WORK: The Best Remedy For A Broken Heart

Posted on March 13, 2010 12:00 am by Veronica
Photo: "Obsessed" courtesy of Rainforest Films

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Crazy people don’t know they’re crazy. Is it the same with depressed people?

One day at work, I went down to buy a cup of coffee at McDonald’s. I was on my way back to the office when a thought popped into my head, and it felt as if someone switched on the light inside my brain. If it was a scene from an American movie, it would be Cher’s “I love Josh” moment by the fountain in the movie Clueless.

I found out that the best remedy for a broken heart is work.

Every person has his or her way of healing a broken heart. Some choose to max out their credit cards on clothes and shoes that probably won’t fit after a month of pigging out on junk food while ranting “I don’t deserve this!!!” A big chunk of people opt for the more “emo” approach—chugging beer, smoking, playing sad songs, you name it! Meanwhile, very few of us settle for the more rational tactic for getting over and even: work your way up.

I realized that the best way to deal with a broken heart is to work your ass off, bill more hours, drink more coffee, and buy more books. If you’re a new employee in a company like me, you’d be so focused on work that you won’t have time to ponder on the asshole who broke your heart.

In the past few months, I’ve been so busy settling in my new work area, walking in my new concrete jungle, calculating how to get out of the malls in one piece after a big, big sale, dealing with Jai’s alarmingly green charades on the pros and cons of living with a hot specimen named Sam (while dodging his hints that I should set him up with my straight friend Nino), and stringing words all day that I don’t have the luxury of looking back and analyzing the past. Even during dinner dates with high school friends Gail and Nicia or with the new gang at the agency, or even during after-work quiet time/wine drinking nights with Sam, I didn’t have the time to rethink how I could have handled the entire Matt episode differently.

I wasn’t even sure if I was still in the process of getting over the asshole. But I can’t deny the fact that in the past months, a part of me continued to bleed whenever I come across random things that remind me of him.

I remembered what Mia told me over lunch at Mandarin Wok: if there’s no more chance for happiness in a past memory, why waste your time thinking about it? I know. I thought. I’m halfway there. In time, I won’t hurt anymore.

I gave my heart to Matt and I still don’t have it back. Even if it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, that doesn’t mean I can just turn my feelings off, like it has a switch.

I never told anyone about this, not even Sam. But I guess he had always known. Because during movie nights at the condo with his cooking squadron (Carl, Nino, and Kit), I would help myself to the beer and vodka.

“Why is V always drinking too much?” I heard Carl ask once. “May problema ba ‘to?”

“He-who-must-not-be-named,” I heard Sam reply.

“Voldemort?” Nino replied.

“G*go,” Kit said. “’Yung kupal sa Dagupan.”

“Ah,” Nino answered.

And my last memory of the night would always be sleeping on Sam’s shoulder and then waking up in my own bed the morning after.

This continued for so many weeks, until Charlie made a comeback.

Tags: work,break up,broken heart,coping with a breakup,love,relationships,hurt,Matt

