Broken hearts are a part of life, especially if you’re dating. We can’t avoid it, but what we can do is deal with it in a more positive and productive way. I know from experience that broken hearts are one of the worst feelings you can experience in life.  It’s an intense emotional pain that is very very real.  Some studies have even shown that a broken heart hurts in the same way as any other intense physical pain – well it sure feels like it!  When you’re experiencing a broken heart you have feelings of intense anger, deep sadness and melancholy, maybe even a mental breakdown or two… not to forget the all too common pity party.  How do you deal with a broken heart and heal? ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Top 10 Ways To Heal Your Broken Heart:

1. Allow yourself to feel what you need to feel: it’s OK to feel anger, sadness, pain, happiness, depression but don’t let it last too long because then it could become obsessive
2. Cry your heart out when you feel like crying:a good crying session does wonders and really can make you feel better
3. Do something that makes you happy:going out with your friends or a spa day or maybe an activity can help distract you and focus on something more positive
4. Talk to someone you trust:it’s important, when you’re ready, to talk it out with a good friend or family member, it not only helps put things in to perspective, it just feels better (just don’t repeat the same story to the same person over and over and over again)
5. Don’t over analyze every single word they said and action they did: you might be tempted to think over what happened, good bad and ugly, and analyze and obsess over it, just don’t do it because it will only make you feel worse and won’t solve anything, just learn from the experience and move on
6. Surround yourself with people who care about you:doing this will help you focus on the positive aspects in your life and makes you feel loved regardless of the broken heart
7. Be productive: focusing on work or something creative or even cleaning the house will help get your mind off feeling sorry for yourself and being productive feels good so it’s positive
8. Take care of your health:make sure to eat and stay active, some comfort food is OK just don’t indulge too much
9. Be grateful:have an attitude of gratitude and focus on what you do have that’s great in your life and not the broken heart, it’s all about perspective
10. Boost your ego: buy a new outfit, get a makeover and go out on the town, write down all the awesome positive things you DO have going for your life

The important thing is to try and stay positive and focus on the good things in your life.  Deal with the situation maturely and don’t obsess over it.  It is possible to get over a broken heart, it’s all about where you’re focusing your energy. You cannot get over this if you don’t let yourself go through the healing process like every other sickness and pain you’ve endured.  Sometimes it takes longer than others, sometimes there is a scar left over, but you will heal and you will get stronger day by day.

READERS: How do you deal with a broken heart? Do you agree with the 10 ways I’ve listed in this article? Would you add/remove any? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

Your Sister in Dating Bliss,

Single Dating Diva

Originally appeared on eHarmony Canada.