Before It’s Too Late: Give Your Heart & Mind the Attention They Deserve!

Nurturer #1
May 22
4 min read

Not only is May Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to break the silence, reduce stigma, and prioritize emotional well-being; but it’s also Stroke and High Blood Pressure Awareness Month, reminding us that our mental and physical health are deeply connected. Today is the time to focus on your mind, your body, and the powerful link between the two. In this blog post, we’ll explore why caring for your mental health is just as vital as protecting your heart and brain and how taking action this month could change, or even save, your life before it’s too late.

The Silent Storm

It begins as silence. A pressure building behind your temples. A flutter in your chest that seems insignificant until it isn't. High blood pressure and stroke don't announce themselves with dramatic flair. They whisper, they wait, they build their case against your body in quiet moments while you're busy living. Too busy to notice. Too distracted to even care about what is happening right before you.

The Numbers That Should Break Your Heart

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 795,000 people in the United States experience a stroke each year. This translates to about one stroke every 40 seconds. Every 3.5 minutes, someone dies from one. Behind each of these clinical statistics is a family gathered in a sterile hospital room, holding hands, holding breath, holding onto hope as doctors speak in gentle tones about "outcomes" and "quality of life for them or someone they love."

High blood pressure, the silent predator, lurks in nearly half of American adults. Most don't know it's there, coursing through their veins, straining heart muscles, weakening vessel walls with each powerful push of blood. Does this scare you? Good. It should. Because sometimes fear can wake us when comfort has lulled us to sleep.

The Choices That Echo Through Generations

Your children are watching you. They see how you treat the vessel that carries your soul through this world. They notice the midnight snacks, the skipped walks, the stress you wear like a second skin without seeking relief.

What legacy are you leaving in your habits?

This is not being shared to crush you under guilt's heavy hand. I'm sharing because somewhere in your busy day, you need to feel the weight of your own precious life really feel it, and decide it's worth protecting.

The Love You Owe Yourself

Let me speak plainly to you now. Check your blood pressure. Not next month, not when it's convenient, not even later this week, do so today, right now if you can.

Move your body daily, even when you don't want to; honestly, I would encourage you to do it because you don't feel like doing it. You are not a whiny child, you are an adult, it is time you act like it, especially when it comes to this.

Also, put down the saltshaker; that's right do yourself a favor and step away from processed foods that offer momentary pleasure but long-term harm. Lastly, begin to learn what stress feels like in your body, the tightened jaw, the shallow breathing and develop rituals that release its grip before it changes your brain chemistry and raises your blood pressure beyond recognition. This isn't vanity, this is survival after all HBP is a silent killer and you don't need to become a victim to it.

The Mind-Body Connection We Cannot Ignore

As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, we must acknowledge how the physical and emotional dance together in our bodies. The anxiety that spikes your blood pressure. The depression that makes healthy choices feel impossible. The chronic stress that inflames your vessels and changes your brain.

Your emotional wellbeing isn't separate from your physical health; it's the foundation. The mind that believes it deserves care will guide the body toward healing practices.

When was the last time you checked in with yourself, I mean really checked in about the state of your mental landscape? Have you given yourself permission to seek support, to speak the unspeakable fears, to address the traumas that might be expressing themselves through physical symptoms? If not, It’s time to read one of our previous post which addresses mental health and trauma. This Memorial Day Weekend read 1 2 Ways to Nurture Your Mental Health & Enjoy Memorial Day!

A Promise Worth Keeping

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed to any of us residing on this earth; however, the choices we make today; can stretch our tomorrows into years or even decades of meaningful and productive living. Pause for a second, imagine the birthdays you might miss, the graduations, the quiet Tuesday mornings watching sunlight filter through your kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom windows, or even the laughter shared over meals at dinner the table, the hands you won't get to hold if you let these silent diseases steal your future from you now. Take a breath; now imagine fighting for those moments. Imagine loving yourself enough to make different choices starting today for fruitful days ahead.

The Heart

Note that that the human heart beats approximately 115,000 times each day. Each beat is a gift. Each beat is borrowed time. How will you honor this miracle that keeps you here on planet earth? What will you do before it is too late? Your future self is watching, hoping you'll choose wisely. Your loved ones are waiting, praying you'll stay. Please, for them or even for yourself, listen to the whispers before they become loud screams that take a stronghold over you. Your life depends on you listening and living consciously with every ounce of your being.

Pondering Questions:

Take a moment to read and feel the words before you, then write down your response without excuses and judgments. Release your response onto a piece of paper and date it. Return to your response 2 to 3 months later and note what if anything has changed within you.

1. What is one specific action you will take within the next 24 to 48 hours to honor the life beating within your chest?

2. And who in your life needs to hear/read these words as much as you did?

Reference:

Stroke Facts: Retrieved on April 2nd, 2025 from: https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/data-research/facts-stats/index.html