When the heart gets heavy: Emotional wellbeing and heart conditions

Emotional wellbeing is like having a garden. Sometimes it grows green on its own, other times it needs watering, cutting back or fertilising to keep things at optimum bloom. Emotional wellbeing is a personal state of being; the way you feel, the way you think, and the way you handle life’s ups and downs are all impacted if your wellbeing is not in balance.

Positive emotional wellbeing is important to have at any age and life stage but is especially important when living with a heart condition due to the strong relationship between heart health and emotional health. This means that when your physical health status changes, the likelihood is, so will your emotional health.

This article aims to promote an understanding of a variety of common emotional wellbeing issues amongst people with heart conditions, and offers some advice on how to improve emotional health and where to get some extra help if you think you need it.

What emotional symptoms can look like

After any new diagnosis, surgery or heart event, most people are faced with some sort of emotional recovery as well. This usually happens long after the physical healing takes place. There could be emotional changes like sadness, fear, dread, guilt, grief, shame or regret, as well as changes to the way we act like withdrawing from others, losing motivation, reduced interest in usual activities, not wanting to be alone, or repeatedly being on the look-out for signs of illness. You may notice your thinking patterns change, like having persistent worries or fearing the worst-case scenario will come true. It’s also common to feel negatively about yourself, such as believing you’re a burden or thinking that you’re faulty in some way.

Confusingly, certain emotional symptoms look exactly like cardiac symptoms, such as fatigue, increased heart rate, palpitations, a dry mouth and shortness of breath. This is also why emotional symptoms can go undetected and unaddressed for too long as we treat the urgent cardiac symptoms first. 

If you experience any of the above, know that this is all common and in a lot of ways expected!

When you notice the first signs of dry soil, weeds, struggling plants, reach out early. By watering and tending to what needs care and removing what no longer serves you, you are creating the conditions for healthier, stronger growth over time. It’s important to discuss all of your symptoms (including emotional symptoms) with your medical team. 

Dealing with scars, bruises, devices and new parts

Body image issues are common in people with any health condition. But where’s the manual for coming to terms with chest scars, a new heart device or even a donor heart?  

We are wired to expect our bodies to do the right thing by us, but after all, we’re not perfect and sometimes neither are our organs. Modern medical interventions work miracles but can also leave us with visible reminders of our most vulnerable and painful moments.

It’s not nice to feel different. Coping with this is very individual; some people hide it, others get tattoos, some like to think about their scars as battle wounds, a badge that says “I made it, I’m alive”. It may take time to accept.

When it comes to others’ questions, say only what you’re comfortable with - your body is your business. And if you want to create an elaborate I-fought-off-a-shark story to get through the initial discomfort, that’s perfectly fine too.