Tears are the heart's detox.
For now, just
let yourself float.
It feels like the world has ended.
A gaping hole in your chest.
You don't have to fill it right now.
Sadness, too,
is simply one of our human emotions.
Time is a gentle healer
It's a cliché, but —
time will always heal you.
You may not believe it now, but that's okay.
The characters in books, too,
grew stronger through love and loss.
Norwegian Wood
Haruki Murakami
Writing a letter is, in a sense, arranging your own heart.
Even if it's addressed to no one — just writing your feelings down can make you feel a little lighter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How long does heartbreak last?
Research suggests the acute phase lasts about 3 months on average, but healing isn't linear. Some days you'll feel fine; others, the grief returns. Both are normal.
Q. Is it okay to still miss them?
Of course. Missing someone means they mattered to you. You don't have to stop caring to move forward. The two can coexist.
Q. Can books really help with heartbreak?
Reading about others' experiences of love and loss creates a sense of shared humanity. It's the literary equivalent of a friend saying 'I've been there too.'
Books that understand heartbreak
Tiny Beautiful Things
Cheryl Strayed
Advice column answers so compassionate they feel like a warm embrace. You'll cry, then feel better.
The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion
Grief rendered in exquisite prose. Didion makes the unspeakable speakable.
Convenience Store Woman
Sayaka Murata
About finding your own way, regardless of what society expects. Quietly radical and comforting.