💔 When the Heart Closes Off: Healing Heart Disease from the Inside Out

By Carrie Polk

Some women don’t break down — they lock up. They’re the dependable ones. The peacekeepers. The ones who smile and keep moving forward while their souls are quietly exhausted. They carry everyone else’s burdens — and somewhere along the way, forget how to feel their own. And then, one day, their chest feels tight. The fatigue won’t lift. And a doctor says words like hypertension, cholesterol, or early heart disease. But deep down, she already knew — something inside had been closing off for a long time. Her giving heart.

When the Heart Holds More Than It Should

We tend to think of heart disease as a “numbers issue.”Too much cholesterol. Too little exercise. Poor genetics. But what I’ve seen from clients — time and again — is that it’s often an emotional issue first.

The body listens to every unspoken emotion. Every resentment we suppress. Every moment we swallow our words to keep the peace. Every time we say “yes” when we meant “no.” Over years, those moments harden the emotional arteries long before the physical ones ever show it.The heart becomes weary, overprotected, guarded. The body, in its wisdom, mirrors the soul. When love stops flowing freely out, and nourishment stops flowing in, the body tries to get our attention. And sometimes, that message comes as pain, pressure, or disease.

The Hidden Link Between Self-Hatred and Heart Health

Heart disease often takes root in women who have learned to be “everything” for everyone — but rarely themselves. They speak love fluently to others but struggle to offer it inward. And yet, the heart can’t thrive on guilt and shame. Self-hatred starves the spirit. Unforgiveness keeps the heart in fight-or-flight. And fear, when it becomes our daily rhythm, signals the body to constrict — literally. The good news? The moment we begin to soften, to forgive, to nourish, healing begins. As Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body.” Peace truly is medicine.

Susan’s Story

Susan came to me angry — mostly at herself.She said, “I’ve done this to my body. I’ve ignored it, abused it, and now I’m paying for it.”

Her blood pressure was climbing, her cholesterol was high, and her stress was constant.

But instead of starting with restriction, we started with restoration.

She added color back to her meals — berries, greens, healthy fats.She began each morning with quiet prayer and ten slow breaths before touching her phone.And she practiced one new sentence:

“I forgive myself for not knowing how to care for me before.”

Eight weeks later, her blood pressure dropped twenty points. But what struck me most wasn’t her lab results — it was the peace on her face.

She told me,

“For the first time, I don’t feel like I’m fighting my body. I feel like we’re on the same side.”

10 Ways to Open the Heart and Heal the Body

Here are ten simple ways to begin supporting your heart — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Nourish the Physical Heart

1. Eat color daily. Reds, purples, and greens strengthen blood vessels and reduce inflammation.

2. Use olive oil instead of vegetable oils. Healthy fats feed the heart’s protective lining.

3. Add omega-3s. Walnuts, chia, and flax to help regulate your heartbeat and blood pressure.

4. Sip beet juice or add leafy greens. They improve nitric oxide levels — which open and relax arteries.

5. Hydrate often. Dehydration thickens the blood and tires the heart. Keep water with you all day.

Soothe the Emotional Heart

6. Speak life to yourself. Your words shift your biochemistry — start with, “I am safe. I am loved.”

7. Release resentment daily. Write a short prayer of release each night: “I let go of…”

8. Say “no” without guilt. Every “no” is a “yes” to your peace.

9. Let yourself receive. Love, rest, compliments, help — they all open the heart’s energy again.

10. Pray for a tender heart. Ask God to soften what’s hardened — in you and in others.

A New Way to Heal

Your heart isn’t your enemy. It’s your messenger. It’s been asking for your attention, your love, and your forgiveness for years.

Healing begins when you stop fighting your body — and start listening to it with compassion.

You can eat well, walk daily, and take supplements — and those are powerful steps.But the deepest healing happens when you believe:

“I am worthy of being well.”

Soaring with Nutrition

Where healing meets grace — body, mind, and spirit.

If this spoke to you, share it with a friend who’s been carrying too much in her heart. And if you’re ready to take your next gentle step toward healing, I’d love to walk with you.