In the early 1990s, researchers at the HeartMath Institute found that negative or stressful emotions threw the nervous system out of sync, and when that happened our heart rhythms became disordered and appeared jagged on a heart rhythm monitor. This placed increased stress on the physical system and negatively impacted mental functions. Positive emotions like appreciation, love, care, and compassion, in contrast, were found to increase order and balance in the nervous system, and produce smooth, harmonious, sine-wave like coherent heart rhythms. These harmonious rhythms reduced stress but they did more. They actually enhanced people’s ability to think more clearly and to self-regulate their emotional responses.
Practicing self-love, compassion for others, kindness and appreciation can assist us with separating intuitive heart feelings from brain-centered mental concerns. Keeping a gratitude journal can be really helpful with this. Practicing mindfulness where you observe your thoughts without judging them or obsessing over them can also help you to tune into your heart’s intelligence.
“The moment you change your perception is the moment you rewrite the chemistry of your body.” — Bruce Lipton, PhD Stem Cell Bioligist bestselling author of The Biology of Belief and recipient of the 2009 Goi Peace Award
The lack of alignment between what our mind says and what our intuitive heart is quietly trying to tell us can be one of the biggest unrecognized sources of stress. It’s like being pulled in two different directions at once.