Thank you for being here and asking a question. It is great that you are taking steps to take care of your health. Stress and grief can feel like such huge burdens on our day-to-day life - often times people feel sad and unmotivated to do things that they normally do, like self-care. Some people just want to be alone even though they feel lonely. Stress can bring a host of negative emotions, like anxiety or even panic, sadness, anger. Negative emotions can affect how we see the world around us and interpret things that happen to us - for example, anxiety may cause us to feel vigilant and be on the lookout for something bad that may happen to us. Depression may make us interpret situations in a much more negative way than they really are or focus on the most negative aspects of things. Feeling stressed can also take a toll on your physiology - for example, it may keep your blood pressure higher for a longer time, which in turn takes a toll on your heart. You can see how that can trigger a downward spiral.

I appreciate that you are aware of the potential effects of stress and grief on your heart and your health - that is already a great first step. Self-care is important - it's one way to stop the downward spiral. Take time to take care of yourself - eating a healthy diet at regular intervals, not smoking, making time to exercise and being in green space, spending quality time with supportive people. If you catch yourself feeling negative emotions - if it is a reasonable response given the circumstances (e.g., grieving the recent loss of a loved one), you may choose to accept it and let it run its course without judging yourself for feeling negative, or do something to make yourself feel better. If your emotions feel too overwhelming and/or seem disproportional to the situation on hand, then it's worth seeking professional help. Sending good wishes your way.