Overview of How Stress Can Cause a Heart Attack (And How to Heal) | Dr. Tara Narula
In this episode of The School of Greatness, Lewis Howes speaks with Dr. Tara Narula, a board-certified cardiologist, ABC News medical correspondent, and author of The Healing Power of Resilience. The conversation explores how chronic stress affects heart health, how emotional trauma can show up physically, and why resilience, therapy, social support, faith, and purpose are essential tools for healing. Dr. Narula emphasizes that many patients come to her office with cardiovascular concerns, but what they really need most is help addressing stress, anxiety, grief, and burnout.
Main Themes and Key Takeaways
Stress is a major driver of disease
Dr. Narula argues that stress is not just a feeling—it has measurable physical effects on the body. Chronic stress can:
- Raise blood pressure and heart rate
- Increase inflammation
- Contribute to plaque buildup and plaque rupture
- Trigger arrhythmias, heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes
- Worsen recovery after a diagnosis or trauma
She stresses that the body is not designed to live in “fight or flight” mode all day, every day.
The mind-body connection is central to heart health
A major point of the episode is that physical health and mental health are deeply intertwined. Patients often arrive with high blood pressure, chest pain, or other cardiac concerns, but the root issue is frequently emotional overwhelm, depression, anxiety, grief, or life stress.
Dr. Narula notes that listening, validating, and making space for patients to talk can be healing in itself.
Stress can directly trigger a heart attack
The episode covers stress-induced heart attack, also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or “broken heart syndrome.” This condition can happen even in physically healthy people and is often triggered by:
- Severe emotional stress
- Trauma
- Grief
- Even intense positive events in some cases
In these situations, a surge of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol can “stun” the heart.
Diagnosis itself can be traumatic
Dr. Narula emphasizes that receiving a serious diagnosis can be a form of trauma. Whether it is heart disease, cancer, stroke, or another illness, patients often experience fear, spiraling, and identity loss. She believes medicine should better recognize diagnosis as trauma and respond with emotional support, not just treatment plans.
Resilience: How to Heal and Move Forward
You don’t go back to who you were
One of the central messages of the episode is that after illness, trauma, or a major life event, people often say, “When will I be myself again?” Dr. Narula’s answer is powerful: you may never be exactly the same again, but you can become something new, strong, and beautiful.
Resilience is a skill
Dr. Narula sees resilience not as a vague trait, but as a trainable set of skills. She describes resilience as a “toolbox” that can be strengthened over time through practice.
The tools she highlights include:
- Acceptance
- Flexible thinking
- Hope
- Purpose
- Social connection
- Faith and spirituality
- Therapy
- Exercise
- Sleep
- Gratitude
- Facing fear rather than avoiding it
Therapy matters—even without a diagnosis
She strongly recommends therapy as a place to “download,” decompress, and process emotions, even if someone doesn’t meet the criteria for depression or anxiety. She also points out the problem: therapy is often too expensive, too hard to access, and too unavailable.
Practical Advice Dr. Narula Shares
Ways to reduce stress in daily life
She suggests small, repeatable actions that activate the parasympathetic nervous system and lower stress:
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Nature walks
- Breathing exercises
- Talking to a therapist
- Spending time with loved ones
- Social connection
- Music
- Sleep
- Physical touch
- Quiet moments without screens
Build resilience before crisis hits
Her advice is to practice resilience before you need it. This means teaching kids and adults how to cope with disappointment, uncertainty, and loss before a major life event forces the lesson.
Don’t let fear become your identity
A recurring theme is that people can get trapped in a victim identity after trauma or diagnosis. Dr. Narula encourages shifting from “This is who I am now” to “This is something that happened to me, but it does not define me.”
Parenting, Social Media, and the Next Generation
Social media is a major stressor
Dr. Narula shares concern about how social media, news, screens, and comparison culture are affecting children and adults alike. She and her husband do not allow their children to have social media, and her older daughter does not have a phone.
Her perspective:
- Social media creates constant comparison
- It trains kids to seek instant dopamine hits
- It can reduce attention span and resilience
- It makes boredom and real-life connection feel less rewarding
What kids need instead
She encourages parents to give children:
- Boundaries around screens
- More face-to-face connection
- Room to be bored
- Tools for resilience
- Confidence in who they are
- Less dependence on devices for emotional regulation
Spirituality, Faith, and Healing
Dr. Narula says spirituality is often overlooked in medicine, but it can be deeply important for healing and decision-making. She believes prayer, faith, and spiritual support can reduce stress and help people feel held during difficult times.
She notes that some patients have told her faith was the thing that got them through illness, grief, and uncertainty.
Notable Insights
- “It’s not the stress that kills us, it’s our response to the stress that kills us.”
- A diagnosis can be a trauma, not just a medical event.
- Stress can cause chest pain even when the heart is physically okay.
- Strong relationships are one of the most important predictors of a good life.
- Resilience is easier to build when it becomes a daily practice, not a last-minute reaction.
- Love, purpose, and gratitude are core ingredients for a meaningful life.
Final Lessons Dr. Narula Leaves With Listeners
If she could leave the world with three truths, they would be:
- Love is the most important thing
- Find your purpose and go after it
- Practice gratitude
Her overall message is hopeful: even after heartbreak, diagnosis, or trauma, people can heal, adapt, and create a meaningful life. The goal is not to erase what happened, but to grow stronger through it.