Creative Ideas to Reduce Stress for a Healthy Heart - February 22, 2024

Keeping our heart healthy is a priority for each of us, and finding new, creative ways to practice heart health can help us stay consistent. 

Three areas that are important to a healthy heart include: 

1. Eating healthy foods
2. Physical activity, and 
3. Reducing stress

The C.A.R.E. Connections Blog includes a variety of creative ways to reduce stress, and this week will highlight some of those articles. 

Music Playlist

According to the article, Can You Mend a Broken Heart Through the Arts?, “A review of eleven studies found that music therapy significantly reduces systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate in a number of clinical settings.” 

This is great news because high blood pressure can weaken your heart and lead to heart attack or stroke. If you read the article, Music Playlist, you’ll learn that you can benefit from any genre of music. So, turn on your favorite tunes and relax! 

Watercolor Resist

The article from Arts and Mind Lab also highlights the benefit of art making on heart health. In particular, the use of oil pastels had a greater heart health benefit then other materials used in the study. 

If you haven't used oil pastels before, try the activity outlined in the Watercolor Resist article.

Journaling for Self-Care

There are many different ways to practice journaling and knowing that it can help reduce anxiety, promote awareness, and regulate emotions makes it worthwhile to start. 

Read the article, Journaling for Self-Care, to learn about two different ways to practice journaling. 

Whatever way you decide to reduce stress, your heart will thank you. 

References:

• Can You Mend a Broken Heart Through the Arts?
• Blood Pressure Matters Keep Hypertension in Check
• Music Playlist 
• Watercolor Resist 
• Journaling for Self-Care