Being 17 years old and a high school senior, I've been through a good amount of breakups and rejections. And if you can read this article, there's a good chance you know what it feels like to have your heart broken. And with heartbreak comes stress and anxiety. So, is having you heart broken a figure of speech or does something actually happen inside of us when we become that upset? Whether it's over breaking up with someone who you thought was the love of your life or getting rejected by the guy you've had your eye on for two years after working up the courage to talk to him, it's all alike. Heartbreak is heartbreak.

When a relationship ends out of the blue, we start to question ourselves and sometimes take the blame, even if it wasn't our fault or wasn't anyone's fault at all. You start to wonder things like, "Why am I not worthy enough?" or "Am I not fit to be in a relationship?" Erica Slotter, a psychology Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University, says, "We know that relationships change the way we think about ourselves. When a relationship ends that sense of self ends." This just proves that when we get so adjusted to thinking of ourselves in a certain way around one particular person, it can feel impossible to try to figure yourself out when they aren't around anymore. Slotter conducted three studies at Northwestern University to figure out how selected students thought of themselves before and after their relationship. In the first study, they were given a questionnaire on if they changed their appearance, social life, activities, or values after a breakup. The results of this experiment showed that slight, but significant, changes happened after the breakup--usually a change in beliefs or a certain thing about their appearance. In the second study, the researches looked at diaries or blogs that talked about going through life changing events like a breakup. They found that the authors of these writings used words like "bewilder," "confuse," and "uncertain." In the final study, 69 college freshman participated in a longitudinal, six-month study where they had to fill out surveys every other week. The study showed that more than a third of the relationships ended. Those who went through this had shown to be more emotionally distressed than those who hadn't.

When you go through a breakup, or any type of heartbreak for that matter, you feel physically sick. Your eyes are sleepy, you don't feel like eating (or you feel like eating everything you can get your hands on), and you just feel restless. Unfortunately, there's no real cure for heartbreak except time (and lots of ice cream). So, you shouldn't beat yourself up over such a small part of your life. I strongly believe that there is someone on this earth for everyone. If you haven't met them yet, you will. And when you do find the right person, you'll know. Don't let this take over your entire mental state. I know it could seem hard right now, but just ignore their Snapchats, delete the new message with them, and stop checking their Twitter every few hours. You will be fine.