We all fear if there will be a day when we have to leave behind a relationship. It could be one with a partner, friend or even a family member. But sometimes, if the situation calls for it, we need to walk away and risk a broken heart in order to heal later. 

     Relationships are something that can cause a lot of pain in our lives. We may have someone we love who hurts us to the point of feeling a stabbing pain in our chests that seems more than just emotional. We may have someone that we trusted before they tore apart that trust like a piece of paper. Our trust becomes something completely unrecognizable. 

     There are many scenarios that can play out in relationships. However, we tend to avoid leaving toxic relationships from fear of a broken heart for ourselves and the other person. 

     A broken heart can bring a lack of energy that goes beyond any emotional tiredness. This lethargy causes physical fatigue that makes you feel pain.

     According to Healthline.com, a health and wellness assisting website, “Recent research has found that people who have recently been through a [heartbreak] experience similar brain activity when shown photos of their loved one as they do when in physical pain.” 

     When a person feels physical pain like that, it is because the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in their brains are being triggered simultaneously. The parasympathetic system is what controls your body’s resting state. On the other hand, the sympathetic nervous system is what controls your “flight or fight” response. When you feel heartbreak, both systems are triggered, and your body has no idea how to react. 

     It’s no wonder that most of us try to avoid heartbreak as much as possible. You feel a pain that seems unexplainable. There’s an ache that makes your heart feel like it’s coming apart piece by piece until you’re not sure there is anything left. The only thing reminding you that you have a heart after everything you’ve felt is the pounding rhythm coursing through your chest. 

     Many people of all ages try to avoid walking away from someone meaningful in their life due to the risk of heartbreak on both sides. You don’t want to feel this dark cloud in your head telling you to cry, nor do you want other people to feel it. You want to save each other from these types of feelings. But you can’t. 

     The fear needs to be pushed aside in order to feel freedom from a toxic relationship. Believe me, I understand this feeling. When I walked away from someone, I felt this deep, homesick longing for a person I knew I couldn’t return to. I knew that leaving a person behind would cause my heart to break as well as theirs, but it was necessary. I was scared, but now I’m in a much better place than I could have ever hoped for. 

     If we can all move that fear of a broken heart out of our minds when it comes to ending a relationship, then perhaps everything would be easier. Of course, it’s still going to hurt. But maybe once we can find a way to face the inevitable, we can finally conquer our fear. 

     A broken heart can heal. It just takes time. Remember that when you are faced with this sort of dilemma. From something shattered comes time for healing.