A broken heart means a broken brain. You have trouble concentrating on work. You have trouble motivating yourself to get your chores done. You have trouble thinking about anything, except for the person who walked away.
A broken heart means lowered energy. You don’t want to get out of bed. There’s no reason for you to face the day, because the only thing you were looking forward to doing (talking to him, seeing him, loving him) isn’t supposed to happen anymore.
A broken heart means unfulfilled promises. You used to have hope that you two would take that tropical vacation or walk down that rose petaled aisle — and now, you know those things are never going to happen. You feel like you have nothing to look forward to. Like all of your good times are in the past.
A broken heart means isolation. You turn down dates with other people, because you aren’t ready to put yourself out there yet. You ignore your best friend’s phone calls, because you don’t really feel like talking to anyone. You hide yourself away from the world.
A broken heart means confusion. You stay up longer than you should, staring at your ceiling and thinking about all of the ways you could be better. All of the reasons why he could have decided that he didn’t want you anymore.
A broken heart means loneliness. You reach for the other side of the bed and then remember you’re alone in your room. You reach for your phone and then remember you have no one to text.
A broken heart means loss. You stop going to certain stores, because you don’t want to run into him. You stop talking to certain friends, because they were really more his friends. Everything about your old life grids to a halt.
A broken heart means disinterest. You turn off the shows you used to love watching, because if you were still dating, you would be watching them inside of his bedroom. Together. You would never watch an episode without each other. And now, you still don’t want to watch it alone.
A broken heart means skepticism. You feel like everything that you used to believe was a lie. You wonder if true love even exists at all.
But a broken heart isn’t always a bad thing.
A broken heart means a new start. A clean slate. A million new potentials for your future.
A broken heart means change. You dye your hair a different color and start wearing different clothes, because you need a boost in confidence. Because you don’t want to look like the same person that had her heart torn in two.
A broken heart means growth. It means discovering more about yourself. It means learning what makes you happy and what you deserve the most.
A broken heart means freedom. It means you are no longer tied down to a person who didn’t understand your beauty. It means you have the chance to find your forever person, for real this time. 
Holly Riordan is the author of
Severe(d), A Creepy Poetry Collection.
Pre-order your copy here.
