Most people have experienced a traumatic heartbreak in their life. Even if the breakup with their partner was mutual or didn’t end due to negativity or toxicity, it can leave certain traumas behind.
When a relationship ends, it can lead to a downward spiral of your emotions if you don’t take care of your mental health. If the heartbreak affects your mental health and you do not care for yourself, it can crumble your health like a house of cards. Without proper care, anxiety, depression, and broken self-confidence may last for weeks or even years. A painful breakup affects your mental health severely.
This causes you to make poor decisions, making it challenging to have a proper relationship in the future. Firstly, give yourself grace because every person is different. Some people take breakups hard, while others bounce back quickly. Do not let people give you a timeline to heal yourself. To ensure you start your healing journey, here are a few tips to consider for protecting your health during a bad breakup.
Have a strict mental and physical boundary with your ex
When the breakup is bad, you do not want to have any access to your ex. Emotional and physical boundaries are important to help you navigate this situation. This means blocking them or muting them on social media.
This will give you a chance to grow without constantly looking at their profiles. Also, have physical boundaries. Do not meet your ex, and do not even think about any intimacy.
Acknowledge your emotions and stay kind to yourself
A breakup will bring a lot of emotions to the surface. You will feel relief, guilt, shock, anger, sadness, hopelessness, and so much more. It is truly important that you allow all of these emotions instead of repressing them. Stay true to yourself; acknowledge all the emotions so that you do not carry any emotional baggage with you.
Moreover, it is essential that you be kind and compassionate to yourself. Blaming yourself for the breakup, especially if it was abusive, is wrong. Thinking you are not enough or more will only lead to more pain. Treat yourself as you would treat a friend going through a bad breakup. When you give yourself grace, things automatically start looking better.
Talk to a therapist
Your family and friends can help you a lot when you are going through a breakup. But they cannot provide you with a neutral perspective. Sometimes, you need professional help, a non-judgmental place where you know you can talk about everything. Also, counsellors keep you accountable, so your healing journey becomes a bit easier.
If you are an Australian (60% of whom suffer traumatic heartbreaks), going to Melbourne CBD Counselling & Relationship Counselling can help. A professional can not only help you heal but can also help you find patterns in you that attract toxic relationships.
Consider taking this route irrespective of whether your breakup was bad, good, or abusive. It can really help you manage your pain and get stronger.
Write a letter to your ex
Sometimes, you do not get closure. A breakup can end in silence or ignorance, and the feeling of not getting any answers is tough. One way to get closure is to write a letter to your ex. In that letter, you can write everything—the way he/she let you down, hurt you, and even what he/she did well.
Express gratitude for the happy memories with your ex and explain your heart. You are not sending this letter, so pour your heart out. That way, you might get some closure or start heading in that direction.
Do not stop socializing
Many people stop socializing when going through a difficult breakup. However, this can do you more harm than good. Sure, a few nights of Netflix binging or crying in the corner help. But if you constantly ignore people and don’t socialize, you will increase your mental health troubles.
Go out, meet friends, plan vacations with family, or work at an NGO for some company. You do not have to dive back into the dating pool, but go out and meet new people and make friends.
Final Thoughts
Breakups are hard, and if a particular breakup is bad, it can lead to severe emotional distress if you do not care for yourself. A breakup causes severe emotional pain, similar to physical pain.
If the relationship was toxic or physically or psychologically abusive, your mental health can suffer. You might feel like blaming yourself, or you can make wrong & impulsive decisions.
So, it is important that you prioritize your health by talking to a therapist, ending any type of contact with your ex, and more.