[REPOST]: How to Survive Heartbreaks

This post is dedicated to a friend who just came out from a failed relationship... you know who you are... ;)

Does time heal the broken heart? I concluded that some things can be forgiven but cannot be forgotten and that a broken heart is like a broken vase. When a vase is broken, we can glue the broken pieces together but the cracks will remain. Same goes for the heart; once the heart has been broken, although it may heal in time, the scars will always be there.

The reason I did this topic is because I have personally experienced heartbreaks throughout my childhood, adolescence and the beginning of my adulthood. The Survival Kit for the Brokenhearted is something that we all hope for; something that people wish they have at their homes. I have always wondered how we can overcome grief in fun and unconventional ways hence this assignment allows me to explore more on overcoming grief in ways that are unexpected and out of the ordinary. The outcome of my exploration is depicted in the survival kit.

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How to Survive Heartbreaks

(Final Assignment for Contextual Studies)

Some experts said two months is long enough for deep grief; others said six months. Some people said to allow one year for mourning. Still others said there is no set time limit; that it varies from person to person. We grieve and the duration of our grief is as unique as our fingerprints. How we survive, heal, and grow after a death are determined by our relationship with the person who left, and that person's age. Broken hearts and shattered souls are not controlled by a stopwatch. We should be allowed to mourn as long as we need to.

Getting hurt is inevitable. In every stage of life: childhood, adolescence and adulthood; there are different kinds of heartbreaks. When we are heartbroken, we try to go about our daily routine, try not to think about it too much. But somehow it keeps coming back, sweeping over us like a wave. The harsh reality of it is that nothing really works - not completely anyway. There is no easy fix. Don't we just wish that there is a way to heal our broken hearts? Don't we just wish we all have a Survival Kit for the Brokenhearted in our homes, like the First Aid Kit or something? The things found inside a Survival Kit for the Brokenhearted would be a manual book that has 10 Healthy & Effective Ways to Overcome Grief as well as 10 Unhealthy BUT Fun Ways to Overcome Grief.

Here are the 10 Healthy & Effective Ways to Overcome Grief:

1. Music - Potent Medicine.
Music has a tremendous healing effect. History has proven this with virtually every race and culture. The key is to find the right music. Certain songs are perfectly suited to help soothe a mending heart.

2. Writing – You Need A Creative Outlet.
Here's the tip: It's best with a pen or pencil - NO KEYBOARD! Start with a letter, or maybe try a poem.

3. Read short stories or a novel.

4. Back in time - A trip home.

5. Regaining Faith.
Getting a handle on managing your heart by hearing what your head has to say.

Head Versus Heart:

In the battle of head versus heart, heart will almost always win. But here's the truth to give your head a fighting chance.

Myth: Your heart will never fully recover.

Reality: It will.

It's important that you have faith in the fact that you'll get over your broken heart. The emotional part of your mind finds this hard to believe. But your rational mind has to be strong, and convince you that you will.

6. Make T-Shirts.

7. Talk to a few trusted people who have a lot of experience in relationships. You might just learn a thing or two from them.

8. Go on a shopping spree. It's very therapeutic – especially for ladies.

9. Do charity work. You will eventually realize that people in worst conditions than just being heartbroken can still live their lives happily and positively.

10. Play your favorite sport(s) with friends.


These are the 10 Unhealthy BUT Fun Ways to Overcome Grief:

1. Scream at the top of your lungs on a hilltop.

2. Take embarrassing photos of the person who hurt you; photocopy the photos and then distribute them.

3. Crank call the person a few times a day for a month.

4. Start writing a "burn" book, which contains words and visuals about the people who hurt you, then publish it.

5. Eat all your favorite food in one day.

6. Go bar top dancing.

7. Run around your neighborhood at night NAKED.

8. Go skinny dipping.

9. Put cow dung (or maybe just dog poo) on the person's car.

10. Spread rumors about that person (that he's gay or he has STD).

Besides the manual, there are Magic Plasters that heal "open wounds" instantly. The method is simple, just put the plaster over your heart and all the heartaches caused by broken friendships, parents' divorce and death of loved ones during childhood would be instantly gone. For broken friendships, broken boy-girl relationships, parents' divorce and death of loved ones that happened during adolescence, there are four different types of Fun Pills that heal the different types of heartache respectively. Last but not least, for adulthood, there are two types of Miracle Potion that erases all unhappy memories about divorce (or broken relationships) and death of loved ones.

The Manual Book

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Magic Plasters for Childhood Heartbreaks

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Fun Pills for Adolescence Heartbreaks

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Miracle Potions for Adulthood Heartbreaks

Through this topic of heartbreaks and surviving them, I have learnt many things about my past. I went through a journey of self-rediscovery, into the world of repressed memories. I was able to put my own denial away and undergo my healing journey as I recalled the saddest and the most heartbreaking moments in my life. Through this topic, I had faced the ghosts of my past and I have conquered them. In fact, I did more than just conquering them... I have overcome them! In other words, I have survived them and I hope I would be able to handle heartbreaks better in the future.

The Survival Kit for the Brokenhearted

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These are some of my classmates' projects:

Diana Sang's Project: My Childhood

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Lim Shan Yuan's Project: My Fear of Marriage

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Melissa Ng's Project: The Suicide Room

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Liyana Osman's Project: My Deadly Countdown

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Sharina Faizal's Project: The 7 Levels of Hell

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Tan Chee Kiang's Project: The Book of 7 Deadly Sins

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Eunice Liew's Project: The Book of Friendship

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Peter Michelle Lee's Project: The Beautiful World of Blind People

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M&M - Melissa & Malcolm