Mend a broken heart – “Breathe” away the blues
We live in a stressed-out world and, more often than not, have stressed-out lives. Our schedules are jam-packed with triple-booked appointments and get-togethers. The pace can be frantic. Sound familiar? The “play all day, party all night” mentality as a recreational mantra is killer in and of itself. Throw in a relationship in ruins and you’re headed for a nuclear meltdown!
When your heart’s been broken, and, in all likelihood, broken hard, you feel a devastating pit in your stomach and have a sensation that your heart is actually split in two. You can’t eat, you can’t sleep, you can’t think, you can’t function, you can’t socialize. Every day is a dark, cold, rainy day.
Let me bring some gentle comfort to you. What you are feeling is very real.
There is a certain physical response to your breakup. As much as you try to be strong and carry on, it’s your mind that involves your body. Too often this is why a broken heart feels like a real mechanical breakdown. Like a real pain in your heart.
Grief, sadness and anxiety are all stimulate the limbic system, structures that are in the oldest part of the brain that control emotions, arousal, cravings, motivation, mood and memories. Any upheaval to the limbic system causes chemicals called neurotransmitters to falter or fail. Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, are the brain’s mood regulators. If their production is disturbed, so, too, are your stress reactions, particular emotions, sleep and appetite. It’s those stress hormones that make you feel so awful and heavy-hearted.
Be kind to yourself. Try undertaking some breathing exercises to calm your spirit. Achieving relaxation is the supreme nourishment for the body, mind, and soul. Deep breathing exercises help to create balance within you. You only need to give yourself permission to give this a try.
Diaphragmatic, or belly, breathing, is the easiest form of breathing to learn. Your belly rises and falls as your lungs are fully inflated, and your diaphragm stays loose and flexible. Breathe rhythmically and deep. Work towards filling your lungs fully with each inhale, and emptying them fully with each exhale.
Diaphragmatic breathing increases the amount of oxygen taken into your blood stream and therefore increases the amount available to your muscles. A greater amount of air is exchanged when you breathe deeply, causing your breathing rhythm to slow and become steadier. This, in turn, calms your nerves and steadies your emotions, bringing about relaxation and a sense of control.
Try 3 sets of 10 reps of deep breaths and exhales with 10 reps of regular breathing. With a bit of practice and patience, you’ll find it easier and easier to slip into a deep relaxing state faster. Joining a yoga class for a short time while the worst of the hurt is still hurting really badly is ideal.
By learning how to calm yourself, you’re able to get “centred”, get “re-focused”, and re-connect with who you are.
Deep breathing will help you reduce your stress levels, assist you in coping you’re your anxiety, and will definitely increase your self-esteem. A sense of relaxation coaxes along your peace of mind. The breathing exercises actually cause your muscles to relax as well. Once you are relaxed, you’ve tapped into the mind-body connection, which helps to re-build your spirit.
Even, Dr. Phil weighs in on this issue, “Sometimes the relationship you need to rescue is the one with yourself. Moving past a breakup is about you, not your ex.”
Your mental health and well-being are just as important as the physical. There’s no denying that breakups can be very painful. A broken heart creates a ripple effect throughout our bodies. It’s key to tap into the mind-body connection and find ways to calm ourselves and bring more balance to our spirits. You deserve as much.
Live Fit – Live Beautifully.
REFS/Sources:
The Mental Athlete – Kay Porter, 2003, Chapter 5, “Preparing your mind and body for mental training” – breathing for relaxation
Mindtools.com
Homemakers.com
DrPhil.com
Selfgrowth.com
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