You're not yourself when going through a breakup. You're nervy and on edge, your appetite is shot, and all you really want to do is hunker down in your bed and shoo everyone away.
It turns out, there's a legitimate reason for that. A few years back, Rutgers University anthropologist Helen Fisher used fMRI and advanced brain mapping and discovered that when you're going through a breakup, the same regions of the brain are activated as when an addict is going through withdrawal. In other words, having your heart broken isn't just an emotional hurdle for you to work through, it's a grueling physical process too.
So what's a brokenhearted person to do? In the video above, SoulPancake offers up a 5-step plan for getting over your addiction to your ex -- one that addresses both your physical and emotional needs. (The first step? Put in some one-on-one time with a boxing bag to release all that anger. The second step? List all the hard-won things you've learned from the relationship.)
Watch it, learn from it and who knows? By video's end, you just might be willing to emerge from the depressing Kleenex cave that is currently your bedroom. We're rooting for you!
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