6 science-backed ways to feel good about yourself if you’ve just broken up

Burning couple pictures and love letters, or simply holding on to the pillow too tight; venting out frustration in a hardcore workout or simply drowning your sorrows in a tub of ice cream; partying it out or simply crying yourself to sleep—there’s so much that you can do to get over those memories of romantic dinners, of that first date, of that first kiss, and basically of the person you never thought would break your vulnerable heart.

Unfortunately, though, the hurt fails every possible defence and the memories, the longing, the pain comes back to bite you in the ass, often making you feel down and low.

In fact, according to a study published in The American Physiological Society, any form of rejection in love can cause a profound sense of loss and the negative feelings it can induce can even lead you into clinical depression and create suicidal tendencies! You know, many researchers have gone to lengths and studied MRI scan of heart-broken people over the years only to find that a break-up can cause the same reaction as leaving some kind of addiction and thus, even lead to withdrawal symptoms. 

Now, since science has already identified the problem with love or perhaps, the loss of it, it has also found some solutions to recover from the darkness. Here are 6 science-backed ways of feeling better post a break-up:

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1. Take a cue from Kareena Kapoor in Jab We Met

Come on ladies, the woman spent months in isolation, reminiscing her sweet, innocent love with a coward like Anshuman—until hell broke loose as she let out all the negative, repressed feelings about the guy who broke her heart. If this sounds too filmy, you’ve got to know that the findings of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, totally support Imtiaz Ali’s creative genius and tout ‘negatively reappraising the ex’ as a great strategy to heal from a break-up.

While calling your ex and throwing cuss words isn’t a very decent way of doing it, you can always try to highlight your ex’s negative traits in your head whenever the positive ones make you miss him.

2. Read sad quotes

The same study also found that reading and believing statements of acceptance like “It’s ok to love someone I’m no longer with” can further help you get over the break-up. So, go ahead and read those poems, and sad quotes about letting go of the person you were once in love with.

3. Unfollow him on social media

There’s no denying the fact that cutting out the only means to keep a tab on his life or maybe to establish a one-way connection with your ex-lover is hard. However, a study featured in the journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, found that doing so can make your case better over time. Because if you continue to be in his friend list, it might worsen your heartbreak by exposing you to facets of his new life without you, while you’re already hurting. So, stay away from him and his social media if you really want to stand back up on your feet.

4. Vent out

Be it talking to a friend about your feelings or simply sweating it out at the gym to channel all that pent up negative energy, you’ve got to let out the negative emotions according to a research conducted at the University of Alberta. You can even create a journal and pen down your feelings to feel better.

5. Make a list

Not of his negative qualities, duh! The whole point is to not make things about him all the time and concentrate on yourself. So, make a list of the perks of being single recommend the researchers in the study quoted above. That’s not it. This is also the time to tick some pending adventures off your bucket list.

6. Find a distraction

FYI, no one is recommending a rebound here, okay? By distraction, medical science means pursuing a hobby of choice or simply spending more time with friends and family. Needless to say, the sense of accomplishment and the love and support from close ones can make you feel way better.