No Band-Aid for a Broken Heart

Pain can be defined as a bodily or mental suffering; distress. Usually one associates pain with a throbbing toothache, a paper cut or a sour stomach. With this type of pain, a couple of Ibuprofens or antacids can be used to diminish the discomfort. Ibuprofens can ease the physical pain but what about other pain caused by a break-up or a divorce? There are no pills for that; no band-aid for a broken heart. The keen ache of a break-up can be so intense that you feel your heart sink slowly to the bottom of your stomach where it heavily sits for days, weeks, months and maybe years.

The result of a broken can negatively affect one's daily life. How does one overcome such a strong feeling? It can be so hard to move on after sharing so many memories with someone for a long time. Don't get depressed because everything happens for a reason. A nice metaphor to use in this situation is comparing a heart break to lifting weights. When lifting weights, you are tearing your muscle. Because of the tear in the muscle, there will be some temporary pain. As the tear heals, the muscle gets bigger and stronger. The result from the pain endured, the muscle increases in strength. This is the same for the heart in the sense of love and relationships. The heart needs time to heal in order to become stronger after it has been torn. There are many ways to begin this healing process and many ways to heal. The first step is to just close your eyes, take a deep breath and think about your life, your family and every opportunity the world has to offer.

A wonderful way to get over a heart break is to start expanding every aspect of your life. There are so many things to read and learn about. Find a new diet and different types of exercise. For example, try going to some yoga and Pilates classes, or a Latin or African dance class. Plan an entire weekly workout schedule. On Mondays and Wednesdays do abs exercises. On Thursdays and Sundays go swimming. On Tuesdays go to a dance class or aerobics class and rest on Friday and Saturday. That is an example of workout schedule to follow on a weekly basis. If you want to try to do something with your diet, you can try and follow a vegetarian diet or go try to eat foods from a different culture (I don't mean go to Taco Bell or China Buffet). Go and purchase an authentic cookbook and learn about different cultural cuisine.

In addition to changing what goes into your body, change what goes into your mind. Start reading and learning everything you can. Invest in some "Idiot's Guide To..." books. They are a great way to start learning about something. It's like an entire college course in one book. Anything that you have wanted to study or never got the opportunity to study you can do it now and expand your mind. Another option is to start traveling. This could cost you some money but it is worth it. Try and plan one small trip a year even if it is just out of town to visit a family member. Getting out of the house and experiencing something new and different is a great way to get your mind out of the past.

One important thing to remember is to never get in a relationship to try and heal the pain of a break up. This will only make things worse and more confusing. You need time off. Enjoy being single and work on upgrading your life, mind, body and spirit. You have control over your life and there are so many opportunities to find happiness in the world and just when you stop looking for that special person, he or she will come into your life when you least expect it. Wait for someone that is perfect for you. Do not settle for something just because you want it right now. Be patient and in the mean time, work on making yourself the best person you can be and enjoy life while you are still here on this earth.