To thine own self be true. In other words, follow your heart. This is sage advice for the whole year and not just for "Heart Month."

Western society has long held the viewpoint that decisions made from the heart are too soft and not to be trusted. Happily, research is proving what certain cultures have known for millennia; the heart is where it starts.

Even our language is a reflection of the importance of the heart; approximately 90 idioms relating to the heart versus 18 for the brain.

Using 5 heart idioms, I've outlined a scenario for how a relationship can improve when heart-driven intelligence is practiced:

Broken-hearted. Refers to what happens when we are wounded in a relationship or suffer from a great disappointment.
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Heart to heart. Implies trust, openness and quality to our conversation.
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Heart of the matter. When we open up and engage in a respectful, caring and non-defensive manner, we are able to uncover the real issues.
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Change of heart. By listening to a different point of view, we get new information, which allows us to see the issue differently.
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Warms the cockles of your heart. How you'll feel when both parties have spoken from their hearts.

Stress results when you are not being true to yourself. Here are some questions to consider:

What is important to you? How can you get more of it? Are you honouring your values? What can you do to uncover those values? How has your health been impacted by your choices?

Programs are available to help you answer these questions and provide you with techniques to access your heart anywhere and anytime.