How to Heal a Broken Heart with a Vision Board

Why do so many people experience a decline after retirement?

Because they no longer have anything to look forward to.

However, you don’t have to be retired to feel stuck or unmotivated in life. Losing someone you love can make you feel like life is over. You might start feeling empty inside.

This happened to me a couple of years ago. I was at rock bottom: a broke, single, 35-year-old woman who didn’t fit into the 9-to-5 life.

Does this sound familiar?

Let me introduce you to something that changed my life trajectory: a vision board.

This article explores how to heal a broken heart with a vision board.

A vision board will help you take control and decide what happens next in your life.

1. What Is a Vision Board?

A vision board is a snapshot of your future life. It’s a collection of images and words that represent what you want to have, how you want to feel, and what people you want in your life.

Does a vision board have to be physical? It’s up to you.

You can create your healing vision board either on a physical board or digitally. A lot of people love to make mood boards on Pinterest. For someone like me, who’s not a fan of social media, a classic vision board on the table might be much simpler.

A vision board serves as a reminder of where your life is headed. 

The process of rebuilding your life after heartbreak will be easier if you know where you want to go.

Now that you know what a vision board is, let’s explore how you can use one to heal your heart.

2. Why Vision Board is Important for Healing a Broken Heart?

A vision board shifts your focus from pain to hope.

When you make a vision board, you gain clarity on what your life will look like in the future.

What kind of house do you want to live in?

Or do you prefer to travel the world? Where do you want to go?

Do you want to have a beautiful love story? What kind of partner do you want to have? How will he make you feel?

How about a car? Do you want one? Decide what brand and color you want.

Creating a vision board empowers you by giving you control over your life. You decide what life you want to live.

The phrase “You can be whatever you want” isn’t just a cliché. Your vision board will show you what your life can look like. If others are living the life you dream of (after all, you found their pictures on Google or Pinterest), why not you?

3. How to Make a Vision Board.

Now that you understand how vision boards work, it’s time to get started. Follow the 5 steps below to create your own vision board.

Step 1: Reflect on What You Truly Want in Life.

We can get anything in life as long as we know what it is.

It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised to learn how many people don’t truly know what they want in life. They use words like “happy,” “live my best life,” and “success,” but those words mean different things to different people.

How do you define happiness? What does success mean to you?

To gain clarity, ask yourself:  

• If I didn’t need to worry about money, what would my perfect life look like?
• What should happen in my life so that I feel it’s worth living?
• What kind of relationships do I want to have? How will I spend time with friends and family? Do I want a romantic partner? What will he look like?
• How about kids? Do I want them?

I suggest you answer these questions in writing. Doing so will encourage you to slow down, think carefully about the words you choose, and process your thoughts more deeply.

Write everything that comes to mind. Deep inside, you already know what you want in life. You don’t need anyone’s permission. Don’t edit yourself. Don’t worry about the “how.”

Everything you write is for you alone. Your dream life is out there, waiting to be claimed.

Step 2: Ask Yourself: How Do I Want to Feel in My Ideal World?

Most people include material things on their vision boards.

A big house with a swimming pool. Cars. Travel destinations. A diamond engagement ring.

While there’s nothing wrong with these things, you also need to infuse emotion into your vision board.

Ask yourself how you’d feel in your ideal life.

Why is this important? Because it will decide the path you choose to take to make your dream come true.

For example, let’s say you want a big house and to drive your dream car. You need money, and there are many ways to get it: get a high-paying job, start a business, marry someone rich, etc.

If you include emotions, such as wanting to laugh and feel liberated every day, you’re choosing a path that will bring you both money and happiness.

To laugh every day in your dream house, you need to marry someone you love. If you marry someone for the money, you’ll have the house and car, but will you laugh?

The emotion that you want to feel will determine the steps you take to elevate your life.

Step 3: Find Images and Words that Represent Your Imagination.

This is the fun part.

Find pictures that represent your dream life on Google and Pinterest.

Download those pictures.

Be intentional. Choose images that truly speak to your heart.

For example, when you choose a house, be specific. Which area do you want your house to be in? What about the entrance? What does it look like? What about the layout and interior design?

This applies to everything you want: cars, a romantic partner, a honeymoon destination, a wedding ring, kids, etc.

The more specific you are, the better.

Take your time and savor the process. Your dream life is starting to come together.

Step 4: Put Everything in One Place.

