Managing Depression With CVD
Both depression and CVD are deeply personal illnesses that exist on a spectrum. One does not just turn on and off a spigot on either of them and expect to have it or be cured from it. However, remembering this, there are some ways to manage depression, and many of them also lead to better heart health. These methods include socialization, exercise, and personalized activities.
Humans are generally social creatures. Again, this is a generalization. Given that our ancestors were primates, the instinct to band together to seek others out for camaraderie and companionship is wired deeply into our DNA. This even applies to people with CVD and CHD because the degree to which one feels comfortable around people exists on a spectrum. For example, I am an introvert and tire out relatively quickly in the company of large groups of people, but I’ve known others with CVD and CHD who are active socialites. Whether one is an introvert or an extrovert, socialization, even a bit of it, is healthy for the heart and good for monitoring depression. To be denied it in the long term, however, is damaging for both.
The article, Five Surprising Health Benefits to Socializing with Others by Dawn Hubbard, discusses how socialization benefits both physical and mental health. For mental health, it can reduce symptoms of depression by decreasing feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anxiety. Research shows your body releases endorphins during positive social contact, similar to the physical response after a hard workout, which gives a boost of happiness, while reducing stress. That’s why people who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety and depression. What’s more, the emotional support provided by social connections enables you to better cope with hard times, stress, anxiety and depression” (Hubbard, 2023). On the cardiac side, “social connection can help prevent serious illness and negative outcomes. Loneliness can be a form of stress, which has been shown to increase risk factors for heart disease and many other chronic conditions, as well as weaken the immune system. Socializing strengthens your heart by lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation, and gives your immune system a boost to help you recover from illness faster” (Hubbard, 2023). This can ultimately lead to an increased sense of belonging, which then increases one’s sense of purpose (Hubbard, 2023). By establishing and retaining that north star, one has a reason to keep sailing.
I was brought up as a very sick child. Therefore, to remain safe because I bruise easily, I had to stay indoors even at recess. Or if I could go outside, I was wearing a fluorescent yellow crossing guard vest so the teachers wouldn’t lose track of me… with the side effect of telling the other kids to “stay away from me.” Furthermore, when I did bruise, my teachers would overreact and assume I did something to cause it, when, oftentimes, bruises would appear spontaneously on my legs when my blood was thin due to my medication.
So, while that was unfortunate, I made a decision. Since I could not play with the others, nor could I play on the jungle gym, nor could I do anything else except wander around by myself and play on the swings, I requested to stay inside in the library instead, since at least I could be ostracized invisibly there. This was where my love of books turned into a kind of friendship with stories because reading became my go-to for loneliness. This behavior was necessary at the time, and I don’t question that, but it still continues to this day, as I often find myself gravitating towards books more often than I do towards an active outing. But while staying inside, reading is physically the safer option; it is not so for the heart nor one’s mental health. So, in my opinion, it is a good idea, even for introverts, to chat, meet up, or talk over Zoom with a friend. At least two hearts make it easier to carry the burden when one is struggling.
Exercise is vital for combating and managing CVD, as I have discussed at length in previous articles. However, to recap through the lens of depression management, along with CVD/CHD management. The article, Exercise May Reduce Heart Failure Risk For People With Depression Or Anxiety by Thor Christensen, delves into how “physical activity may reduce the risk of heart failure among people with depression or anxiety more so than in people without the mental health conditions, according to new research. Previous studies have shown that depression and anxiety are associated with unhealthy behaviors that can lead to heart disease, and that physical activity may help reduce heart failure – when the heart can't pump blood properly – by lessening stress-related activity in the nervous system”(Christensen, 2023). The article continues in how “’we found that while physical activity very nicely reduces heart failure risk across the entire population, it had a substantially greater impact on heart failure risk among individuals with depression and anxiety, and this differential impact was relatively large,’ said the study's lead researcher, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Hamam, a cardiovascular research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Unpublished data shows the effect ranged from about 33% to 50% greater risk reduction, he said, ‘which was somewhat surprising’” (Christensen, 2023). Therefore, not only is exercise beneficial to managing both CVD and depression, it is also specifically helpful in managing depression if you have CVD.
Now, doing a “personalized activity” is the third aspect of managing both CVD and depression. This one is personal and tailored to each and every individual; however, there are some reasons why this is especially important for people dealing with or attempting to prevent both of these illnesses.
As I stated, I enjoy reading and writing, but also drawing, hiking, antique shopping, and exploring ruins, castles, and heritage sites. However, not everyone would find this ideal. Sometimes this can be being socially active and engaging in your community, other times it can be exercise, but sometimes it is something different. Regardless, doing what brings you joy is beneficial for both your cardiac and mental health.
Writing was something that always brought me joy, but growing up, I was often criticized for it and was told to do something more useful, like pursue a career. Since early on, because of my heart condition, and with the best of intentions from my parents, it has been wired in my brain that survival=career=health insurance=future. So to do anything outside of this goal would compromise my health and would prevent me from living longer… or so the logic went. Following this logical trail, since I was told for so long that writing would not lead me to any career, I shouldn’t do it until the primary goal is achieved. However, every single second of every day, the urge to write stories remained. I became very good at academic writing because it let me do what I loved in the pursuit of what I needed. Still, for stories, I kept waiting to be “good enough,” “healthy enough,” and/or “accomplished enough” so that once this was all achieved, then people may care what I had to say. This was pretty deeply drilled into me that those without CVD were more capable than I, even at writing.
However, ironically, but kinda obviously in hindsight, not doing the only thing I have always truly loved all this time while chasing a dream of beating my CVD, as if that were possible, caused strain on my mental health and probably was counterproductive to my cardiovascular health as well.
I discovered this only recently and honestly wish someone had told me sooner. However, when I make these suggestions, I do want to reiterate that I am not a medical professional. Still, I do have 30+ years of experience with this illness and hope the events of my life help others along their own CVD/ CHD journeys.
This is why I am writing this article now. It has been proven that depression and CVD in all its forms (especially CHD) are related. It’s more of a two-sided of the same coin type of relationship. So if you have CHD or another CVD, in my opinion, you should be aware of it, discuss options with your doctor if you experience symptoms, and do what you can to manage it before it gets too heavy to carry. Having heart disease is never easy, and the fact that it is chronic and forever can seem unbearable. But that doesn’t mean you have to be miserable or break yourself in battling it. You can be happy and allow yourself to be so, especially since it can help manage your CVD and depression (even potential depression) simultaneously. You have to take the first step.
Question:
What do you do to manage your CVD or depression?
Keep ticking, everyone!
Reference List:
Christensen, T. (2023). Exercise May Reduce Heart Failure Risk For People With Depression Or Anxiety. [online] www.heart.org. Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/11/15/exercise-may-reduce-heart-failure-risk-for-people-with-depression-or-anxiety.
Hubbard, D. (2023). Five Surprising Health Benefits to Socializing with Others. [online] Summa health. Available at: https://www.summahealth.org/flourish/entries/2023/12/five-surprising-health-benefits-to-socializing-with-others.
Malloy, D.T. (2025). Mental Health Recreational Activities | Futures Recovery. [online] Futures Recovery Healthcare. Available at: https://futuresrecoveryhealthcare.com/blog/mental-health-recreational-activities/.
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