Yes, these two verbs are very similar. We use them in different situations though (sometimes, haha) To lift = usually the hands are underneath the object. For example, "Lift the box." To raise = we use this in a variety of contexts. (Yes, often in idiomatic ways, but also in "real" events.) For example, "Can you raise the curtains?" "It is cold in here. I will raise the temperature on the thermostat." "I am going to raise the food so that the dog cannot get it." People will understand you if you use the wrong word for the situation. (It just might sound a little strange.) Like many words with overlapping meanings, it is probably best to learn which one to use by listening to native speakers talk. (Of course, this takes time, but all good things take time) Good luck!

I would disagree with the idea that RAISE is figurative and LIFT is literal. Not sure where you found that. I would say that they are often interchangeable - but not always. That's English for you.

You can see the difference clearly in the expressions “raise a child” and “lift a child”. The first is what parents do: feed, educate, and care for the child. The second means to physically pick up the child. “Raise” has a feeling of enhancement that “lift” usually (but not always) lacks.

It should be my heartbeat is rising, a closely related but different verb. Or it may have been racing.

Raise is usually meant to make something higher, whereas lift usually means to pick something up.