I know the title may look strange

But I promise that it's very familiar

We've all heard "you broke my heart "

But what if I told you that your heart can actually break from emotions 

Not literal but something close.

'Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy' is basically a physiological term for "heartbreak".

Yeah, u read correctly

Heartbreak

I first heard this word from a friend

It felt funny at first because what do u mean heartbreak has a medical term.

'Cardiomyopathy' is disease of the heart muscle

'Takotsubo' is a Japanese word and it means 'octopus trap' (a pot used to catch octopuses)

It's given this name because during heartbreak, one of the chambers of the heart; the left ventricle balloons into that shape

So the heart balloons out at the bottom during a heartbeat.

When doctors first saw this on a scan. the heart looked exactly like that pot 

So yeah, 

Heartbreak can be detected on a scan.

Think of your brain and heart as two best friends who always text each other.

When something extremely stressful happens like heartbreak, shock, etc.

Your brain panics

And it releases a flood of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol

The surge of these hormones 'stuns' your heart muscle

Especially the main pumping chamber (the left ventricle)

It gets weak and balloons out.

You get chest pain, shortness of breath, racing heart

The crazy part ? The pain is 100% real

It feels like heart attack, but it isn't.

It's mostly common in women after Menopause.

Why?

During menopause, your estrogen level drops

And this hormone helps protect the heart

When it drops, the heart becomes more sensible to stress.

But, men and young people can get it also 

But women tend to process emotional stress more deeply in brain areas that control the heart 

So grief or heartbreak triggers a bigger physical response

So when you hear someone is going through a heartbreak, you don't need to mock that person

Because the heart is literally breaking 

The good news is that, unlike a heart attack.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy is reversible 

You can't control heartbreak but you can control how your body handles the stress

With rest, medication and time, the heart goes back to normal in days to weeks.

This condition proves something that we've always felt;

The mind and body are connected in ways you can never imagine.

Stress isn't "just in your head"

It lives in your chest, your sleep, your immune system

Your heart 

So talk to someone. walk . breathe. sleep

Cry

Please cry 

crying doesn't make you look weak.

It makes you human 

Cry like your life depends on it because it actually does 

But don't lose yourself in the grief 

When you cry, your body is trying to protect you and reset you.

When you cry, it shows you care

It shows you are not numb

It shows you are processing instead of bottling it up

Bottling is what breaks people long term.

Crying is what helps you heal

Take your emotional health as serious as you do your physical health 

Because your heart is listening to everything you feel