Breaking up is hard. Just ask one 26-year-old Chinese woman, who reportedly coped with the recent demise of her relationship by spending a full week in KFC consuming massive quantities of fried food.
While we’re a bit skeptical that this recent news is true because of obvious plot holes, (Where did she sleep? Why didn’t a concerned KFC worker intervene??), the story nonetheless has a moral we can all relate to: Breakups are devastating, and make us do things — and eat things — we would never normally do… or eat.
In fact, science confirms that breakups may actually affect your brain. According to a study published in the Journal of Neurophysiology, your post-breakup brain chemistry can keep you feeling addicted to your former boo even if they’ve stomped all over your heart or generally acted like a jerk.
So, in solidarity with one KFC-loving lady nursing a broken heart, HuffPost readers ‘fessed up to their worst post-breakup coping rituals:
1. “Burned our wedding pictures.”
2. “Drank a bottle of wine every night with my best friend. Those were some killer mornings.”
3. “Various body piercing. Plus, lots of poor decisions.”
4. “Got pregnant by his best friend… Woops.”
5.“Going out partying to prove I still was fun.”
6. “Tequila, and then who knows what…”
7. “Too much Lana Del Rey.”
8. “The drive-by to see if he’s home… Icky!!”
9. “Post breakup sex with the guy I broke up.”
10. “Keyed his car… I was 21 (many years ago).”
11. “Sleeping on the couch because my bed felt way bigger than it should.”
12. “Lying awake at night wondering how he really felt about me.”
14. “Farmville.”
15. “Slept on my couch for three years. Couldn’t go to bed.”
16. “I got hair extensions. They were hilarious.”
17. “I went to the movies every night after work and stayed for two or three showings
until it was too late to keep my eyes open. Only way I could think of to avoid thinking, people, stalking FB, crying.”
18. “My exes.”
19. Boxes of wine.”
20. “Writing tons of songs and posting them on my public Youtube page for my ex to see and ruminate about. The songs are great, but it took me way too long to block his account from seeing them.”
