Trust me, we've all been there. A bad breakup can seem like your world is ending, and it may actually feel like you're dying.
Your head spins, your heart aches, and every little malady is magnified until you're just a writhing ball of pain underneath your bed sheets eating ice cream while listening to "Without You" by Mariah Carey. Like I said, we've all been there.
But you might be surprised to hear that there are actual medical side effects from ending a relationship on the wrong terms.
Have you experienced any of these?
Substance Abuse
When you're in a happy, committed relationship, just being around your partner gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside. That feeling is made up of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin, and are called neurotransmitters.
When your body stops getting those as often as it was used to, you start to look for other ways to get them, and one way is drinking. Be careful, it may feel good now, but it causes serious problems down the line.
Weight Changes
Another way that you can regain that feeling is by eating, which is why there is the stereotypical weight gain after losing someone in your life.
You should also be careful of eating less, as being hurt emotionally can lead to a prolonged loss of appetite.
Trouble Sleeping
Not many people talk about it, but when going through a rough breakup, a lot of people find they have trouble going to sleep and waking up in the morning.
Insomnia brought on from heartbreak sucks twice as much, since now there is more time to think about your woes at a time when you aren't thinking clearly.
Written On Your Face
You may be trying to put on a brave face to convince your friends and family that you're doing okay, but you can't fool everyone.
Researchers have found that there are micro expressions that people give off, even if they are trying to cover up their sadness. It takes time before this goes back to normal.
Lose Yourself
In a relationship, you are one part of a unit that helps define who you are. When that other part decides to leave, suddenly, you have lost more than just a person in your life, you have lost much of what made you, you.
To get over the loss, you are forced to fill in the void. Some people make healthy decisions, others, not so much. But no matter what, you grow into a different person than you once were.
However, these aren't the most serious consequences following a breakup...
Sex Drive Takes A Dive
Your friends may be pushing for you to get back out there and meet new people quickly, but you know it's not that easy. Your libido takes quite a hit when someone you love decides to break it off, and the damage to your self esteem takes a long time to recover.
By focusing on the positive things in life that you are good at, you will soon build your self confidence back up and feel like yourself again in no time!
Serious Depression
This is more than a mild sadness from feeling hurt, depression is a constant and debilitating struggle against negative impulses. If the depression festers and is allowed to get worse, it can get so severe that people have been known to harm themselves because of it.
Don't Feed Into Loneliness
Even if it seems crazy, your brain actually 'likes' it when you go through pain. It releases dopamine when you are happy, but it does it when you are sad, too.
It's easy for someone to just feed into the loneliness to feel anything at all, you have to learn to deny that feeling to yourself in order to move on.
Heart Pains
It goes without saying that breakups cause your heart to hurt, but it's more than just the sinking feeling that moves from your throat to your chest.
Cardiologists and doctors who have studied heartbreak have found that some patients have actually had heart contractions in the midst of loss. This has the same feeling as an actual heart attack.
Stressed Out
More than if you had forgotten to do your homework, your body goes into overdrive and places a ton of pressure on your systems.
Cortisol, which is a stress hormone, spikes upwards and brings with it many symptoms that you can't ignore. Your heart rate increases, your blood pressure goes up, and you start breathing much faster.
Remember, heart break can cause serious problems, and if you need to talk to someone, do it. It might just save your life.
