The Emotional Toll of Heartbreak

Boy Dealing with Heartbreak: So, me and Addie were forced to break up. You guys probably know that. And... this has just...This has wrecked me so much because...I know I shouldn't cry.

Brooks Gibbs: These students are experiencing heartbreak for the first time and struggling to find happiness again.

Girl #1 Dealing with Heartbreak: I don't think I've ever dealt with heart before. I've had breakups before, but they've never broken my heart. This is a whole new feeling for me and a new pain that I've never...that I've never dealt with before. Honestly, I don't wish this feeling upon my worst enemy.

Girl #2 Dealing with Heartbreak: I just never felt a pain like this. Like, a throwback to when I had appendicitis. I never cried. I felt a lot of physical pain, but I've never felt so much emotional pain, and it hurts. I didn't know that you could physically hurt so much from something that was emotional.

Your Future Suddenly Changed

Brooks Gibbs: The reason why heartbreak hurts so bad is because your future has suddenly changed. The life you once envisioned can no longer be.

Boy Dealing with Heartbreak: But when I met her, I started having plans for the future. I started having goals, but...when she left all that just went away, and I didn't care about it anymore.

Girl #1 Dealing with Heartbreak: I was there for every part of his life. Me not being there anymore, like that's hard for me to deal with and there are so many things I was looking forward to in our relationship.

Consumed in Your Relationship 

Brooks Gibbs: Your individual identities are intertwined. And now that your loved one is gone, you may not know who you are anymore. And that hurts.

Girl #1 Dealing with Heartbreak: If any of you guys have been in a long-term relationship that you know that for a long time, you and your boyfriend are almost like a unit. It's a "we". In a blink of an eye, you're by yourself again. That's something that I have to obviously find myself again.  Because I was very consumed in our relationship. That's something that's a lesson for me.

Clearing Your Mind of Their Memory

Brooks Gibbs: Perhaps the hardest part of a breakup is clearing your mind of their memory and deleting their pictures from your past.

Girl #2 Dealing with Heartbreak: I just need to get everything over as quick as I can. I'm going to go through my phone and delete pictures and videos I have.

Girl #1 Dealing with Heartbreak: I don't really know if I'm ready to be doing this, but I just feel like I should. I still have so many reminders of the relationship that I need to get it out of my site almost. A part of me doesn't want to get rid of that stuff because it's almost like the last straw of our relationship. Me taking that down and putting it away is confirmation but I need to do it because me staring at pictures of us is not going to help me move on.

First Fall in Love with Life

Brooks Gibbs: Knowing the pain of heartbreak, King Solomon wrote to young people saying: "Do not stir up nor awaken love until it is yet ready." All the wisdom teachers throughout history have taught that true love is worth waiting for. And while you wait, I suggest you fall in love with something you already possess: Your life. Life is a treasure worth finding. It's a pleasure worth enjoying. There are new people to meet, new places to explore, new passions to discover. Before you fall in love with someone else, first fall in love with life. Because if you experience heartbreak and one day lose the love of your life, you will still possess the love for your life.

Still, looking for answers? Watch this video as a licensed counselor answers the question, “How do I get over a broken heart?” 

For TheHopeLine, I’m Brooks Gibbs.

For additional help with getting over a broken heart, download TheHopeLine's free eBook!