Let’s play a little game. It’s called: Am I Spiraling Emotionally or Do I Just Need a Sandwich?
Breakups mess with your neurochemistry, not just your heart. Your dopamine levels plummet, cortisol shoots up, and your serotonin takes a vacation — probably somewhere with better boundaries than you had in that relationship.
The result? Every minor inconvenience feels like a Shakespearean tragedy. You think you’re yearning for lost love, and while your emotional struggles are absolutely valid, biologically it might just be that:
- You haven’t had enough protein today.
- You’ve been breathing like an anxious squirrel for the past three hours.
- And your blood sugar is so low, your brain is sending out smoke signals in the shape of your ex’s face.
The Emotional Relapse Checklist:
Let’s get diagnostic, shall we?
You might be in an emotional relapse if:
- You suddenly believe closure can be achieved via Instagram DM.
- You’re rereading texts from 17 weeks ago looking for hidden meaning.
- You’ve imagined three different scenarios where they ‘randomly’ bump into you and beg for you back, sobbing.
You might just be having a biological meltdown if:
- You’re cranky, lightheaded, and feel like crying over kitchen towels.
- You haven’t eaten a complex carb since breakfast yesterday.
- You’re reacting to the world like you’re starring in a low-budget soap opera called Exes & Electrolyte Imbalances.
(It’s usually the second one 😉 )
Neurochemical Confusion
Here’s how it works:
Your brain loves drama when it’s deprived. Lack of sleep, food, or hydration triggers a stress response. Your nervous system goes:
‘Something is wrong! Deploy all emotional memory files! Especially the messy ones.’
So you start remembering their voice. Their laugh. The way they chewed with their mouth open but you thought it was quirky at the time. Why? Because your brain is trying to regulate by reaching for what it remembers as comfort.
But let me remind you:
Comfort is not the same thing as compatibility.
And hunger is not the same thing as heartbreak.
Quick Reality Reboot Exercise
Before texting, scrolling, or relapsing, run this mini-reset:
1. Pause.
Put your phone down like it’s hot lava.
2. Breathe.
Four seconds in. Four seconds out. Repeat until some constructive thoughts start to pop into your head.
3. Eat something real.
Not ice cubes. Not gum. Something with fat, protein, and carbs.
4. Ask yourself:
‘Am I lonely… or just biologically malfunctioning?’
Because babe — sometimes the ache in your chest is just your body begging for glucose, not your ex begging for a second chance.
Just remember: regulating your biology isn’t bypassing your feelings — it’s giving them a clearer stage to speak from.
