Heart racing. Palms, clammy. Breath, shaky and sporadic. You’re probably well-acquainted with the body’s stress response, a.k.a. fight-or-flight, aptly nicknamed for what it has evolved over millennia to help us do in the face of a threat. The problem is, modern life is full of perceived threats, like, for instance, gridlock traffic or the 24-hour news barrage, that can keep your stress response always-on. But according to cardiologist Tara Narula, MD, it’s possible to dial it down by building a bit of resilience, or the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity and even grow from it.
That’s the concept of a resilience response, which Dr. Narula puts forth in her new book, The Healing Power of Resilience. Research has long shown that a constantly percolating stress response strains practically every body part, particularly your heart, which pumps harder and faster to ready you for action. “You likely can’t take away the stressors in your life,” Dr. Narula tells SELF. “But you can certainly change how you react to them, for the better.”
Dr. Narula was inspired to write the book after watching the benefits of resilience pan out time and again among her cardiac patients: Those who had greater mental fortitude—the ability to find emotional steadiness when faced with a traumatic event—fared better than those with less resilience who were hit with the same diagnosis. Read on to learn why honing a resilience response can protect your heart long-term, and how to do just that.
Headshot: ABC/HEIDI GUTMAN; Book cover: Adobe Stock/Simon & Schuster
How resilience helps keep your heart healthy for the long haul
Resilience benefits your heart by helping to shield it from the many detriments of stress. Operating frequently in stress mode can prompt a negative cascade that unfolds over time, Dr. Narula explains. First, it raises your heart rate and blood pressure, and floods your system with the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Remember, all of these things are useful for fighting or fleeing in the short-term, but if your body hangs around in this state, your immune system kicks into overdrive, which can bubble up inflammation, and your liver pumps out more “bad” LDL cholesterol, all of which raises your risk of heart disease. Stress can even split apart plaque in your arteries, leading to heart attack, Dr. Narula adds.
And then there are the ways stress can put a wrench in your lifestyle habits, which can have negative consequences for your heart too. “When we’re under stress, we may be more likely to pick up a cigarette, drink alcohol, reach for comfort foods that perhaps aren’t so healthy, stop exercising and sit at home, and miss out on sleep,” Dr. Narula says.
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