MHVI Owners Manual . Lifestyle Management . Coping With Cardiovascular Disease

The Emotional Response to Your Diagnosis
We, as humans, are complex beings who experience a wide range of feelings and emotions. Emotions can play an important part in recovery from cardiovascular disease. In this section of the manual, we want to describe some of the emotions you may experience, suggest when to ask for help or support, and offer resources for handling problems in a healthy way.

Most people grapple with a strong emotional reaction to the realization that they have been diagnosed with some form of heart or vascular disease. You may experience denial, shock, fear, anger, sadness, and depression. You may feel less whole. You are likely to have concerns about whether there will be any temporary or permanent limitations that affect your day-to-day life. Your family, friends, and co-workers will have questions about your condition and what changes or modifications might be necessary.

The first step in dealing with these feelings is to recognize your emotions, understand that they are normal and try to address them directly. Discussing your concerns about your health with your doctor or other health care provider can help you better understand your condition and decrease some of your worries. They can answer your questions about work, sex, physical exertion, and changes in your emotional health. You only need to ask.

Coping with emotions can play an important part in recovery from cardiovascular disease. You may be experiencing negative feelings, such as anger, anxiety, and sadness. To help you manage your mental outlook, try to identify your feelings, understand what is causing the emotion, and use proven strategies such as relaxation techniques or focused breathing.

Managing Your Mental Outlook
In general, there are some practical methods you can use to help manage negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and sadness. As with any new behavior, these may feel a bit awkward the first few times you try them, but keep practicing. They really do work. There are three steps:

Increase your awareness of what you are feeling. Recognize the emotion as it occurs, before it becomes overwhelming. As you recognize the feeling, try to acknowledge its presence without criticizing yourself for feeling that way.
Attempt to figure out what is causing the emotion. Understanding why you feel a certain way can be a big step in learning to control the emotion. Sometimes you can do this alone, but other times, talking with some one else can help you in this process. A friend or loved one, a member of the clergy or a family member might be helpful.
Use some proven strategies such as relaxation techniques or focused breathing to help you deal with the feeling.

With each of these steps you are teaching yourself more positive ways to respond to negative emotions.

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