Chances are that we’ve all experience a broken heart at some point in our lives due to an unpleasant or unexpected event, such as the end of a relationship, the death of a loved one, a career setback, or some other disappointment or loss.
A person suffering from a broken heart may experience symptoms such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, abnormal sleeping hours, an unnaturally large or small appetite, or a lack of interest in their day-to-day activities.
If you’ve ever felt like your heart is actually breaking, you’re not just imagining it. An actual medical condition called cardiomyopathy can be triggered by stress caused due to a broken heart. In such an instance, you may feel like you are experiencing a heart attack due to symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, and an abnormal heart rhythm. This is called the broken heart syndrome.
Recovering from a broken heart is more challenging than they make it seem in the movies. It’s going to take you a lot longer than 2 hours to get back to normal! Accept that this is true so that you can get started on the process of healing from the loss.
But the good news is that there are healthy ways to deal with a broken heart so that you can protect your mental health and go back to living your life to the fullest. Let’s explore some of them.
Don’t Isolate Yourself
You may feel tempted to shut yourself in your house and never face the world again. However, for someone experiencing a broken heart, being alone can be one of the worst things to do because it makes it easier for intrusive thoughts to get into your head. You may feel sadness, confusion, guilt, and other overwhelming feelings – which are all difficult to deal with alone. Consider reaching out to a loved one, or you can also seek help from a mental health professional.
Take Reign of Your Emotions
When you’re facing loss, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by emotions. You are likely to have a lot of anger over what happened, or you may feel incredibly sad. This may draw you to take drastic measures such as revenge or even physical harm. But remember that this is going to do you little good. It won’t make you feel better and may even lead to life-changing consequences!
Don’t Dwell On The Past
It’s a common phenomenon to look at the past through “rose-colored glasses.” When you do this, you tend to forget the negative aspects of what happened and only think about the positive. While it’s not a bad thing to remember the good elements of a past relationship or experience, even if it did end sourly, it won’t do much good to help you recover from the broken heart if you can’t remember why things went south.
However, we are not suggesting that you ruminate on these bad memories. Instead, it would be best to use this experience as an opportunity to enhance your life in the future. Stop thinking of the past and start looking forward to your future. Otherwise, you will never be able to move on!
Take Care of Your Needs
Prioritize self-care and listen to your body’s needs. We all have needs that are unique to us as individuals. Only you know what you need to be able to heal your broken heart and move on. The end of a relationship may come with some guilt, especially if you feel like you are part of the reason it ended. This is an excellent time to think about what you can change in yourself and your life to avoid such situations in the future and make it more fulfilling. At the same time, make sure to be kind to yourself and give yourself the time you need to heal.
Don’t Jump Into Back in Immediately
The intense feelings of loneliness that one can feel at the end of a relationship, failure, or loss can make them feel like they need to find another partner immediately. However, when you’re nursing a broken heart is not the right time to jump back in. The aftermath of a failure is a good time to evaluate what you are looking for. Ask yourself, “Why did it end, and how can I prevent the same thing from happening again?” and work towards the answer.
After you have given yourself time to move on, you can put yourself out again. By this time, you will have a better perspective on what you are looking for and what you must do to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
