Month: January 2022

DianaK

Quick Tips for Soothing and Self-care

Can’t make it to my free class this month? Here are some quick tips for soothing and self-care you can use right now — no special equipment needed!

Take a nature break. Research shows that connecting with nature has a host of beneficial effects on our mental and physical health — and that it only takes a few minutes to get those benefits flowing.

Being physically out in nature is the best, but even looking out the window, watching a nature video, listening to soothing natural sounds, or imagining your favorite natural setting can reduce stress and help settle your nervous system.

Here’s one example (there are lots of them!) of a video that can unlock the benefits of connecting with nature. https://youtu.be/N6-2fVsFV8E

Make tiny connections. We are wired to connect with other people and even brief connections can reduce stress. Take an extra couple seconds to make eye contact with, smile at, or even ask someone how their day is going. Positive interactions we have with other folks (or even our pets) tap into our need to belong and sends the signal that we are safe.

Laugh a little. Even a few minutes of laughter has a positive impact on our well-being. It’s not just that it feels good, it also engages our parasympathetic nervous system (aka “rest and digest” or “tend and befriend”) and reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Even better, you can get these effects by pretending to laugh! If you’re like me, you prefer an authentic laugh, but either way your body benefits. Here are a couple of my favorite laugh-inducing videos (most are at least in part because the person recording the video is laughing!).

What are your favorite places to find laughs? I’d love to hear from you!

DianaK

Happy Little Heart News!

In December I met with my transplant doc (whom I love. She is bright and funny and so interesting!). After our initial check-in, we reviewed my numbers. My labs are stable, my EF (ejection fraction) is holding steady in the mid 20s, and (drumroll please) my LVIDd (size of my heart) is down to 6.6 (from 7.2 last year)! I’m always at least a little anxious heading in to these appointments and was thrilled to get this good news.

After reviewing the numbers, Dr. Cogswell looked at me and asked, “How are you doing this?!? When I got my hands on you a couple years ago, I did not think you’d be sitting here without more stuff (meaning LVAD or someone else’s heart) inside you.” 😊

Part of “what I’m doing” is receiving excellent health care and having tons of resources and support in my life. And there is a level of privilege that comes with being a white, cis-gender, hetero, neurotypical, middle class, educated woman. So that’s a factor, too.

But another piece of “what I’m doing” is using the tools I’ve learned about through Positive Psychology. These are the tools I’m sharing in my classes each month! These simple techniques have changed my brain (for the better), improved my relationships, and helped me look for and find good things — even on my worst days.

My next class is coming up soon. It’s a free, online class and you can register here. I’d love to see you there!

Winter Survival: Soothing and Self-care
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
7:00 – 8:00 PM

This class is offered free via zoom

REGISTER HERE

The other interesting thing about my visit with Dr. Cogswell is that, because things are going so well, we are now considering a new-ish valve-clip procedure that could potentially buy me another 5 years before transplant. Typically they don’t consider valve work in someone with long-term heart failure like mine (it tends to be the least of the concerns at that point)… but here we are! I meet with the valve specialist next month to talk about whether this would be a good fit for me. I will keep you posted!

All in all, I am over the moon with relief and joy and profound appreciation for all of the many, many people who play a role in my continued existence. If you are reading this, you are one of those folks and I appreciate you! Thank you. ❤️