Heartbreak is extremely painful. The intense anguish I felt eight months ago when I was broken up with was demoralizing. It felt as if I was only surviving. Sleep was scarce and scattered. Hunger felt meaningless. There was this tightness in my chest that felt like razor blades were moving through me. It felt like a hangover, when you promise yourself you will never drink again. I remember laying on the floor of my parents room, feeling numb and thinking I was never going to be able to move forward. I remember everyone saying time is the only answer.
Now eight months later, as crazy as it was to believe, time was the answer. Those intense feelings that were so unbearable are no longer there like they were. I have been able to grow and find the identity I had lost within that relationship. But not only that, I have been able to “dare greatly” and walk through vulnerability. I was able to move through the experience of heartbreak without sacrificing my values and have come out the other side with more courage, compassion, and connection than I had going into it.
Heartbreak is more than a hard form of guilt, disappointment, or failure. It hurts in such an intense way because it is connected to belonging and love. The brokenhearted are the bravest among us because they dared to love someone and it’s a feeling that is universal. It is a feeling that is cross-cultural; a feeling that our ancestors felt, a feeling that no one can fully avoid.
What I want you to take out of this post is that you are not alone in your feelings. Your strength and perseverance is inspiring. I want you to recognize the bravery it takes to love someone and the courage it takes to move forward. You were able to allow yourself to be deeply seen and known and that is powerful.
Luv, Liv