By Angela D Coleman | Founder and President
Very few of us realize that our health is greatly impacted by the company we keep. This fact is especially true regarding women and our most intimate relationships.
We choose who we spend time with, and yes, we choose those who we love. As human beings, sometimes, we make mistakes. Our choices do not always reflect our best interests.
When those we love or have loved hurt us, the damage doesn’t stop or end with a particular event. It lingers on afterward, especially if they are still around. What if they are not around? They can still hurt you.
Surprisingly, even if you sever ties with someone, they can damage your health and well-being. If someone stalks and harasses you to the point where you file a restraining order, there are clear, lasting damages to your cardiovascular system. Of course, stalking does not even require that you know the person or have had a prior relationship. The pressure and stress of being stalked is enough.
Women who experienced stalking or obtained restraining orders have a higher risk of heart disease. Being with a narcissist, an abuser, or a stalker hurts more than your mental health. It literally hurts your heart.
As a woman, you should know that being with an abusive man means reducing your life expectancy by increasing your risk of interpersonal violence (domestic violence), spousal murder, and heart disease.
Ladies, if you have ever been stalked, this includes you, too. According to a study released last month by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:
The risk for cardiovascular disease was 41% higher in women who had experienced stalking — and 70% higher for women who had obtained a restraining order — compared to those who had not.
According to WebMD, for women, the risk of heart disease goes up with age. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over age 40, especially after menopause. Each year, more than 400,000 U.S. women die of heart disease in the United States. This translates to approximately one death every minute.
It's not just your emotions that are at risk when it comes to loving the wrong person.
When you are the victim of domestic violence, stalked, and forced to resort to legal remedies, such as restraining orders, your body is put on a stressful, high alert status. It screams DANGER and leads to abnormally high levels of stress.
More than anything, your body wants you to maintain a safe, happy, and peaceful equilibrium to be healthy.
Hurting more than your feelings, this particular kind of stress leaves a heavy impact. Specifically, even when accounting for diet and exercise.
Let’s continue to help our girls recognize the dangers of unhealthy connections and do what we can to support them if they are in an abusive relationship or the victim of stalking. No one should be allowed to make you feel unsafe and make your health suffer.
In the Spirit of Sisterhood,
Angela D. Coleman, MBA, CNM
Founder and President
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