Did you know that love has a terrific impact on our health?I'm sure most of you remember falling deeply in love. Especially in the beginning, your whole outlook changes, you look at life through rose colored glasses, and the little things don't bother you so much. If you have children, you may remember the all-encompassing love when they were first born. How else would we be able to put up with having a being so completely dependent on you and being woken up or taken away from what you’re doing at any moment. Love is the healthiest of emotions. When you feel love, you just feel good. You have more energy, you're happier.  Love actually impact the health of our hearts.I don't normally focus a lot on the heart aspect of health. It's probably just personal. The only heart disease in my family is probably more related to smoking or drinking, not genetic traits. So I just don't think of it much. I'm reading Deepak Chopra's new book, The Healing Self. He focuses on heart health quite a lot and shows the progression from stress to inflammation to arteriosclerosis to coronary heart disease. Lifestyle changes are the only proven way to reduce coronary heart disease, and while many focus on diet and exercise, which are both really important, there still isn't as much focus on stress reduction. What I have been focusing on is inflammation. I have learned that inflammation is a precursor to heart disease. Greater positive emotions are linked to an increased immune response and are associated with a decreased risk of heart disease. Emotional states associated with the heart are empathy, compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, and devotion. Love increases one’s sense of self-esteem, which leads to taking better care of one’s self. Love alleviates stress, anxiety, and depression, which reduces chronic inflammation. Think of love as a state of awareness. Yes, romantic love can be responsible for these benefits, but love in our other relationships also gives us these benefits. Think of one of your good friends, a family member you’re close to, or even a pet. Just bringing love into your consciousness, brings a good feeling into your heart. Do you feel it? If your heart is responding to how you live your life, including your relationships and your emotional life, then keeping your heart healthy becomes all encompassing.  Since it’s Valentine’s Day, or if you’re reading this on another day, keep reading, I’m attaching a Love Language Quiz. I usually give this to my private health coaching clients because relationships are such an important part of one’s health and well-being. We all have different ways we experience love and show love. Gary Chapman developed The Five Love Languages. Download the quiz. You can take it by yourself, or print two copies and take it with your partner. Remember, you experience the benefits of love both by giving and receiving. If you don’t have a romantic partner, you’re not out of luck. You can still show your love to your friends, family members, even to people you don’t know by performing acts of service. Give yourself fifteen or thirty minutes of unhurried time to complete the quiz. Improving your sense of connection is healthier for you emotionally and physically. Make it a priority! Share what you found out in the quiz.
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AuthorHi, I’m Crystal! If you'd like to access my Farmer's Market Friday posts from 2018, click here!
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