Okay, so you blew it and the love of your life dumped you...
Well, don't do what one man in China recently did. He tried to win his ex-girlfriend back by standing outside her home and chopping off 3 of his fingers! It didn't work.
But love can drive you crazy. According to Dr. Helen Fisher, author of the book "Why We Love", love affects the body through the mesolimbic reward system, which is activated by the feel-good chemical dopamine. What does all that science talk mean?
That love parallels drug addiction. And getting over a relationship, you'll go through some of the same withdrawal symptoms. Like cravings, obsession, distortion of reality, and loss of control. So here's a 4 step plan to ease out of a relationship with all your fingers in tact from Dr. Fisher:
- Step 1: Purge. Remove all evidence of the addictive substance that is, your ex. Stay away from them and all reminders of the relationship. Even the briefest contact can fire up brain circuits linked to obsessive love.
- Step 2: Focus. The falling levels of dopamine in your body will make you feel melancholy. But concentrating on things that you're good at like work or a hobby will boost your dopamine levels. You'll feel energized and hopeful again.
- Step 3 in mending your heart: Sweat. Exercising will drive up your levels of dopamine. Running, walking, or cycling for 30 minutes 5 days a week will put you back on track emotionally.
- And the final step in breaking your addiction to your ex: Get some sun. Sunlight stimulates the pineal gland, which regulates body rhythms and elevates your mood. Dr. Fisher recommends at least 15 minutes of sun exposure every day for a week.










