Have you ever felt so heartbroken that it seemed to take over your entire life? You may be suffering from lovesickness. This type of emotional distress can make you feel like you’re losing control.
Missing someone can disturb your sleep, appetite, and even brain chemistry. It’s much more severe than feeling sad or lonely.
This post discusses the symptoms of lovesickness and offers ways to cope. Keep reading to learn how to recognize and manage these feelings.
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What is Lovesickness?
Lovesickness is not a formal medical term. It happens when love or loss causes physical and emotional pain. The brain areas linked to cocaine addiction light up during love rejection.
Broken heart syndrome links lovesickness with heart problems.
Humans seek companionship, and loneliness brings deep emotional pain. This need for connection leads to intense feelings of sadness and longing.
Causes of Lovesickness
Strong feelings for someone can cause lovesickness. A breakup or unshared love can also bring on these emotions.
Intense Emotional Attachment
You get very attached to someone you love, and this attachment can feel like an addiction. Dr. Jenn Kennedy says love and heartbreak significantly affect both mind and body. You may think about the person all day.
Strong feelings for someone can lead to stress-induced cardiomyopathy, also known as heartbreak syndrome. This condition affects your heart health by causing symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath.
Your mental well-being may suffer as well, leading to anxiety and low mood.
Sudden Breakups or Separation
Sudden breakups can hurt deeply. You may feel an empty stomach, racing thoughts, and sleepless nights. These symptoms are common when love ends quickly.
Heartbreak might make you lose your appetite or feel tired all the time. Some people get headaches from stress or sadness. It’s normal to grieve and cry during this challenging time.
Unreciprocated Feelings
Feeling love that is not returned can hurt a lot. You may feel sadness and grief like you are going through the stages of grief. It can cause anxiety, worry, and even physical pain.
You might have obsessive thoughts about someone who doesn’t love you. Your heart may race, or you might lose your appetite. This mental and emotional stress can also make sleeping hard or finding energy for daily tasks.
5 Emotional Symptoms of Lovesickness
You might deeply long for the person you love.
1. Overwhelming Longing or Desire
You may feel an intense longing or desire for the person you miss. This might be as strong as mourning a lost loved one. It can often seem like you’re going through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
Feeling this way is normal in romantic relationships or after breaking up. Racing thoughts about the person may keep you awake at night, and you might also feel a coldness in your stomach that won’t go away.
2. Obsessive Thoughts About the Loved One
You may find it hard to stop thinking about your loved one. These thoughts can fill most of your day and make it hard to focus on anything else. Your brain might replay memories or wonder what they are doing now.
Missing someone can change how your brain works. It can feel like you can’t escape these thoughts, making everyday tasks challenging. Obsessive thinking is a common sign of lovesickness and affects mental health badly.
3. Sadness and Grief
Sadness can take over your heart. You might feel a heavy weight in your chest. Missing someone feels like mourning, just like losing a loved one. Your mind may often wander to memories with them.
Grief fills you with sorrow and pain. It can make every day seem dark and hard to get through. These feelings are common after breakups or unrequited love. This type of sadness is part of the grieving process and needs time for healing.
4. Anxiety and Worry
Anxiety and worry come with lovesickness. You might always feel nervous and tense—your mind races with thoughts of your loved one.
Lovesickness can cause sweating, chest pain, and a fast heartbeat. These physical symptoms make it hard to relax. You may find yourself feeling overwhelmed by these emotions daily.
5. Loneliness and Isolation
Loneliness can hurt deeply. You miss the warmth and comfort of someone special. Social media may remind you of times you felt close to them, making it even harder.
You might feel isolated, like no one understands your pain. This loneliness can make your heart ache, much like withdrawal symptoms. It is tough, but sharing your feelings with friends or a licensed psychologist can help.
5 Physical Symptoms of Lovesickness
You may feel a knot in your stomach and have sleepless nights. Read more to understand all the signs.
