Heartbreak is more than just an emotional defeat; to some the pain is very real. At one point or another, everyone must experience this mind numbing feeling (unless you confine yourself to a house and never interact with even a pet) but that's not the norm and you're probably not reading this article if you've had that kind of sheltered life. Heartbreak can be caused by many different circumstances and that's what makes this emotion easily recognized by nearly every person on the planet. It can result from the loss of a loved one, a partner, a friend and even a close pet. Or it can be caused from disappointment, betrayal or a change from known surroundings. It might not even be a loss at all but a sense of loss, or the realization that the love of the person you care most for is drifting far from where it had always been. Love, in the same perspective as heartbreak, neither has a corrective definition nor specific amplitude implied by the physical word itself. There's a never-ending limit to the definition of love because there are so many things we love and in many different ways. There's friendship love, love for animals and possess ions, love for music or h ey, even food. Then there's that kind of love that is so overwhelming perfect, passionate and meaningful, a love that you have never before been able to achieve. This is the love we're going to be talking about throughout this article, but before we can continue on, we must first understand why we as humans are constantly searching to fulfill this emotion. Photo by Me! Isn't it cool?
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Photo also by me, with help from Jen in creating the heart...
The Physical Pain
Anyone who's ever gone through the emotional pain of a heartbreak more often than not can expressthe experience through the form of some type of physical pain. Emotions affect physical health in
more ways than many realize, but how does the body physically feel the emotional loss; in other
words, what is it that brings pain to the heartbreak?
"Pain is the way the mind responds to trouble inside the body," says Alex Zautra, a professor of
psychology at Arizona State University. "Emotion is the same way. Whether you feel love or sadness is
also a response to something you feel outside the body. With pain it is a closer-in response, to
absorb your entire sense of being, leaving feelings of emptiness. This feeling occurs when you finally
realize and accept the magnitude of your loss. Isolation from people is exceedingly normal, and offers
a time to reflect on the past.
5. Acceptance and an Upward Turn- The feelings of depression lift slightly and life becomes possible to
survive without that person so deeply intertwined with each activity. The days are a little easier to
shuffle through, and you see the possibility of continuation. The reality of the situation is fully
accepted and, although happiness may not return for some time, the ability to move forward has
occurred.
Can Heartbreak Occur- Literally?
According to studies on heartbreak and how it affects people, most of whom men, a connection can be
found between emotional pain and a literal form of heartbreak- heart attack. Depression is
documented to affect its host physically and so is the case with heartbreak. The emotional stress is
harmful and is said to possibly be cause for what's known as Broken Heart Syndrome, cleverly laid out
in the picture below.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy is a sudden temporary weakening of the myocardium, producingsomething similar to a heart attack. When the body becomes overwhelmed, primarily due to stress,
hormones such as metanephrine and normetanephrine are released in excess with addition to proteins
such as neuropeptide Y, brain natriuretic peptide, and serotonin.
"Our hypothesis is that massive amounts of these stress hormones can go right to the heart and
produce a stunning of the heart muscle that causes this temporary dysfunction resembling a heart
attack," says cardiologist Ilan Wittstein, M.D., an assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine and its Heart Institute. "It doesn't kill the heart muscle like a typical heart attack,
The best thing for a broken heart is to be patient and allow time to settle all unresolved feelings.
Talking about your feelings with friends or family help to smooth the passage of the loss, as will
allowing yourself time to reflect on all feelings and answer questions you may have for yourself.Keeping busy with hobbies you're passionate about and trying new things also keeps your mind busy
during hard times. Get a group of friends together and watch a movie, or if you're more to yourself,
try a quiet walk through a forest or even around the neighborhood. Give yourself time, and do things
that make you happy. You are your own best friend and it's important that you accept who you are
and like who you are as a person before you expect anyone else to.