Breakup City USA: Places in Your City That Will Mend Your Broken Heart

Let’s face it: breakups suck. And no matter how many times you hear yourself or others saying, “oh honey, it was for the best,” your heart still feels the constant pangs of the loss of your romantic relationship. Especially in the first few weeks of your relationship’s disintegration. And what do we usually do when we feel this pain? We shut ourselves in our homes and close our curtains on the world. Understandable, yes. Healthy for an extended period of time? Absolutely not! So get out of your house and let your city heal your broken heart! Here are the top five places in your city guaranteed to make you feel better:

The Park – Walking around your neighborhood park, whether it takes up half of the corner lot or spans a few football fields over, is guaranteed to make you feel better. Walking around kids playing and friends talking stimulates our senses and wakes us up to the fact that life is still happening and there are other people smiling and laughing all around you.

A Local Café – go find an independent coffee shop not too far from your house. Bring a few magazines or a good book. Read the local event newspapers and see what’s going on in your city. Order whatever the person working the counter recommends as the house specialty. Or get a big mug of your favorite drink. Relax in the soft couch and enjoy the home-like comfort that only a locally owned coffee shop can produce. Let yourself relax and sit in silence. This is a fantastic way to have solitude while being among the land of the living (read: the non-brokenhearted).

The Water – If you live near natural water (the gulf, the bay, the ocean, a river, a lake), arrive an hour before sunset and find a comfortable place to sit (consider bringing along a blanket or towel). If you happen to live too far away from any natural water, find a fountain or reservoir or even a pool and do the same. As the sun melts into the horizon gaze out onto the water and let it heal you. Breathe in the scene with all your senses. Taking the time to observe nature has a powerful healing effect.

The Farmer’s Market – Yet another opportunity to mingle with others while maintaining the option to be as private as you like. Buy yourself a bag full of locally grown fruits, vegetables, breads and pastas and plan to cook yourself a beautiful meal. Spend some time at the stands selling flowers. Smell, touch and look at each kind with intensity. Choose the flowers that make you smile the most and buy yourself a bushel. Put them in a vase and display them in the center of your dinner table as a perfect compliment to your home made meal.

The Gym – Very few people have a desire to run a marathon shortly after a breakup (there are a few, though…hey, everyone has their own coping mechanisms!). But most of us are usually feeling depleted of energy and we want to sleep as much as possible. Fight the urge and get your butt to the gym! While your athletic activities at the gym will “get you into shape,” that’s not the point. The point is to let your body feel itself. Do whatever feels right that day – yoga, swimming, running, aerobics, weights, stairs, etc. Anything you do will give you more energy, release toxins from your body and ultimately make you feel better about yourself. Having a workout buddy is even better!

Recovering from a breakup takes time and an understanding that you will often be doing the two step: two steps forward and one step back. But ultimately, remember that you are dancing – chose to find beauty in the melody. Reach out to your city and let it hold your hand through the healing process. Start with these 5 places and find more that are special to you!