Perspectives of the Heart – Part One
Not to feel is to stop the heart from breathing. – By Mark Nepo
As an observer of several family members who have walked the path of heart discord, I have seen those that are challenged by food, smoking, or even working to identify the magical balance for cholesterol. We often see it as that which is seen, the food choices, the cigarettes, the immense sadness or grief – and usually there is another component in play whether emotional, physical, chemistry or some combination.
I have been around those who on the surface look like they have taken the correct steps to modify and change for the future via daily movement, eating healthily by today’s standards, and those on the medicines to support, and yet we still wonder what they weren’t able to address that they have left this plane of existence sooner.
There are loved ones that were riddled with smoking and food behavior challenges, some of which worked outside daily and others that didn’t exercise at all who either left suddenly or as a complication to something else.
There have been those that recognized the onset and those who haven’t. Those who experienced heavy legs like they were walking through cement or chest-high snow and could not walk another step, some who felt pain in their chest or others that the pain came and left.
I have seen my dad walk the rollercoaster path of recovery, seen him diagnosed with non-alcohol related cirrhosis which brought about fluid accumulation in his abdomen often seen as a side effect of heart disease along with fatigue and constant trips to the hospital to remove the fluid.
Why is this topic here today? The more I see it around me the more I wonder what the missing piece is/was. I have been out hiking when thoughts of my dad and paternal grandfather have arisen as both were on walks when their heart episodes occurred.
For me I hear that as I must feel the joy in it, not just move for the sake of movement. If I am not enjoying what I am doing, I must find something I do enjoy. It is why I have been digging into and listening to how my body feels and my emotions. Focusing on adding activities that bring me joy is important to me after many years of not knowing what I would label as joy. For I often saw peace as the key element for me.
This year seeing several people wind up having angioplasty procedures and now one in closer proximity in my roommate with a single heart bypass. It is looking into my own health and making sure I am taking the steps right for me to improve upon my own path.
Some of the changes have been nutrition related such as eliminating caffeine, which includes most chocolate. I can and do once or twice a week to drink decaf coffee. I have greatly reduced bread sources at my place and have been reading labels even more to find the products, nutrient levels, and sugar substitutes such as stevia and monk fruit that work for my body.
One of the shifts is in certain behaviors like this year changing my food times when I have pet visits and overnights so that I am eating at home which keeps me more on track with my nutrition, water intake, and the choices I am making. I also take a glass quart-size jar that I use for water intake like the one at home which has upped the amount of water I drink at other homes.
Tuning into our bodies, feeling our emotions, and learning what works or doesn’t is important to how we individually respond to the world around us and in understanding our individual health needs which goes beyond any general chart.
Stay tuned next week for part two!
