Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header
Share for a Cause









Anger and Stress Increase Risk for Heart Disease: What to Do

Written by: Julie Christiansen

Article Overview: Are you still of the mindset that you could not be at risk for Cardio Vascular Disease because you take good care of your body? So you don't drink, you don't smoke, you don't toke, sniff, or chew... you exercise,eat low-fat, water rich foods, and you stay away from greasy cholesterol-laden meals. But - healthy as your lifestyle may be, if you struggle with anger and stress issues, you may still be at risk for heart disease. A recent report gives us all the "dish".

Free Download - Young Men Struggle with WorkLife Balance Too By Julie Christiansen
Name: Email:

Anger and Stress Increase Risk for Heart Disease: What to Do

According to a report released September 2005, the number of deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) is projected to grow seven times faster than Canada's population between the years of 2021-2031. One of the many implications from this study includes the need for individual risk reduction strategies. Dr. Greg Curnew, Cardiologist, McMaster University said, "One of the biggest misconceptions about heart disease is that we can't control it. Eighty per cent of cardiovascular disease is preventable so we need to adopt risk reduction strategies now."

Dr. Curnew outlines the most common CVD risk factors, which include a diet high in saturated fats, abdominal obesity, cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, a sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, mental stress and alcohol intake. Of the ten key strategies he offers to reduce one’s risk for CVD, among them is “reducing mental stress”.

While “mental stress” is listed almost in passing as a precipitating factor for CVD, it is in fact a major contributor. When the body experiences any kind of negative emotion, such as anger, fear, or stress, it automatically responds with an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. In this response known as “fight or flight”, the body naturally begins to produce blood sugar and cholesterol. Oxygen is diverted away from the extremities to the major organs (heart and lungs). Breathing becomes shallower. Bodily functions are put on hold or accelerated, and the body begins to perspire.

Now, consider these responses in two different contexts. Walking through the woods in a remote area, you come across a mother bear and her cubs. Mother bear is feeling very protective and sees you as a threat. She rears up on her hind legs and roars with all her might. Immediately, your brain sends the FEAR signal to your body and it responds with “fight or flight”. You choose flight!

Second scenario: you are giving a speech to a group of professionals in your industry. Minutes before you are to appear on stage, you hear the announcer reading the prepared biography, and suddenly your heart rate increases and you get light-headed. Your palms begin to sweat and you have this uncontrollable urge to run to the bathroom. You see, the body can’t tell the difference between a real or perceived threat, it only knows and responds to what it interprets from the perception.

Now watch this: no matter how healthy your lifestyle, you could still be at risk for CVD simply because high stress levels cause the body to naturally produce chemicals that could be harmful to your cardiovascular health! So, one can go a long way towards protecting one’s body simply by maintaining good mental health. Just as we need professionals to assist with maintaining good physical health, we need someone who will help us be accountable for our mental health. As it is with other aspects of our lives, sometimes moral support from friends is not enough.

The key is finding that unique balance between the good stressors and the bad ones. A lifestyle coach can show you ways in which you can achieve balance in your life overall. Some strategies work well for some people, but not for other. A coach can help you to find stress-reducing strategies that fit you best, and will work with you to reduce or eliminate factors in your life that cause you stress in the first place. For more information about how coaching can help you preserve your cardiovascular health, call (905) 329-6169 or E-Mail info@angersolution.com.

Julie Christiansen is an International Speaker and Coach. To obtain a copy of her free E-Book, Crazy Busy, email her at info@angersolution.com. Visit Julie’s website at www.angersolution.com.

Related Articles
  The Risk of Heart Disease in Professional Women
  Stressful Childhoods Can Have Lasting Impacts
  STRESS
  Work Stress Now The Major Cause Of Heart Disease
  Enjoy Seven (7) Health Benefits of Expressing Gratitude and Lead a More Productive and Less Stressful Life

Home > Work-Life > Julie Christiansen > Anger and Stress Increase Risk for Heart Disease What to Do
Article Tags: alcohol intake, bodily functions, cardiologist, cardiovascular disease, cvd risk factors, extremities, giving a speech, heart disease, heart rate, high blood pressure, hind legs, mcmaster university, mental stress, mother bear, negative emotion, risk reduction strategies, saturated fats, sedentary lifestyle, seven times, walking through the woods

About the Author: Julie Christiansen
RSS for Julie's articles - Visit Julie's website

An internationally recognized speaker, and published author, Julie Christiansen htbrings over 15 years experience in group and individual counseling, to your boardroom. Branded as “Oprah for the Office” by some of her clients, Julie educates and entertains audiences throughout Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. While she has been compared to the likes of Brian Tracy and Jack Canfield, Julie has an energetic, humourous, and insightful style that is all her own. Julie has successfully merged her previous career with her passion for helping teams attain peak performance and productivity through enhanced communication models. Her aim is to help her clients to attain optimized Workplace Effectiveness, with a focus on team development, communication, anger and stress management. Julie's new book, Stress Less in 27 Days is now available! To order your copy, visit www.angersolution.com. To learn more about her Extreme Team Survival programs, email: info@angersolution.com or visit Julie's website www.angersolution.com

Click here to visit Julie's website
Dashed Line

More from Julie Christiansen
Workplace Violence
Getting Past Your Past
Crazy Busy


Related Forum Posts
Re: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD...RIGHT NOW!!! Re: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD...RIGHT NOW!!! - Success = Thinking (Head) + Heart (Feeling / Interest) + Hand (doing/ action). Success - H3 Robert
How to valuate a business How to valuate a business - Hi Garth - here is how we did it at Northern Crown Capital when I was helping them raise venture capital for Toronto-based entrepreneurs. Assume the start date is 2003 so 2008 projections are 5 years out: How Northern Crown Capital Valuates a Business 2008 Financial Projections Earnings Before Tax $5,865,000 Tax Rate 42% Taxes $2,463,300 Net Earnings $3,401,700 Amount Seeking to Raise Today $3,500,000 Discounted Value of Future Opportunity, 5 Years Out 2008 P/E Ratio 15 Value of Company in 2008 $51,025,500 Discount Rate Applied 30% Year 2008 $51,025,500 Year 2007 $35,717,850 Year 2006 $25,002,495 Year 2005 $17,501,747 Year 2004 $12,251,223 Value of Company at Investment in 2003 $12,251,223 Less: Investment Amount $3,500,000 Present Value $8,751,223 Discount for Risk & Private Company 40% Less: Discount for Risk & Private Company $3,500,489 Private Company Value $5,250,734 Present Value (What the Owner Keeps) $5,250,734 60.00% Financing (What the Investor Gets) $3,500,000 40.00% Total $8,750,734 100.00% I hope this helps!
Show the Benefits Show the Benefits - Offer a free test drive of the Product or Service with a Money Back Guarantee - Take the Risk out. This will help them make the decision but you have to work with them to realize it by explicitly state the benefits they are receiving.
Re: Infographic: The 4 Main Stress Factors Re: Infographic: The 4 Main Stress Factors - I'd like to reference that article in my next blog post as well.. I worked in sales for years and found that days when I was positive, relaxed where days that it was easy to sell. On days that I was stressed I found I would not reach target. Stress is good at times, but it very easily becomes problematic. I do a lot of very physical exercise and work now, to manage it.
2007 Goals 2007 Goals - My yearly goals for December 2007: 1. Add 10-15 new "ideal" clients to our client roster 2. Increase revenues by $500,000 3. Average at least 1 paid speaking engagement per month.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article


Bottom Footer
Share for a Cause












Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

Why We MUST Reinvent The Wheel

Steps For Starting A Small Business

Getting The Media Attention You Deserve

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.