Pittsburgh

Anxiety linked to higher long-term risk of stroke.

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The greater the anxiety level, the higher risk of having a stroke, according to new research published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.

The study is the first in which researchers linked anxiety and stroke independent of other factors such as depression. Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mental health problems. Symptoms include feeling unusually worried, stressed, nervous or tense.

Over a 22-year period, researchers studied a nationally representative group of 6,019 people 25-74 years old in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Participants underwent an interview and took blood tests, medical examinations and completed psychological questionnaires to gauge anxiety and depression levels.

Researchers tracked strokes through hospital or nursing home reports and death certificates. After accounting for other factors, they found that even modest increases in anxiety were associated with greater stroke risk.

People in the highest third of anxiety symptoms had a 33 percent higher stroke risk than those with the lowest levels.

“Everyone has some anxiety now and then. But when it’s elevated and/or chronic, it may have an effect on your vasculature years down the road,” said Maya Lambiase, Ph.D., study author and cardiovascular behavioral medicine researcher in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh.

People with high anxiety levels are more likely to smoke and be physically inactive, possibly explaining part of the anxiety-stroke link. Higher stress hormone levels, heart rate or blood pressure could also be factors, Lambiase said.

In earlier work, researchers found that depression was linked to greater risk of stroke, which is the No. 4 killer and a leading cause of disability in the United States. In contrast to anxiety, depression is a persistent feeling of hopelessness, dejection and lack of energy, among other symptoms.

4 Ways to Get out of Your Fearful Headspace.

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Not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction, but we don’t realize this because almost everybody is suffering from it, so it is considered normal. This incessant mental noise prevents you from finding that realm of inner stillness that is inseparable from Being.~Eckhart Tolle

You know those moments when you find yourself in a fearful headspace? For me, I start analyzing everything and playing out every possible future scenario I can think of. I feel worried, anxious, confused and frustrated. Not fun.

Nowadays I have very little tolerance for feeling that way because I know I don’t have to. I know, at least intellectually, that I have the power to choose peace whenever I want, in any situation.

But I used to have trouble actually applying this whole idea of “choosing happiness”. What does that really mean, and how do I do it? In asking that question, I learned it’s about finding and doing activates that get you out of your ego head and into your heart.

When I am in my heart-space I feel light, excited and inspired. To be inspired means to be in-spirit. I am aligned with my highest most authentic self. It’s this place I want to keep coming back to every time I wander off into fear-land.

Below are my five go-to ways for getting out of a fearful mindset and back to some love… fast:

1. Go Mountain Biking (or do some other epic activity you love)

Nowadays, mountain biking is one of my favorite activities ever. While dodging trees and boulders down a mountain, there’s no opportunity to think about anything but the present moment.

If my mind wanders off to the future, or what my friend said to me earlier, I will be flying over my handlebars into a tree in no-time. Mountain biking requires me to be fully in the present moment.

Maybe you’re not a mountain biker, but the point here is to do an activity that you love and is also challenging enough that it requires your full attention.

2. Spend Time With (Or Call) A Close Friend

If I ever find myself feeling off, or upset because I made a mistake, a quick way home to my true Self is to call up a close friend or family member. In other words, I find a way to be vulnerable and connect with someone I trust.

I believe deep down we all want to feel seen, heard and like we belong. In order to have this connection, we have to be vulnerable. This reminds us that we are not alone in the fears that we experience, and no matter what, we deserve love and happiness.

3. Write Badly

Journaling is a practice that has greatly helped me over the years. It’s a safe place for me to just rant and let it all out. One of the most profound things I’ve learned is the importance of actually feeling my feelings. There is nothing “spiritual” about hiding how you feel.

Journaling is a great way to let your feelings out in a positive way. My journal is a special little space where I give myself full permission to write badly. Grammatically it’s a mess; spiritually it’s sacred.

4. Bust Some Moves

Nothing gets me out of fearful thinking faster than blasting some upbeat music and dancing around the house. Leaping from couch to couch, twirling through the kitchen and doing the worm on the bedroom floor helps move energy and feelings through my body.

Close your eyes, move in whatever crazy way you want and just let it flow. Why not add in a little singing? There’s a time and place for the whole “less is more” philosophy. This is not it.

In the end, the one common theme throughout all these activities is that they bring me right into the here and now. Fear only thrives in past and future thinking, so when we practice coming back to ourselves in this moment, we can get a fresh loving perspective on any situation.

Source: Purpose Fairy