Table of Contents

Gender roles in society, with the male having a tough-guy image with a hard exterior, often lead to the misconception that only women grieve at the end of a relationship, while most men essentially escape unscathed. The reality is that both men and women can suffer the ill effects of a broken heart. The difference is in how men and women handle those feelings. While women are generally more likely to communicate their feelings to others, offering a powerful way to process them, many men choose to grieve silently, as they are less likely to express their feelings openly. Of course this is not the case for everyone, but in general, women are often more comfortable with discussing their hurt feelings with others than men are.
When suffering from a broken heart, both men and women are more likely to experience prolonged feelings of sadness at a higher intensity level if they do not take the steps necessary to mend a broken heart. When a relationship comes to an end, there is a grieving process that occurs. Similar to when someone experiences the death of a loved one, the grieving process is a very personal experience, and the level of intensity as well as the length of time will vary among individuals. A person facing an end to a relationship needs to take the time to mourn that loss. This is a normal part of the grieving process.
However, it is important to know that after the mourning there should be a time of recovery. In order to reach that next level, the person has to accept that the relationship has ended, and that it is time to move into the next phase. For some individuals the progression through the different stages of the grieving process comes naturally, but for others, it may not. People who cannot come to terms with the end of the relationship may find that they have intense feelings of sadness, anger, resentment or guilt for a prolonged period of time.
These individuals who do not experience the natural progression often need to make a conscious effort to take steps to heal their broken heart rather than remaining stagnant and dwelling in their feelings of despair. By taking steps to work on curing their broken hearts, these individuals can eventually learn how to let go of the past and move towards embracing their future.
- Photo courtesy of strep72 on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/strep72/5649074429
- Photo courtesy of acousticskyy on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/acousticskyy/4448642564
- www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/how-to-fix-broken-heart?page=2
- www.wikihow.com/Heal-a-Broken-Heart