When Love is Not in the Air: Mending a Broken Heart

Douthit believes breakups can be a good time for re-evaluation and personal growth.
February is the month of love, relationships and telling the person you care about how you feel. But with love, sometimes come breakups.
Paul Douthit, Ph.D., Texas Tech Physicians, said a breakdown in a relationship can be a breakthrough for a new you.
“Some people do not change unless there is a loss in their life or if they are confronted with a negative situation,” Douthit said.
Embrace Change
“People like consistency, stability. They strive for comfort or do what they are supposed to do. But if you go through a breakup, it can lead to your best of times. Change is difficult for us. But change can be powerful.”
When a person goes through a breakup, pain is a part of the healing process. The breakup can be a good time to re-evaluate your life and needs for your future. When things don’t work out, take this time to ask:
- Am I comfortable and safe in my relationships?
- What did I learn from this relationship?
- Am I stuck in my idea of what a relationship should be?
- What do I want from a future relationship?
Pick Up the Pieces
By realizing you create your own goals and life plan, you can change a negative process into a positive one.
Douthit said it is up to the individual to stay positive.Related Stories
Willed Body Memorial Service Honors Those Who Donated
On Memorial Day each May, a service is conducted at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Institute of Anatomical Sciences to pay respect to the Willed Body Program donors and their families.
Molecular Pathology Preceptorship: Unmatched Value and Experience
Ericka Hendrix, PhD, MB(ASCP)CM, Program Director and Associate Professor in the Master of Science in Molecular Pathology program in the School of Health Professions spoke about the program’s preceptorship.
Moseley Named Permian Basin Regional Dean of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing
Kelly Moseley, DHSc, R.N., has been named the TTUHSC School of Nursing regional dean in the Permian Basin.
Recent Stories
TTUHSC Researchers to Study Gene’s Role in Prostate Cancer Metastasis
With support from a three-year, $1.85 million grant, Srinivas Nandana, Ph.D., and co-investigator Manisha Tripathi, Ph.D., from the Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry at the TTUHSC School of Medicine will investigate the role of TBX2.
TTUHSC Professor and Surgeon Receives National Award
The American Burn Association (ABA) recently presented the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to TTUHSC professor and burn surgeon John A. Griswold, M.D.
TTUHSC Researcher Receives National Award
The AACR presented its Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Award to TTUHSC Associate Professor Duke Appiah, Ph.D., MPH, at the AACR 2025 Annual Meeting in Chicago recently.