I Feel Lovesick: What to Do and How to Cope

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Does It Mean to Be Lovesick?Signs You’re Feeling LovesickHow to Overcome Feeling LovesickHow to Get Help

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Does It Mean to Be Lovesick?

Signs You’re Feeling Lovesick

How to Overcome Feeling Lovesick

How to Get Help

Close

Is lovesickness real? Though the term “lovesick” might sound like an imaginary or exaggerated state of mind, it’s a very real feeling that can have a notable impact on your emotional well-being. In some cases, it can impact your ability to go about your day normally, and some people even experience physical effects.

At a GlanceBeing lovesick isn’t just a poetic way to describemissing someone; it’s a real emotional state that can make it hard to function in your daily life. You might feel like you can’t stop thinking about the person you miss. You may also experience heartache, loneliness, and poor self-worth. While it can be a challenging experience, taking care of yourself and working through your feelings can provide some relief.

At a Glance

Being lovesick isn’t just a poetic way to describemissing someone; it’s a real emotional state that can make it hard to function in your daily life. You might feel like you can’t stop thinking about the person you miss. You may also experience heartache, loneliness, and poor self-worth. While it can be a challenging experience, taking care of yourself and working through your feelings can provide some relief.

“Feeling lovesick means you miss or long for a loved one to the point of feeling emotionally or physically ill,” notesAmber Trueblood, LMFT.

Amber Trueblood, LMFTLovesick individuals are often so focused on the intensity of their connection to their partner other areas of their life begin to suffer.

Amber Trueblood, LMFT

Lovesick individuals are often so focused on the intensity of their connection to their partner other areas of their life begin to suffer.

Before working through the complex emotions tied to lovesickness, it’s essential to first identify the issue. Like symptoms of depression, Trueblood says that lovesick individuals may feel like they have less energy than usual, have a reduced or increased appetite, and may struggle with their sleep.

Further, the phrase “broken heart” is often synonymous with lovesickness, and it’s named after thephysicalfeelings of losing someone you love. Technically referred to asstress-induced cardiomyopathy, broken heart syndrome can cause chest pain due to a surge of stress hormones.

People who are experiencing lovesickness might also find themselves hyper-fixated on the person they’re missing, which can affect their ability to focus or accomplish routine daily tasks. Trueblood says, “Lovesick ‘victims’ may find themselves compulsively checking for messages, emails or texts from their partner.”

Regarding emotions, you might also experience a painful array of emotions depending on who you’re feeling lovesick about. For instance, if you were ghosted or broken up with then you might struggle with feelings ofworthlessnessor low self-confidence.

If you’ve lost that connected feeling with your current partner, you may feel fear,betrayal, or confusion. Or if a loved one passed away, you might feel a sense of grief or despondency. In cases of unrequited love, you might feelunlovable, invisible, or ashamed.

The best thing to do when you feel lovesick is to practiceself-awarenessand healthyemotional self-care.

“Notice if you’re avoiding friends or family, not eating or sleeping in a way that’s healthy for your body,” Trueblood advises. “Also, take note of whether you’re obsessively thinking about [the other person].”

When feeling like you’re missing or longing for someone so deeply, it’s important to ground yourself and find balance. Give yourself space to feel your emotions wholeheartedly, but do create boundaries around how long you allow yourself to fixate.

For example, this might involve 30 minutes of time spentjournalingabout your thoughts. Then, softly redirect your attention back to something else when your mind wanders back.

Amber Trueblood, LMFTIf intense feelings of love and longing are impacting your physical health, work, or other relationships, getting additional support and help is recommended.

If intense feelings of love and longing are impacting your physical health, work, or other relationships, getting additional support and help is recommended.

Keeping yourself thoughtfully busy can also help. That doesn’t mean filling up your calendar so you don’t have a chance to “feel,” but rather finding opportunities to connect with others in meaningful ways, investing your time in new hobbies that bring you joy, and taking time for self-care activities such as reading, writing,gardening, singing, or even a bubble bath.

Daily meditation, a healthy diet, and regular exercise can also help you overcome feeling lovesick. Research shows that moderate running can boost your mood.

If you need additional support to help you sort out these feelings, that might meanreaching out to a trusted friendto share your grief, gain a new perspective, or gather helpful advice.

It could also mean finding a therapist who can help you walk through your array of complex emotions so you can reclaim joy,improve your self-confidence, or better understand why you’re experiencing lovesickness to begin with.

What This Means For YouIf you’ve ever felt lovesick, know that you’re not alone. It’s a very human feeling cataloged in classic literature, movies, and memoirs.Be kind to yourself, but do take steps forward that can help you overcome the type of lovesickness that impacts your day-to-day functions and emotional well-being. Invest in yourself, confide in trusted friends, and consult with a therapist if you’re feeling stuck.

What This Means For You

If you’ve ever felt lovesick, know that you’re not alone. It’s a very human feeling cataloged in classic literature, movies, and memoirs.Be kind to yourself, but do take steps forward that can help you overcome the type of lovesickness that impacts your day-to-day functions and emotional well-being. Invest in yourself, confide in trusted friends, and consult with a therapist if you’re feeling stuck.

Yes, You CAN Feel Inspired After Heartbreak, Here’s How

3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Leary MR.Emotional responses to interpersonal rejection.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2015;17(4):435-441. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.4/mlearyAmerican Heart Association.Is broken heart syndrome real?Damrongthai C, Kuwamizu R, Suwabe K, et al.Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation.Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):22657. Published 2021 Nov 22. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01654-z

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Leary MR.Emotional responses to interpersonal rejection.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2015;17(4):435-441. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.4/mlearyAmerican Heart Association.Is broken heart syndrome real?Damrongthai C, Kuwamizu R, Suwabe K, et al.Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation.Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):22657. Published 2021 Nov 22. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01654-z

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Leary MR.Emotional responses to interpersonal rejection.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2015;17(4):435-441. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.4/mlearyAmerican Heart Association.Is broken heart syndrome real?Damrongthai C, Kuwamizu R, Suwabe K, et al.Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation.Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):22657. Published 2021 Nov 22. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01654-z

Leary MR.Emotional responses to interpersonal rejection.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2015;17(4):435-441. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.4/mleary

American Heart Association.Is broken heart syndrome real?

Damrongthai C, Kuwamizu R, Suwabe K, et al.Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation.Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):22657. Published 2021 Nov 22. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01654-z

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