Spirituality, Stress and the Heart

Spirituality may be an overlooked area that can contribute to heart health and quality of life.

What Is Spiritual Coping?

Spiritual coping is using belief systems, attitudes, and mindfulness practices to help manage emotional distress and hardship. Spirituality may have a religious nature, or it may be a feeling of connection, purpose, meaning, and balance in life and could be as simple as taking a few moments each day to set a goal or reflect on an accomplishment. These practices may also include listening to music, reading inspirational or heartfelt writings, engaging in prayer or positive affirmations, spending time with loved ones, and feeling supported by community.

The physiological symptoms of stress, such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and temporary states of hypertension, contribute to heart disease. Practices of mindfulness and awareness can help people recognize stress and then manage it in order to navigate times of adversity. Spiritual coping practices such as mindfulness and meditation may help lower the impact of stress on the heart by lowering blood pressure and reducing stiffness of the arteries and hypertension. This is done through an improved stress response, emotional regulation, and self-awareness of heart-related behaviors.

In a systematic review of literature that looked at heart disease and spirituality, people who engaged in spiritual or religious coping practices reported having a higher quality of life than those who did not. Patients in palliative care settings who experienced adverse cardiovascular events also reported spirituality helping them cope better, and some even reported feelings of hope, patience, and tolerance about overcoming their diagnosis.

Attendance at a place of worship is associated with health benefits for the heart, including:

• Lower all-cause mortality
• Improved nutrition
• Improved exercise habits
• Lower rates of smoking
• Less alcohol consumption
• Lower risk of metabolic syndrome
• Higher levels of purpose, belonging, and resilience

Coping with Upsetting Feelings

Your emotional state can affect the body, and a negative emotional state may increase the risk for hypertension. Conversely, feelings of optimism, satisfaction, and purpose that often accompany spirituality are associated with better cardiovascular outcomes and have a direct influence on the impact of stress in the body. 

Strong social relationships and connections are also important for counteracting stress and negative emotions, and benefit the heart by allowing blood pressure levels to return more quickly to normal resting levels after experiencing negative emotions such as anger. Religious and spiritual involvement can help build and strengthen social connections, which in turn can improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

Hope Through Spirituality
The mental-emotional-spiritual connection is undeniable, and having a religious or spiritual practice not only benefits the mind, but may bring a sense of purpose, community, and encouragement and have an important impact on stress, heart health, and overall quality of life.