoics in the 3rd century BC were far more aware of emotions than we are, and this philosophy thrived throughout ancient Greece and Rome for several hundred years. Before that Buddhism can find its origins in India in the 6th century BC, and of course these teachings can now count 7% of the world’s population as its followers. These ancient thinkers are far more enlightened than the modern world when it comes to mental health.
Now it is important to note that one needs to exclude an organic heart problem first in the case of symptoms. For example, in patients with palpitations, wearing a heart monitor whilst having symptoms is key. But even in that group, let’s say the cause turns out of be what are called ectopic heart beats (a very common, and generally benign heart rhythm problem but one which can cause lots of symptoms), as well as considering the heart side of things, I will always consider the head.
I’m not just talking about people with a history of anxiety or depression. In fact, it’s usually quite the opposite in my experience. Usually healthy, successful, well-balanced people with everything going for them. Taking the time to explore a patient’s symptoms in detail is so important here.
I see patients every week in clinic for whom being more mentally aware has a profoundly positive effect on their symptoms, and in many cases certain mental exercises can take the place of medicines.
However stress is a normal part of life. It can be healthy, and help achieve good things. Where the boundary lies between healthy and unhealthy stress will vary from person to person, and situation to situation, and day to day.
So how should we manage this? How do we draw the line between good and bad stress? What strategies can we employ to help?
I will be writing more on this and giving my thoughts, but step one is simply to acknowledge the impact the mind can have on the body.