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Gundle and Sommerfeldt suggest some options to cure lovesickness below: 1. Thankfully, though, there are a few simple things you can do to help yourself get through this rough patch. Unfortunately, healing from a case of lovesickness isn’t as easy as taking some cough medicine to get over a cold. Is there anything I can do to heal from lovesickness?
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In more severe cases, you might also experience increased depression and anxiety, adds Gundle. Some potential symptoms, per Sommerfeldt, include: There are also very physical, biological reactions you might experience while going through heartbreak. If you’re not sure that what you’re feeling is lovesickness, a few telltale signs “include frequent and persistent thoughts about your romantic interest and a sense of longing for them,” Sommerfeldt says. Think of limerence as a type of infatuation, while lovesickness is more synonymous with heartbreak. “There is usually an addictive quality, a painful obsession that comes from uncertain attachment to limerence that differentiates it from lovesickness,” adds Gundle. “Lovesickness is often described as being profoundly heartbroken, experiencing intense grief, and being consumed by thoughts or feelings related to a romantic partner and a longing to be with them again,” Sommerfeldt adds. “There may also be obsessive thoughts, anxiety, and loss of appetite.” So, your inability to eat or sleep? Totally valid. including heart palpitations, shortness of breath, stomach pain, loss of sleep, and depression,” explains Sarah Gundle, PsyD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in breakups and trauma. “Feeling lovesick isn’t a clinical condition, but it is a biological response, which can produce a host of physical symptoms. Hence its name, lovesickness really can feel like a physical illness or aching. What does it mean to be lovesick?Īlthough lovesickness isn’t defined as an official medical condition, it is a very real, all-consuming phenomenon that can trigger reactions in your body.
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Sarah Gundle, PsyD is a New York-based clinical psychologist who specializes in breakups and trauma.Īhead, read more about lovesickness, including what it is, how long it lasts, and how to alleviate its symptoms, according to psychological experts. Shelley Sommerfeldt, PsyD is a clinical psychologist, relationship coach, and founder of the Loving Roots Project, a virtual wellness practice. “Lovesickness, while not typically recognized clinically as a mental disorder, is considered a very real and true experience,” says Shelley Sommerfeldt, PsyD, a clinical psychologist, relationship coach, and founder of the Loving Roots Project, a virtual wellness practice. While the term lovesickness is often thrown around casually and can mean different things colloquially, it’s also a psychological condition that can have biological consequences. If you resonate with any of the above, you might just have a nasty case of lovesickness. Good news: You’re not alone, and it’s normal if you’re feeling all the feels right now. You can’t help but wonder: Is there something wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way? And is there a way to stop this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad feeling? It feels like your heart is wrenched in your stomach, threatening to shatter into a million little pieces, and no amount of vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream or wholesome episodes of Abbott Elementary is fixing the situation. You feel so sick that you have to fight the urge to puke your guts out. You can’t stop checking your phone to see if maybe, just maybe, they’ll text you one more time. Whatever the scenario may be, there really is nothing worse than heartbreak.
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( Ouch.) Or maybe you took a risk and confessed your love to someone who doesn’t feel the same way, or someone who just can’t return those feelings, like an emotionally unavailable friend or coworker.
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Miley Cyrus really knew what she was talking about when she raspily crooned the lines, “Nothing breaks like a heart.” Perhaps your ex just dumped you, or you found out they were cheating on you with someone else.
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