How to Heal Heartbreak | By Becky Swain

Whether your heartbreak originates from the loss of someone or something, the landscape of your heart can resemble an unprotected island following the onslaught of a tsunami. Cleaning up the debris can be protracted by frustration and your emotional pain. You want the discomfort to end now, but healing from heartbreak requires an investment of time, according to HelpGuide.org in the article “Coping With Grief and Loss.” A speedy panacea for healing heartbreak doesn’t exist, so ignore advice promising a quick fix. The experience leading up to your heartbreak was distinctive, and your recovery from the heartbreak will also be uniquely individual.

Step 1
Take the time to acknowledge and process the feelings associated with your heartbreak. The wide range of emotions produced by heartbreak may leave you searching for emotional equilibrium. It’s normal to long to feel OK again, but beware of using external fixes to achieve your goal, warns counselor Nathan Feiles in the “Psych Central” article “How to Get Over a Breakup.” The excitement that accompanies a new relationship may leave you giddy, but the unresolved emotions from the heartbreak can easily rip the bandage from your broken heart.
Step 2
Share your tears and feelings with people who understand and care. Disregard myths that promote that crying is a sign of weakness or that ignoring your feelings causes the pain to disappear. Acknowledging your feelings and sharing the pain are essential steps for processing your emotional discomfort, advises HelpGuide.org.
Step 3
Establish a balance between acknowledging your grief and building momentum to move forward. Don’t immerse yourself in the negativity of your heartbreak and remain there. Rather than wait for others to contact you and include you in social activities, call friends and offer suggestions for an outing, recommends psychologist Gerry Heisler in the “Psychology Today” article “How to Get Through a Breakup.” Get reacquainted with the individual that others enjoy spending time with — you.

Step 4
Refuse to permit the negative flow of emotions to drown you with feelings of blame for your heartbreak. Perhaps you aren’t perfect, but don’t allow your feelings of sadness to distort and magnify your imperfections. Think about your strengths and successes, according to the KidsHealth.org article “Getting Over a Breakup.” Friends and family members can dispel some of the darkness related to your heartbreak by emphasizing your stellar qualities.

Step 5
Consider professional counseling if you struggle to move past the initial emotional distress associated with your heartbreak. It’s OK to need help processing your grief and reframing your feelings. Counseling can provide the impetus you need to move forward.

Warnings
Avoid drinking as a painkiller. This will only dull the pain you need to feel in order to move on.
Do not call or text your ex while intoxicated. This will open the door to confusion and possibly more heartbreak.

 

A prayer for anyone with a broken heart
by Mark Herringshaw
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

The image of heartbreak describing the devastating emotional pain of a broken relationship transcends culture and is expressed in the same way in almost every language. We feel the pain of betrayal and separation deeply at the core of our soul. It feels as if our heart really is breaking – because of course, it is. God understands this experience because he himself has lived through a broken heart. God has been a jilted lover. Through his love for us, he has endured unfaithfulness and desertion. God understands our loneliness and identifies with us. We can talk to him about this experience and ask him for help at our deepest point of despair – because he’s been there himself!

Here is a prayer for those who have suffered a broken heart.

“God, you care deeply for broken-hearted people. This is a promise you make: You are close. We pray for all those who are crippled by broken relationships. Our hearts take the blow of disappointment. We feel crushed because our hopes are dashed. God, heal broken hearts. We cannot fix our own wounds. But you can. If pieces of our heart have been lost, or are held captive by another, recover them and bring them back to us and miraculously “put us back together” so that our heart is whole again. You are a mender of broken hearts. We ask for this miracle, in the name of Jesus.”