How Long Does It Actually Take To Get Over A Breakup?

Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash

Breakups are hard and painful. In a recent survey, getting divorced or a breakup was the second most stressful life event, with 44% of respondents considering it the worst (via Study Finds). Moving topped the list of the most stressful life event at 45%.

Ending a relationship is never easy, even if it’s the best decision of your life. While it might be a little easier for the person initiating the breakup, both parties suffer. According to a study published in the Journal of Neurophysiology, breakups are painful because “it activates the part of the brain associated with motivation, reward and addiction cravings” (via Hey Sigmund). They compared romantic love to a kind of addiction as romantic rejection, and cocaine craving affects the same part of the brain as people are constantly thinking about their exes. There’s no denying that breakups can feel like the worst experience of your life, and at the time, it might feel like you’ll never get over it, but the study showed that it does get easier with time. Your mind needs time to heal, and that’s what you need to give yourself.

You might think it’s going to take you years to get over a breakup, but according to experts, it doesn’t take as long as you think. Of course, the length of your relationship plays a vital role in how easy or difficult it might be to move on, but the good…