Northern News Services
Iqaluit (July 09/01) - Since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell ..."

We've all been there, once, twice, some of us a dozen times. Lonely, sad residents of a place known only as the Heartbreak Hotel. It's no fun being a guest there. It's painful, it's horrible and there's nothing to do during your stay, but roll with the punches and hope the grinding agony comes to a stop, sooner rather than later.

Hurtin' country songs, an abundance of chocolate and time spent with friends who criticize your former lover all miraculously help ease the strain of heartwreck, but only time can truly heal relationship anguish.

Time and a fridge full of goodies are the keys, according to Cambridge Bay resident Helen Kavanna. A victim of love gone wrong more than eight years ago, Kavanna (now immersed in long-term love) said the key to rising like the phoenix was to keep busy and let the tears spill where they may.

"I ate pizza, fries and a little bit of fish," she added, throwing out sage tips for a diet for the blues.

For others, salvation can be found in the magically restorative powers of shopping. Nothing can put a smile on a sad girl like a new pair of funky suede boots.

"I generally feel better when I go shopping," said Nicole Campaugh, a three-time survivor of heartache.

"When I'm down south and I'm feeling bad about something, I buy shoes or clothes and then forget about it and say, 'look at my new boots,'" she Campaugh.

But when trying to heal at home in Iqaluit, Campaugh said the trick was to lean on friends and family for support and to remember that time really does heal all wounds. Campaugh said she's also learned a thing or two from her relationships.

"Don't expect too much of someone who can't necessarily give you what you're looking for," she said.

Rankin Inlet's Jason Todd knows heartbreak intimately. In 1997, his parents separated, his common-law relationship ended and his brother passed away. Todd's world was shaken, but time on the land and the companionship of friends helped him through it. Four years later he still feels the pain, but it's easier to live with.

"You just go on, day to day," advised Todd.

"I'm not one to sit and gripe. You have to know that life gets better," he said.