Redefining Heartbreak

“Crushing grief, anguish or distress.”

This is the definition of ‘heartbreak’ in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. It’s so sad you can almost feel it.

Heartbreak can be the product of many situations, and, whatever it is that broke your heart, the feeling is always bad. In all honesty, it’s horrible. Rather than letting heartbreak consume you, you can embrace it and learn from it. You can redefine it.

Bliss, cheer, ecstasy, happiness, joy and pleasure are just a few of the antonyms of ‘heartbreak’ in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

You probably have never thought about correlating such blissful emotions with heartbreak, but it is never too late to start! Understanding how these antonyms are connected to its anguish is the key to welcoming heartbreak as a transitional and empowering emotion.

Heartbreak is a journey. Your heart gets broken and you are crushed for a while. Everything is sad and gray until one day, it gets a little better. Each day after that, life continues to return back to the way it used to be — but why settle for the norm of the past?

Let the journey of heartbreak transform your future into something powerful and bright:

  1. Allow yourself to feel the pain of heartbreak. It is necessary and healthy for your mental well-being.
  2. Listen to what this pain is telling you because even though it hurts, it is useful — pain will show you what is good for you and what is bad for you.
  3. Tell yourself that you should never let someone or something pull you down so deep, and, instead, use that sadness and anger as your outlet to finding light in a dark place.
  4. See heartbreak as an experience to learn from. Look at it like this: you get knocked down, you get up again. You can be fooled once, but never twice.
  5. Constantly remind yourself of your worth. This will provide a strength that can knock down any barrier. It will teach you how to see the bright side of every situation and how to handle the next heartbreak with grace.
  6. Recognize that there will always be more heartbreak in the long road ahead, but that it’s just part of life.
  7. Look at life as a game where you have unlimited chances because you deal the cards. You can always pick up the pieces and start over with the goal of improving your well-being from this experience.
  8. Accept defeat once, but never again. Throw down those winning cards and run like hell with them. Play them out until it is no longer possible, then find a new strategy.

Heartbreak is difficult, but it doesn’t have to be defining. You can redefine heartbreak by letting your sadness be your turning point, instead of your downfall.

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