38 Comments

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• 
  lavfifth
  38. haha..ang kulit ng Sam-Nino tandem..
  May 21, 2010 at 07:06 pm report abuse
• 
  eieioow
  37. haiz....matt na naman???sorry huh....kakairita kase xia
  May 18, 2010 at 09:14 pm report abuse
• 
  nicolei02
  36. I was caught off guard with the "he-who-must-not-be-named" and then Nino replied Voldermort. =))
  May 17, 2010 at 07:28 am report abuse
• 
  veronica11
  35. Hi ladies! Want to read what goes inside the mind of your average guy? Here's the link to my friend Franco's blog: http://bachelorfranco.blogspot.com/
  April 14, 2010 at 11:26 pm report abuse
• 
  zyramae_12
  34. Forget.. and make your self busy.. so you won't have time to reminisce the events that you wanted to iron up
  April 05, 2010 at 08:50 am report abuse
• veronica11
  33. @youme: based on experience, the best way to deal with a broken heart is really self-improvement :)
  March 17, 2010 at 05:15 pm report abuse
• 
  YouMe
  32. I somehow have to agree on this one, diversion is the key to moving on and work is a great diversion talaga. Oh diba ur moving on na ur being productive pa:)
  March 17, 2010 at 02:51 pm report abuse
• 
  lalabong
  31. work, work, work, that's what we really need.
  March 16, 2010 at 03:32 pm report abuse
• iamshe
  30. nino is so funny! ahahaha natawa ako sa hirit nya!!
  March 16, 2010 at 10:04 am report abuse
• 
  Piapie
  29. 29. Work is the best remedy for a broken heart indeed.. =(
  March 16, 2010 at 09:59 am report abuse
• J
  28. Thank you so much. You just don't know how much this means to me.
  March 15, 2010 at 11:56 pm report abuse
• 
  saintsinner
  27. aw sleeping over sam's shoulder! i wonder if he ever kisses! nikilig aq hihi...
  March 15, 2010 at 10:51 pm report abuse
• veronica11
  26. @J: and don't worry, i swear it will get better. heartbreak is just a state of mind.
  March 15, 2010 at 07:07 pm report abuse
• veronica11
  25. @J: I've done all the things you enumerated. Honestly, all you need is time. The things we both did to help us forget are just distractions, sooner or later, something will pop out of nowhere and break us up again. Well, you can always try it the hard way: face it. Come into terms that the relationship is over and accept that there's no more chance of happiness in the past. Then make good your word and move on from there. I haven't done this one I think, because i spent years forgetting about "Matt." And then I found love when my priorities and needs are clear to me.
  March 15, 2010 at 07:06 pm report abuse
• 
  jhe_1212
  24. 24. Hay! I hate to read about Matt!! He's already in the past, please V wag mo na syang buhayin dito... Masaya na tau diba, masaya na ulit ang story... Pleasee dnt bring him out again!!! (Affected?)
  March 15, 2010 at 10:14 am report abuse
• 
  hazelnutzy
  23. Work. The only thing Ive been doing so far. hahaha. I cant this monday. Or this week for that matter. I have a car display coming up. :(
  March 15, 2010 at 12:34 am report abuse
• J
  22. I recently had my heart broken. And it has been very difficcult - trying to move on, trying to let go, trying to forget. I worked hard, i shopped and ate a lot, i watched a lot of movies, and read a lot of books. I traveled to diff places, spent my nights talking to friends on the phone so as not feel lonely before i sleep. i spent my free time thinking about stuff i want to do, etc. And then just when i thought that i'm okay na, things that remind me of him would surface - bridge, color blue, milo, B, honey and all the songs that remind me of US, of our relationship. I cried after reading this post. Like when i did when i read ur post about moving on. I'm tired. When can i have my heart back? When can it be fixed? :,(
  March 14, 2010 at 11:45 pm report abuse
• 
  mary_ann_lei
  21. Yup! That is so true! Get busy!
  March 14, 2010 at 11:41 pm report abuse
• 
  myles_away
  20. Crazy people don’t know they’re crazy. Is it the same with depressed people? - I agree on this V! :) its been a while V... busy V huh!?
  March 14, 2010 at 09:40 pm report abuse
• gia
  19. i have to agree that work is the best remedy to mend a broken heart, it applies too if you want to forget some things, all u gotta do is work and work.. but before when i was still studying, i'd make myself busy naman doing org and school stuffs, assignments, thesis,and stuffs like that :) and it worked for me :D
  March 14, 2010 at 06:49 pm report abuse
• veronica11
  18. @toughgurl: yes! apart from shoes, books are my 2nd biggest obsessions @shadysurvives: couldn't have written that better :) @december: yes, a friend of mine told me that good company battles depression
  March 14, 2010 at 11:37 am report abuse
• veronica11
  17. @santori: correct. aside from filling your wardrobe with more clothes that you can buy with more money, fill your mind as well. read books, watch films, see plays :) be a culture vulture ;) go avenue q! hahaha
  March 14, 2010 at 11:37 am report abuse
• veronica11
  16. @malditcha: amen to that! :) @ayeteelovesyou: amen! :)
  March 14, 2010 at 11:37 am report abuse
• veronica11
  15. @clawy: correct! the best revenge is a life well lived. a promotion, a better outlook in life, less stress, more clothes and shoes, good company, and more money! so that when the best person comes, you're the better version of yourself as well :)
  March 14, 2010 at 11:37 am report abuse
• veronica11
  14. @gorgeous: oh dear, oh well this getting over someone really takes time, it can be short, it can be long, but that's all it takes: time. i hope you get pass yours eventually. life is too short to be unhappy.
  March 14, 2010 at 11:37 am report abuse
• veronica11
  13. @lalabong: yeah, it is. Who says heartbreak can't be prolific? :)
  March 14, 2010 at 11:36 am report abuse
• veronica11
  12. @santori: yeah, i think that's a good idea. the retreat i joined was back in high school :P
  March 14, 2010 at 11:36 am report abuse
• 
  sweetdecember
  11. 11. i definitely agree with it and friends help a lot.
  March 13, 2010 at 08:48 pm report abuse
• 
  shadysurvives
  10. Yeah, keep yourself busy and occupied.Only an idle mind can harbor a negative thought, so it is best not to give it room to grow =)
  March 13, 2010 at 10:16 am report abuse
• 
  toughgurl
  9. buy more books--->I always do this!=) Lalo na kapag stressed.
  March 13, 2010 at 10:02 am report abuse
• 
  Santori01
  8. More Work = Busy Minds..and that jerk would have NO SPACE for you to think of him.
  March 13, 2010 at 09:53 am report abuse
• 
  ayettelovesyou
  7. i agree :(
  March 13, 2010 at 08:10 am report abuse
• 
  malditcha87
  6. me too.. i also agree.. work is one of my remedies
  March 13, 2010 at 07:57 am report abuse
• 
  clawy_23
  5. i agree!work was my way to get over a broken heart too.before i knew it i was too happy with my promotion and realized i was just obsessing on a jerk who wasnt even worth it. :)
  March 13, 2010 at 03:48 am report abuse
• gorgeous
  4. I agree with this, V. I actually I have almost the same situation like you. I also fell inlove and gave my heart to an asshole. After he broke my heart I was struggling to find way to get over of him- memories are always there to remind of the past. Honestly, I don’t know if I have really moved on or maybe I am just trying to convince myself… It’s good thing I have a job that requires for me to work almost 16 hrs/ day (I’ve been doing double job since then). Though it helped me lot, there are still times that I would find myself wallowing from the past. – It’s hard. He went out from the country but he is coming anytime soon I just don’t know what will happen if we ever crossed each other again…(since both of us work in the same institution) Well, things will never be the same. It’s been 2 years passed by yet I feel it was like yesterday when he made my life so happy…
  March 13, 2010 at 12:28 am report abuse
• 
  lalabong
  3. Another way would be, thinking his bad habits and attitudes and say to yourself, " I should forget that jerk, he's not good for me, and he will never be!".
  March 13, 2010 at 12:22 am report abuse
• 
  lalabong
  2. WORK: The Best Remedy For A Broken Heart-- This is a very good idea.
  March 13, 2010 at 12:19 am report abuse
• 
  Santori01
  1. Joining retreats can help too in mending a broken heart :) .. goodnight muna cosmo.. im so lucky..before i sleep got to read your new blog :) Thanks
  March 13, 2010 at 12:04 am report abuse

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