Heartbreak

We all know: When the first great love breaks up, the heartbreak is infinite. Just when you're riding on rosy clouds, suddenly your whole world threatens to collapse. Parents can't save teenagers from this experience. But there are ways you can comfort your child over this painful experience.

Whoever is freshly in love has butterflies in the stomach. Lots of released happiness hormones provide a special feeling of elation. If the first crush is not reciprocated or is suddenly over, although everything just seemed so perfect, then the feelings fall abruptly into the basement. Even if the first tender relationship was only brief - violent outbursts of emotion, anger, sadness, despair, denial and total withdrawal are typical reactions. Hardly any other feeling at this age is more painful than lovesickness.

Typical symptoms of heartbreak include

• unwellness
• sadness
• crying cramps
• loss of appetite
• migraines
• mood swings
• aggression
• insomnia
• difficulty concentrating

Of course, you suffer with your child when he or she is unhappy and distraught over broken love. But you also know that this important experience is part of development and children grow from it. The most important advice is to be a serious interlocutor with your child, and don't downplay or ridicule heartbreak. Messages like "Cheer up, life goes on" are definitely not well received when your child is feeling devastated. This is the time for compassion! Show your daughter or son their understanding and be lenient with emotional outbursts at first. Maybe comforting words, a hug or a talk about how mom or dad experienced the first heartbreak will help. What your child needs most of all now is security and love to slowly rebuild his or her cracked self-esteem. It also helps to ensure as much normality as possible in everyday life. School, hobbies, sports and friends are the best ways to distract from the grief.

Coming to terms with heartbreak is much more difficult for today's generation than it used to be. The reason for this is social networks. Shared photos on digital channels are not just a click away, and many young people also have a hard time consistently deleting messages on their smartphones. Even worse, social media makes it possible to find out at any time what the "ex" is thinking, feeling or doing. This makes it particularly difficult to forget the great love. Experts therefore advise breaking off all virtual contact until the emotional wounds have healed.

As a rule, teenage heartbreak subsides after a few weeks. Nevertheless, parents should remain attentive during this time. Depressive moods, exaggerated aggression and persistent refusal to eat can be worrying signals that the heartbreak is leaving more serious consequences. Especially if your child resorts to pills or alcohol, eats too little or too much, or engages in excessive sports, you should seek professional help.