My heart goes out to those who are suffering. Someone is shown sympathy, as in "She's had a horrible experience; my heart goes out to her." [Late 1700s] Formalized paraphrase: "My heart goes out to someone," used when you feel sorry for them or want to show support. This phrase has been popular since the 1730s and its origin is based on an ancient belief that the heart was the center of emotion. Therefore, it makes sense that if you can control your emotions then you should be able to influence where your heart goes. Controlling one's emotions is difficult but not impossible. For example, if you were told that you could reduce anxiety by controlling your breathing then this would be an easy thing to do and your breathing would follow suit. However, if you were told that you could reduce anxiety by controlling your heart rate then this would be more challenging because there is more going on inside yourself than just your emotions. Your heart and mind are connected; they work together every moment of your life. If your mind is telling you to breathe deeply and slowly then your body will respond by doing so but if your mind is distracted by other things then your body won't know what to do with itself and it will panic.