A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
I have discussed many times in this space the connection and correlation of mental, physical and spiritual dimensions of our life. Each dimension affects the other in complex and mysterious ways sometimes.
I was recently listening to a podcast about the effects of isolation on general health. Some of the discussion centered around the effects of COVID-19 and the isolation it brought on due to quarantine orders and distancing rules during the pandemic. It was no coincidence that during the pandemic, we became highly sensitized to the rise of mental illness in the world. As we became more isolated, stressed and hopeless, our mental health was adversely affected by the pandemic.
One of the findings of research indicated that not only our mental health was affected. As loneliness and isolation became more numbingly prevalent, several health indicators also declined.
This led me to consider again the Broken Heart Syndrome. This condition is caused by acute stress, or loss of a loved one. The heart can literally begin to malfunction, and it can lead to death. Yes, people could actually die from a broken heart. Our emotional health is tied to our physical health in amazing and sometimes, frightening ways.
So, when the book of Proverbs talks about the heart, maybe it can mean both our physical heart as well as our soul and spirit.
Wow.
Prayer: Lord, you have made us connectional beings, so fragile in some ways, and so strong in others, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 