It’s time to release the pain, says Bishop TD Jakes

Thomas Dexter Jakes Sr., known as T. D. Jakes, is a pastor, author and filmmaker. He is the pastor of The Potter’s House, a non-denominational American megachurch.

By TD Jakes

For centuries, poets and philosophers have written about our most human pain: a broken heart.

Now scientists have confirmed the physical effects of a broken heart. Broken heart syndrome, according to the American Heart Association, is actual pain in one’s heart caused by a surge of stress hormones brought on by sadness or an emotionally stressful event. Living with a broken heart dramatically impacts your quality of life.

Although healing feels elusive, it’s coming! Use these three ways to mend your broken heart:

1. Come alive with your purpose.

Although people say that heartache heals with time, a passionate commitment to live in better alignment with our purpose aids the mending. Each day we have a choice: do we flood our thoughts with the pain and details of our heartbreak? Or do we try–again and again–to live fruitfully?

Our loved ones will support us as we find our way out of the dark. Use your gifts to make the world even just a tiny bit better for those around you. If you sing, share your gift with your community or church group. If you are a chef, invite those you love for a special home-cooked meal or provide your services to a shelter. Each act of service adds another stitch of healing.

2. Lift your spirits.

Did you know that you can run your way out of a broken heart? Researchers have found that daily running, even for just fifteen minutes, will shift your mood, energy and brainpower. Music, prayer, connection, spending time with friends, going for a long hike–can improve your mood and get you out of your head. Your heartache magnifies your agony, but your activities are the secret to long-term healing.

3. Have faith.

Faith is the glue that will seal the hurt. Although your heart was broken, your renewed faith in yourself, the divine and in people will guide you through. Over 85% of the world’s population believes in a power greater than themselves. At a recent psychological sciences conference, researchers presented that having a structured belief system reduces anxiety, stress and sadness during times of extreme duress. Faith gives you the hope that there is something better coming down the road.

Alice Walker once said, “Healing begins where the wound was made.” Light will fill the cracks in your heart. Healing is here but you have to claim it.