by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

Crying is a natural and effective way to relieve stress by releasing stress hormones like cortisol, triggering feel-good endorphins and oxytocin, activating the body’s calming parasympathetic nervous system, and helping to restore emotional balance, leading to a sense of relief and improved mood. It acts as a safety valve for overwhelming emotions, helping you process difficult feelings rather than bottling them up, which can be detrimental to your health.  (Cleveland Clinic Health Library) 

I was relieved to learn about all those health benefits of crying, because I’d just spent an entire appointment at the Urgent Care Clinic, silently weeping uncontrollably.

But I wasn’t crying that evening because I was scared or in pain. – continue to page 2 (below):

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

In 2008, I joined INSPIRE’S WomenHeart Online Support Community for Women with Heart Disease.  In those early days as a new survivor of what doctors call the “widow-maker”  heart attack, I was drawn to compelling narratives from other patients with lived experience similar to mine. Our group was both a safe place to vent when feeling bad, and an opportunity to lend comfort to others during their scary setbacks. It wasn’t long before I made browsing group discussions a daily early-morning habit. And one day I asked our group members  this basic question: “Has anybody here been misdiagnosed in mid-heart attack?” Continue reading “Pick one: non-human AI – or a real person?” →

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥   Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky) 

A study published by Swiss researchers suggests that a culture of kindness in health care has a positive impact on healthcare organizations, healthcare staff, and – best of all! –  patients.(1)  If we’re very lucky, many of us already know those benefits because of our lived experience with kind healthcare professionals. One of my own favourite examples of a small kindness that left a huge impression was the cardiac nurse who trotted alongside my hospital gurney – from the Emergency Department to the elevator taking us up to the cardiac cath lab during my 2008 heart attack – with her hand gently resting on my shoulder all the way. She assured me: “You’re in the right place now. We’re going to take good care of you.”  If only every hospital patient was greeted that way. Continue reading “Small kindness – big impact” →