More Than a Broken Heart

Romance. Even the word itself is beautiful, but it can also bring immense pain. In high school, people often experience their first romantic relationship. A lot of the time, both people are just not right for each other or are not mature enough for that yet, and, as a result, it falls through. But just because the relationship falls apart does not mean you need to as well.

It’s okay to be hurting

The first step is understanding that it is okay to be feeling sad, angry, or confused. After my first relationship ended, it hurt, and I understood why I was feeling so awful, but I hated it. I hated it so much. But the truth is, you have to go through these emotions to come out the other side better. These emotions, much like the previous relationship, don’t have to last forever. Just accept these feelings and begin the healing process.

How to cope

• Lean on your support system

  • Just because you have lost one person does not mean you’ve lost everyone.

  • Start hanging out with your friends more. Being with them will help you to feel less alone and start participating in more activities again.

  • Spend some time with your family. Depending on your family, they can be the most supportive people in your life. For me, my mom was massively helpful in working through my feelings. Opening up is the hardest part, but worth it.

• Focus on yourself

  • Post-breakup is not an uncommon time to start working out, and it tends to help with breakups. It can be a fun, healthy escape while boosting one’s own self-confidence and feelings of accomplishment.

  • Learn better life habits, such as sleeping and eating. These can drastically improve how you feel.

Use this as a learning opportunity

At the moment, this may feel like one of the worst things that can happen, but it does not have to be all bad. Reflect on the relationship. Use this as a chance to objectively look at how you acted and see possible mistakes that you have made. I can once again speak from experience in my first relationship. I made a lot of mistakes, such as being neglectful. I regret that, but I understand that I did it and will never do that to another person again. This is the most important thing that can come out of a breakup. Becoming a better person because of it.

Just remember, there are ways to get through a breakup, and there are also ways to come out better because of it.

-Pierce Ibanez

Resources used:

● Break-Ups: How to Help Yourself Move On (UNH)

● Looking After Your Mental Health During a Breakup (Young Minds)

● Can Exercise Help Mend a Broken Heart? (Urban Vybe)