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Psychological support
Everyone reacts to having a heart problem in different ways. Some people take it in their stride, but others may have more trouble coming to terms with it. Don’t worry if you do experience emotional upheaval, this is a natural reaction to the stress of an unexpected or traumatic event like a heart attack. They’re also common reactions to having heart surgery.
Emotions like feeling worried, anxious, angry and low may come and go. You may have good days and bad days. On bad days, you may feel less able to cope with things you’d normally deal with just fine. This is normal, and you’re not alone.
How you deal with stressful situations does have an impact on your heart health because some of the ways people ‘de-stress’ like smoking or overeating-are not good for your heart.
There is support and resources available to you. The cardiac rehabilitation team are there for help with any worries you have. They can give you reassurance, confidence and provide support with activities and treatments that can help you deal with your difficult feelings.
You should consider getting help from your GP if your difficult feelings are:
- overwhelming you
- stopping you getting on with everyday life
- having a big impact on the people you live or work with
- affecting your mood over several weeks.