As James Baldwin said: “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.”
Sharing your story is an important part of healing (it’s called “”emotional disclosure”” in psychology), whether you share with a friend, journal or therapist. It’s also important to hear these stories because you will see that someone else has been there; someone else has made it through, and so will you.
This week’s roundup of stories…
“Think about it–no one in the 1700s was getting blind-sighted by an oil painting of their former significant other with his new beau. From what I understand, it took about five years to send a letter and everyone died at 25.”
-Margaret on breaking up in the digital age (manrepeller.com)
“When we fall in love, we don’t do it with an endpoint in mind, no expiration date on the horizon. To fall in love is to do the impossible, to promise the one thing you can’t really promise: ‘Because I care about you, I will not hurt you.'”
-Ella on what it feels like to fall out of love (thoughtcatalog.com)
“And I found that when I let myself just feel the feelings, it didn’t last that long. It was bearable. Sure the pain was excruciating for a short while, but then I got to the other side. And it was clear. Like, sun rising across a field of wild, tall grass kind of clear.”
-Sarah on why she chose to be sober after her breakup (singlegalstartingover.wordpress.com)
