5 Steps For Curing A Broken Heart

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.

Healing A Broken Heart

Find Time for Yourself

When we are in a relationship, we grow accustomed to doing things together with our significant other. From eating breakfast to relaxing after work, we do many things together. There is less alone time and more time is spent with your partner. Many times, people in a serious relationship spend so much time with their partner that they forget to take any time for themselves.

When that relationship comes to an end, people can find themselves feeling acutely alone and may not know what to do with their free time. That can feel empty, but it can also be a great opportunity. The end of a relationship is the perfect opportunity for an individual to reconnect with himself. It is an opportunity to rediscover yourself and go back to enjoying that alone time. And not just any alone time, but alone time doing the things that you enjoy. Get yourself motivated to get up and participate in an activity that you truly enjoy.

If you have pushed aside your lifelong love of playing basketball, now is the time to grab your ball and head to the community center to shoot some hoops. Enjoy nature but haven’t had time to embrace it lately? Head out to a local park for the afternoon or just take a stroll around the neighborhood. Break out some favorite movies and have a marathon movie evening.

Listen to Music

Music is good for the soul. You don’t have to be a professional musician to enjoy music and benefit from its soothing effects. While this probably isn’t the best time to surround yourself with classic love songs, any other type of music can be beneficial. Music helps to elevate your mood and can help alleviate feelings of sadness. Turn up the radio in the car and surround yourself with upbeat rhythms that will make you want to move in your seat. When you’re making dinner or cleaning the house, pop in that CD from your favorite artist and sing along to the tunes while you work. Listen to music while you exercise, when taking a shower and even when you eat.

Write it Down

Getting your thoughts and feelings out of your head and into a journal can do wonders for helping the healing process. When you take the time to write down the feelings that you are experiencing, it allows you to recognize those feelings and accept them as reality. Many times, people suffering from a broken heart try to push their feelings down, not allowing themselves to experience those emotions.

But denying your emotions will not get rid of them. In fact, by not allowing yourself to express your feelings, you can actually prolong the grieving process. Keep a journal on hand and use it to record your thoughts and feelings whenever the need arises. Keep it by your bed at night and before going to sleep, write down any thoughts that come to mind. Bring it with you to work and jot down any thoughts that pop up throughout the day.

Talk It Out

One of the worst things you can do when suffering from a broken heart is to keep your emotions pent up by internalizing them and ruminating about them. The more you express your feelings, the faster the recovery time will be, as expressing your feelings leads to emotional processing. There’s no need to go through a break up alone. Talk with your friends and family members and share your feelings with them. They can be there as a source of comfort and support, and they can give advice if you need it. Most people have been through a break up at one point, so they can usually share some useful tips on how to cope.

Be Social

Hiding in your house like a hermit is not going to help mend your broken heart. In fact, it can actually prolong it. Feelings of sadness can be intensified by loneliness, and depression can quickly set in. Sadness is one thing, but depression is a much more serious condition that can spiral out of control rather quickly. To prevent it from occurring in the first place, get out and become active in social settings. Having a good social life is one of the best steps you can take to fight depression. Go out, try new experiences or participate in your old-time favorites. It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something.

If you do believe that your feelings are extreme, and you may be suffering from depression, it is, on the other hand, important to seek medical help. Therapy is always a good option to consider after you break up from a serious relationship, and if you are clinically depressed, medication can also be very helpful.