Why Palpitation is Sometimes Psychological

Heart palpitation is real. I once had a heart doctor who told me that  my palpitations were only my imagination. So she gave me prescriptions for Valium, which I never took. She also suggested that I spend vacation in some monastery or something to enjoy peace of mind--because she said I was just imagining my heart condition. What I did was look for another doctor who'd take me seriously. Your BP reading, heart rate and ECG result cannot just be your imagination.

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash.

Sometimes Imagined

But sometimes, things that trigger palpitation is only psychological. It's just your imagination (though I was sure it wasn't so in my case). Especially, your imagination can go berserk with excessive nervousness, which is panic. Panic can result to palpitations. We think we might have palpitation---or anticipate it---and it happens. We shouldn't underestimate mind power. I discovered this for myself. I was so worried about heart palpitation that I imagined myself triggering it if I did this or that. And those times, it often happened. The mind sometimes works like that--it manifests what it believes. I discussed this in my e-book.

Watch out for my e-book.

Then I fought fear. I thought about life positively. Focusing on God's promises in the bible helped a lot. I mean a lot! And going out of the house to enjoy nature, my neighborhood and people also did good to me. I left my prison (my room) and got out and had adventures. Change of environment keeps your thoughts away from what might happen. Sometimes we tend to pet our illnesses instead of getting rid of them.

Anxiety is NOT a pet. 

But Then It Can Be Real

But don't get me wrong. There are real causes of palpitation---wrong diet, wrong lifestyle, certain internal health conditions (thyroid problems or other problematic organs or systems in the body), and others. There are even situations when palpitation just happens for no apparent reason, and this is usually something tricky to deal with, like what I had in the beginning of my ordeal. Sometimes, even some doctors can't figure it out, like what happened to me the first time I saw a heart doctor about my palpitation.

But sometimes, psychological factors or wrong perspectives, do add to the problem. Aside from having palpitation problems, your paranoia gives your heart more reasons to misbehave, doubling your difficulties. Sometimes, mental torture is the horror that folks with heart palpitation problems really suffer from, not so much the palpitations. There's a torturer in your mind. I should know. And we shouldn't let it be that way.

Get Out of the Prison

Try walking. Lack of exercise is a proven cause of a lot of ailments. Exercise lack affects both body and mind. You have weak lungs so your mind gets less oxygen supply. That's poor circulation. It weakens the mind so it easily gives in to negative ideas, especially fear, particularly, fear of what might happen. And weak lungs are susceptible to breathing difficulties when you have panic attacks. Weak lungs are often due to lack of exercise, too. So I like aerobic exercises like walking, jogging and squats.

You'd be surprised what oxygen can do to the lungs and the brain. I workout regularly and I know the wonderful effects (or miracles) that healthy amounts of oxygen can do to the brain. And brisk walking and climbing up stairs are a great way to start this off. Not only so, but I often feel exercise (especially walking or light jogging) lessens incidence of palpitation, if not prevents it altogether. But consult it first with your heart doctor.

Proper Mindsetting

So, if your heart doctor approves it (and most doctors do), try walking regularly. If you think you need a companion, then take one along. I take my wife. Don't aim for anything spectacular but to simply walk. Don't set goals or break records. Walk about 30 to 40 minutes regularly. Walk leisurely and enjoy fresh air and sceneries. It can change the way you think about life and palpitation.

Some folks do not realize how the mind works and how it affects the body. Some doctors give their patients placebo drugs (mostly containing nothing but flour and salt) because all some patients need is something positive to feed their minds with. A hope. Of course, doctors won't say the prescription is merely placebo. The patients believe that what doctors prescribe will make them well, even if they really aren't sick of anything. Then they claim they feel better after taking the placebo medicine.

If we let it, the mind often decides what happens to our bodies. What the mind entertains it feeds to the body and then we feel it. We see a juicy triple cheese burger and our mind gets entertained by it. Soon, the body reacts and you feel hungry. But before seeing the burger, we felt okay. I often come across instances like this. Thus, be careful what your mind entertains or what catches its attention.

Think Right, Not Just Positively

Let your mind think right and dwell on positive things. It's okay to be watchful of your health and look out for what is good for your heart (avoiding things that make you susceptible to heart palpitations), but don't dwell on them all day all your life. Don't be a prisoner of your illness and how to prevent it. I see illness as a challenge to make us appreciate life more, every second of it (some people only come to appreciate the worth of life once their lives are threatened by danger). Sometimes, illnesses are also a way of making us stronger in the end.

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things...And the God of peace will be with you." [Philippians 4.8]

But don't just think positively. Sometimes, positive thinking tends to make you fool yourself, feeding your mind with happy thoughts that aren't real, something just short of flattering yourself. It's not a good idea. The thing is to think right first and then complement that with proper and realistic positive thinking. Don't feed yourself with false hopes. 

What I do is first admit my condition. I have to be careful. But I also decide firmly that I'm not going to stay this way. I fight negative thoughts. I decide that doing things---whether this or that---WON'T trigger palpitations in me. Or, I will declare that this day, there will be NO palpitation. Of course, I supplement this with prayer, proper care and healthy lifestyle. I counter fear by declaring positive things happening to me each day. Words are powerful. If some people talk to their plants or pets and claim it's effective, why not talk to your body--to your heart--and tell it how it should go the whole day?

It may not be effective the first time you do it, or even the next, and the next. But just keep at it. Practice makes perfect.