Causes of a Broken Heart

Death

When two people have been involved in a relationship for a long time, they've built a dependence on each other. But when one member of a loving couple dies, the other is left to grieve and pick up the pieces of his life. There may be many tangible problems resulting from the death of a loved one, but perhaps the most painful problem is that the remaining member has a broken heart. Well-meaning friends and family members may try to ease the pain, but in many cases very little can be done. Time will ease the pain of the wound, but it may never fully be repaired.

Divorce

Over the course of time, a committed married relationship may not go smoothly. One person may cheat on the other, individuals go through personality changes or they may have learned that they're not right for each other. One person in the relationship may feel so strongly that the relationship isn't working that he wants out. This process can be very painful. There are many messages that the parties in the divorce get, but one of those messages is that "you are not good enough." That is painful and debilitating, and the source of a broken heart.

Self-esteem

You may desperately want to have a relationship with a significant person in your life but can't bring yourself to go after it. You may not feel that confident or like the things you have done with your life. Because you don't like yourself very much, how can you "sell" yourself to someone else? As a result, you remain lonely and you see no way to get out of it. By remaining lonely for months and years, you lose hope about yourself and suffer a broken heart.