When the first heartbreak hits

The call came late one night. Alex’s voice was quiet, hesitant. “I know other people have it worse,” they said. “But I don’t know how to stop crying.”

Just a week earlier, Alex’s first serious relationship had ended. They had shared everything with their partner – plans, playlists, secrets, hope. And suddenly, it was gone. Their friends told them it was “just a break-up,” but to Alex it felt like losing part of who they were.

When Alex reached out to the Crisis Centre, they expected to be told to move on or that time heals all wounds. Instead, they were asked a simple question: “What’s hurting most right now?”

That question opened a door. Alex talked about how quiet their apartment felt, how hard it was to eat, how impossible it seemed to face another day of pretending to be okay.

The responder listened. Not with solutions, but with presence—with the message that it’s human to grieve what mattered.

At the Crisis Centre of BC, we know crisis can come in many forms. Sometimes it’s a break-up, a family conflict, or the weight of expectations. Sometimes it’s thoughts of suicide. Whatever it is, your pain deserves to be heard.

You don’t have to wait until it feels “bad enough.” If it matters to you, it matters to us.

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Crisis lines are available across British Columbia 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you or someone you know needs help, please call:

• 9-8-8 (call or text)
• 310-6789 (no area code needed)
• 1-800-SUICIDE / 1-800-784-2433
• 604-872-3311