Mental health and emotional wellbeing involves more than our brain
Is our emotional and mental health just about our brain? No, as a HeartMath article notes:
“Traditionally, when people refer to mental health, they tend to focus on the brain.
“However, we now know that the heart plays a key role in our emotional and mental health.
“The term “mental health” includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
“All of these areas affect how we think, feel, and act and help determine how well we’re able to handle stressful challenges and events, make decisions, and maintain healthy relationships.”
See more in article The Power of Heart Coherence in Mental Health by HeartMath tools for emotional wellbeing. [Affiliate link to free article - see Note at bottom.]
Heart rate variability (HRV)
Another HeartMath article notes the company "products, tools, and techniques are based on over 30 years of scientific research conducted at the HeartMath Institute on the psychophysiology of stress, emotions, and the interactions between the heart and brain.
"Scientists and physicians consider HRV to be an important indicator of health and fitness.
“As a marker of physiological resilience and behavioral flexibility, it reflects our ability to adapt effectively to stress and environmental demands."
From article (with video) The Science of HeartMath.
One of many research papers on this topic notes: "The heart and brain have bi-directional influences on each other, including autonomic regulation and hemodynamic connections.
"Heart rate variability (HRV) measures variation in beat-to-beat intervals... HRV acts as a proxy of autonomic activity and is associated with executive functions, decision-making, and emotional regulation in our health and wellbeing."
From article "The connection between heart rate variability (HRV), neurological health, and cognition: A literature review, Frontiers in Neuroscience, published by National Library of Medicine, 2023 Mar 1.
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