1. Loss of Appetite
Your brain’s fight-or-flight response can block hunger. This might cause you to lose your appetite. Dr. Kennedy says that tough relationships can create anxiety, which leads to no appetite, tiredness, and headaches.
Feeling lovesick often means not wanting food. You may feel too sad or stressed to eat. It’s normal for your body to react this way when upset over a breakup or unreciprocated love.
This lack of energy can make you weak and even more downhearted.
2. Trouble Sleeping
Trouble sleeping is common in lovesickness. Insomnia can last over a year. You might lie awake thinking about the person you miss.
Sleep deprivation can harm your health. It raises the risks of stroke and heart attack. Lack of sleep also affects work performance and intimacy with others. Seek help from mental health professionals if needed to improve your sleep and well-being.
3. Physical Pain and Discomfort
Lovesickness can hurt your body. You might feel feverish, have headaches, or even struggle to breathe normally. Heart palpitations are common, too. These fast heartbeats can worry you and make you feel worse.
Your stomach and chest can ache as well. Some people feel nausea or tightness in their chests. This pain is linked to high stress levels from lovesickness. It is important to recognize these signs and take steps for better mental health care.
4. Increased Stress and Anxiety
Missing someone special can make you feel very stressed. Your body reacts by producing stress hormones like cortisol. This makes your heart race and your muscles tight.
You might worry a lot and find it hard to focus on anything else. Anxiety can also cause physical symptoms like headaches or a knotted stomach. Taking care of yourself is essential, even if it feels hard.
Talking with friends or seeking help from healthcare professionals can also reduce these feelings.
5. Lack of Energy
Feeling lovesick can make you very tired. You might feel drained because your mind is always on the person you miss. This constant thinking takes up a lot of energy.
Relationship challenges can cause fatigue, especially after a breakup. Your body feels heavy and weak; sometimes, doing simple tasks like getting out of bed or focusing on work is hard.
Ways to Cope with Lovesick Symptoms
Learn how to handle lovesickness by focusing on your growth and seeking support from friends.
Accepting Your Feelings
Accept your feelings. Understand that it is okay to miss someone important. Life continues without them, but you still feel the pain. Dr. Phillips advises managing these emotions by focusing on one task at a time.
Pay attention to what you need. Acknowledge your sadness and grief without shame or guilt. This helps you better deal with complicated grief and emotional responses. Accepting your feelings also means giving yourself empathy and self-compassion.
Focus on Personal Growth
Focus on your personal growth. Use this time to work on yourself and improve. Try new hobbies or learn something new.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help manage negative emotions. Thought replacement is a valuable technique from CBT. Replace sad thoughts with positive ones.
Physical exercise is another excellent way to boost mood and energy levels. Take daily walks or try yoga for stress relief.
Build strong social connections. Spend time with friends and family or join a club to meet people with similar interests.
Engaging in Activities
Fill your schedule with fun activities. This can help distract you from sadness. Try new hobbies like painting or biking. Play a sport, go to a movie, or read a book.
Stay in touch with loved ones. Spend time with friends and family to feel better. These actions boost mental wellness and lift loneliness.
Seeking Support from Friends and Family
Seek the help of friends and family. They can provide vital emotional support when you feel lovesick. Talking with trusted people can also ease sadness, worry, and loneliness.
Join support groups to find others in similar situations. Especially for military loss grief, these groups offer much-needed comfort. Therapy may also assist if self-regulation techniques fail.
Therapists can guide you through tricky times using emotion regulation strategies like dialectical behavioral therapy or mindfulness meditation sessions.
The Bottom Line
Lovesickness can affect your mind and body. You might feel sad, worried, or lonely. You could also lose sleep and not want to eat.
The tips are easy to follow: accept your feelings, focus on yourself, stay busy, and talk to friends or family.
These steps can help you heal faster. Don’t forget that taking care of yourself is vital.
Check out Thriveworks for therapy services online or in person for more support.
