6 Hacks to Heal a Broken Heart

Regardless of what path life takes there are times when we experience sadness and heartbreak. This is part of the human condition. Whether it is caused by the betrayal of a friend, a break up of a relationship or shattered dreams, the emotional toll can weigh heavily on us. Heartbreak involves processing the difficult emotions of loss and grief while often facing a significant life change. In some cases the pain of hearbreak is so heavy of a burden that is can be difficult to continue to function in our day to day lives.

When dealing with heartbreak we are in an extremely vulnerable state and can feel extremely fragile. It can feel like we have been cut to the core and will never heal. It is hard to even imagine getting through the experience let alone believing that one day we will be happy, healthy, vibrant and ready to live again. However the truth is we do get through heartbreak, all of us do, as difficult as it is. Unfortunately the process to heal and repair from heartbreak takes time and can be difficult. If you are trying to work through a heartbreak and struggling, here are 6 tips to ease the pain and get you through this tough life transition.

Get busy.

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What we think about persists. The more we focus on the pain, the more painful it becomes. Find ways to keep yourself busy and distracted from constantly focusing on the loss. Whether it is going out with friends, joining a club or group, watching a movie or taking on a home renovation project, keep busy. Be active. Yes, you will still think about the heartbreak. No, you are not avoiding facing the situation. What you are going through will still be there, but keeping busy helps prevent you from hyper focusing on the situation. A little distraction can help you to cope. This won’t make the pain stop right away but it will help you to heal faster. The best distractions are things that are productive in some way. Even something as basic as giving the house a deep cleaning can do wonders for getting your mind off your pain. The actual action of cleaning distracts you from thoughts of pain, and when you are finished, you have accomplished something as well.

Exercise.

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Get those feel good endorphins flowing! When we engage our physical bodies our brain releases chemicals that help us to feel calmer and happier. Exercise helps us to release some of our negative emotions so that we can feel more balanced and more resilient. This helps us to keep our composure and have more control over our emotions. Exercise is also known to be one of the best stress relievers in the world, and a good workout can do wonders for clearing your head if you find yourself obsessing over your heartbreak.

A side benefit to feeling better through exercise is that self-confidence increases. When going through a time of heartbreak the boost of some feel good chemicals in our brain along with a bump up in our self-confidence at a time when we are feeling so vulnerable can be just the extra boost we need to get through the day.

Write about it.

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A very therapeutic way to process your emotions is to write it all out. Put everything down in your journal in black and white. Writing your feelings can make them more concrete and less elusive. This makes them easier to process. Write down what happened, how you feel about what happened and what you would like to see happen next. If you are unsure, journaling is also a great way to write out and weigh your options, examining the pros and cons. Review what you have written to have new insights and realizations. Journaling is a great way to be able to get clear on how you feel and what you want. It is often easy to know what we do not want, not so easy to define what we want. Once we define what we want, we can then set our direction to work toward that. Journaling can help you to see new possibilities and have the “aha” moment you need to move forward. After you are done with your journal entry, tear it up and burn it as a ritual of letting go of the past and the painful feelings and releasing your wishes to the universe.

Meditate.

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Take some time to go within when your heart is hurting. Meditation opens up the space for us to see what is going on inside so we can address it. A guided meditation can help to focus your mind and calm your thoughts. Regular meditators report that they are more rational after meditation, often experiencing revelations and insights they were not able to comprehend prior to meditating. Research has proven that over time meditation physically changes our brain chemistry improving emotional wellbeing, psychological balance and happiness. This is an easy hack to manage your emotions without doing a lot of work. You do not have to commit a great deal of time to meditation to see results either. Try a simple guided meditation for just 10 minutes a day. It may be just the thing to help you heal quickly, raise your awareness and see the situation from a new perspective.

Laugh!

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Laughter is the best medicine. Laughter just like exercise releases feel good chemicals in the brain. These chemicals help to relieve pain. Laughter also helps us to bond with others, creating that support network that we so need during a time of vulnerability and heartbreak. The brain cannot simultaneously process laughter and sadness at the same time so laugh it up! During those moments when you are laughing there is no space for the pain of heartbreak to creep in. Long periods of laughter actually give you a bigger bang for your buck. For example, attending a comedy show where you will be laughing steadily for an hour counts as laugh time and as physical activity. This is because as you are engaging your abdominal muscles to the point of exhaustion causing the release of even more endorphins from physical exercise. So get out there, have fun and laugh. If you do not feel like you can, fake it until you make it. Laughter is contagious. You will find yourself chuckling along sooner or later.

Help others.

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The fastest way to heal is to help someone else. Perform acts of service and you will immediately start to feel better. Find a worthy cause or causes in your area and start volunteering on a regular basis. By performing acts of service our own feelings of self-worth and self-esteem improve dramatically. It will also help you get out of your own head and keep you from dwelling on your hurt. In addition, helping others gives us perspective and reminds us of the many blessings we have in our lives. We are all going through something. Seeing a stranger’s struggles can help you face your own. You might also find through volunteer work understanding and a sense of community that will help you to work through your emotional pain. Focusing on helping another allows us to nurture ourselves while we are nurturing another.