Positive thoughts and social connection key to recovering from heart problems
Supporting the psychological well being and wellbeing of over 4 million individuals in Australia residing with heart problems (CVD) is essential to them avoiding additional coronary heart assaults or strokes.
That’s the message this World Heart Day (Friday, September 29) from the Heart Foundation because it promotes its free on-line peer help group – MyHeart MyLife – for individuals residing with heart problems.
Healthcare Programs Manager Natalie Raffoul mentioned analysis confirmed that sufferers can really feel remoted after a coronary heart illness prognosis or coronary heart occasion.
“In our own research, most patients expressed a strong desire to feel a sense of belonging to a community that understood their unique journeys,” Ms Raffoul mentioned.
A coronary heart occasion or prognosis will be horrifying and destabilizing and other people lengthy for reassurance from others about their future, high quality of life and the prevention of recurrent occasions. The MyHeart MyLife affected person help group helps individuals with a CVD prognosis really feel snug sharing tales, looking for validation of their journey with coronary heart illness and galvanizing each other to stay a coronary heart wholesome life.”
Natalie Raffoul, Healthcare Programs Manager
The hyperlink between heart problems and psychological well being
Ms Raffoul mentioned there was a two-way relationship between psychological well being and heart problems.
“Firstly, in people who do not already have cardiovascular disease, we know that poor mental health can increase their chances of a heart attack,” she mentioned.
“On the opposite hand, analysis exhibits that individuals residing with heart problems usually tend to develop anxiousness and melancholy as they modify to a collection of sudden modifications to their well being.
“This mental health burden can increase their chances of a second heart event, and that’s why supporting good mental health and wellbeing is such an important part of the recovery process, our new MyHeart MyLife support group can help people on that journey.”
People with a CVD prognosis and their carers are inspired to hitch the MyHeart MyLife peer help group: fb.com/teams/myheartmylifecommunity