Like A Broken China Plate
"To be human is to love, even when it seems too much, there’s no reason to give up." Sia
The lyrics of the song "To be Human" by Sia seems like the best thing in the world on days when you’re swimming in the cool, calm and refreshing waters of lake of Love. Alas! The reverse is the case when the waters becomes murky, dirty and repulsive. Love is an addictive drug whether taken in sips or gulps. It creates an euphoria that seems limitless until withdrawal sets in and the harsh reality of its symptoms makes you ache, craving for more and none of it.
Shockingly, heartbreak is not just the expensive price of an Unreciprocated love, a long lost love or a love ship that’s sunk in the midst of the ocean. Heartbreak is the price for love in all its forms. It is a profound sense of loss attached to a valuable object, person, feeling or idea. If you hold it dear, there’s a great likelihood it’ll break your heart. However, this is not to deter you from loving immensely, unabashedly, with no regrets knowing that you’ve given it your all. Even if it is painful, know that pain especially emotional pain has the ability to change our lives and we can choose the direction of that change.
The pain of heartbreak can be physical as well as emotional triggering a stress response that causes the release of the hormones Norepinephrine and Cortisol. This stress response often called "emotional shock", "psychological shock" and " acute stress reaction" comes with a myriad of physical symptoms like insomnia or hypersomnia ( sleeping too much or not sleeping enough) , a racing heart, headaches, muscle tension, random physical pains and aches, loss of appetite and chest tightness. Psychologists who study pain classify heartbreak as social pain ; an experience of pain as a result of interpersonal rejection or loss such as rejection from a social group, bullying, or the loss of a loved one. This results in the activation of certain components in physical pain systems. This activation of pain is real and not one that can be "snapped out of" like some people think.
In many fictional tales, movies and books, lovestruck characters die from heartbreak. The shocking truth is that people can die from a broken heart albeit in rare cases. This death is often an extreme result of a condition called "Broken heart syndrome". "Broken heart syndrome", "stress cardiomyopathy", or "takotsubo cardiomyopathy" is a temporary and reversible heart condition that mimics heart attack and is triggered by stressful situations, extreme emotions, serious illness, unexpected loss or extreme anxiety. This condition is most common among women, old people, and people with underlying mental health disorders.
Broken heart cardiomyopathy rarely leads to serious complications as people always have a complete recovery after treatment. In serious cases, complications like ventricular dysfunction, heart failure or even death can occur. As the saying goes, "prevention is better than cure". Stress cardiomyopathy can be prevented by learning problem-solving and stress management techniques. Healthy diet, regular checkup and abstaining from unhealthy lifestyle are other ways of preventing it.
This means that even though love can be painful, you can be able to manage the pain and grow to love more deeply. So in the words of Kelly Clarkson, " even if you’re hurt and you can only see the worst. Even if you think it’s not enough. Oh, I dare you to love". Love deeply, even if your heart breaks like a China plate, lace it with gold and love beautifully.
