When defining heartbreak, phrases like "complete and total loss" or "overwhelming sadness" are pretty common.
And, almost immediately, it is assumed anyone with a broken heart is in that state because of a lost love. You know, the typical story: Boy meets girl, boy dates girl, boy dumps girl, girl is heartbroken, and vice-versa. The thing is, though, heartbreak comes in many, many forms and it's caused my multiple different things.
The first time I got my heart broken was when I was in high school. A boy told me he loved me and then left me and I thought it was the end of the world. I was angry and sad and I felt alone. Heartbreak is a real b*tch, honestly.
The thing about heartbreak is that you never, ever see it coming. There is never some sign or gut feeling or anything of the sort. One day everything is okay, and the next, it's not. Nothing is okay and your whole world is in chaos.
The second, third, fourth, fifth, and millions of dozens of times after that were from small things you don't think hurt but really do.
I got an "F" on an English assignment. I was always amazing in English, and I got an "F." I think I cried for few days after that, maybe even a week or two. It wasn't a very big grade, but it still hurt that it happened.
I lost my best friend. The person I had had more fun with than anyone, the person that made all of my sad days happy, and my other half.
I fought with my mom. Not a small fight that was over in a few days, either. This fight ran for months and I felt my heart break every second that she was away.
My grandpa died and a part of me went with him. I was left here with a lot of regrets the day he went away. It was (and still is) the hardest thing I've ever gone through.
Friends break you heart, lovers break your heart, family breaks your heart, and everyday occurrences break your heart.
It doesn't matter who does it, it always hurts like hell.
But, there are ways to distract yourself while you stitch yourself back together.
So, here's my advice for all you heartbroken individuals out there:
1. Binge watch Netflix.
2. Seriously, binge watch Netflix.
3. Drink a couple of cups of coffee or hot chocolate.
4. Yeah, go ahead and drink that bottle of wine, too.
5. Eat a ton of chocolate.
On a more serious note, though, it's okay to cry. It's okay to snot and sob and lose all control all over the place. It's okay to be lost right now.
Because when it's over, you will find yourself again. Maybe not the you that you remember, but it'll still be you.
And, at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.