Now, it’s time to put every picture you have in one place.

You have two options: make a collective picture in Canva or put all your pictures on cardboard.

I suggest you do both.

Arrange the images and words on your vision board thoughtfully and with intention. Put every picture related to your house in one part. Then, put pictures of your future spouse and kids next to it.

The goal is to make it easy for your mind to visualize what you want in every aspect of your life: love, career, hobbies, etc. If you place the pictures randomly, your brain must “figure it out” every time you glance at the vision board. That’s too much work!

Don’t forget to place the words that represent the emotion you want to infuse. For example, place the words “laugh,” “confident,” and “peace” on your vision board. Or include quotes that speak to your condition at this moment.

Some quick advice: Include The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware to remind you that our time is limited in this world.

Make it count!

There’s no right or wrong on this. You can try several combinations to see which one you like the best. You can always change your vision board later, so don’t overthink it.

Once you find the best combination, you can pin or glue your pictures on the cardboard. If you use Canva, download the final file.

If you do it right, you should feel a rush of excitement. Regardless of how sad you feel due to your broken heart, many good things are waiting for you in the future.

Step 5: Place Your Vision Board in a Spot You See Daily.

Now that your vision board is ready, put it in a spot you see daily.

If you created a Canva file, you can use it as a background for your phone and laptop. If you created a cardboard vision board, hang it in front of your work desk so that every time you look away from your laptop, you’ll see it.

If needed, you can create several vision boards—one for your home and another for your office desk. Given the amount of time you spend at work, bringing your vision board there should be worth the hustle. Also, you can adjust the office vision board to protect your privacy.

4. How to Use a Vision Board?

You have a vision board. What’s next?

Look at it every day. If necessary, put a reminder in your calendar to stare at your vision board for a minute daily. You want to surround yourself with new possibilities.

Your vision board will remind you where you want to go in life. This is how can a vision board help you transform your life.

Every time you want to write a to-do list, look at your vision board and ask yourself, “What are the steps I can take today that will bring me closer to my ideal life?”

If you do this, your to-do list will align with your vision board and bring you closer to your dream life. Gone are the days when you ran around like a headless chicken but felt that you’d achieved nothing.

If what you do every day doesn’t bring you closer to the life you envision, you need to make some changes. Maybe you need a new job, a new circle of friends, or to learn new skills.

Whenever you feel doubt about doing something, let your vision board guide your decision.

If a friend invites you out after work, ask yourself: Does this align with my vision board? If you’re single and don’t have much going on at home, spending time out with friends might lift your spirits and could even lead to meeting someone new. What’s the worst that could happen? So, go ahead and say yes!

However, if spending time with family is your priority right now, you should say no.

This will simplify your decision-making. The small choices you make daily shape your reality. That’s why creating a vision board isn’t just woo-woo; it can genuinely change your life—and healing your broken heart is just part of it.

Another important step to take with your vision board is to visualize it. It’s like making a movie of what your future life will look like.

Every day, sit, close your eyes, and visualize what your perfect day will look like in the future. Imagine waking up next to the love of your life, holding your children, laughing at family dinners, driving your car, etc. What will your partner say to you? What jokes will you tell your children?

You can also make a short video based on your vision board. Watch the video every morning when you wake up and every night before you go to sleep.

After a while, you’ll find that your vision board slowly manifests in real life. When this happens, make sure you have a “success book” to which you transfer images from your vision board as they come to life.

5. What Broke My Heart Fixed My Vision: My Vision Board.

I’ve been talking about vision boards in this article.

But do I walk my talk?

Yes, I do. That’s why I want to share about my vision board.

This is a real-life vision board examples.

The first time I created my vision board, I heard a voice scream, “That’s what my life should look like!”

I still cried myself to sleep, but my vision board convinced me that my best days were just around the corner. Things would get better after I got over my broken heart.

Two years later, my life had completely changed for the better. I also created the “successful book” I mentioned earlier! One by one, the things I dreamed of have come true, such as making money from writing and making progress with my blog.

Looking at my vision board and checking my gratitude journal have become part of my morning routine. I start my day by remembering how awesome my life is and telling myself that this journey is just beginning. More great things are on their way!

What Breaks Your Heart Fixes Your Vision.

This is what happened to me.

I decided to end my 5-year relationship because it was going nowhere. So did my 8-year relationship before that. As a bonus, I reconnected with my childhood love, who turned out to be the biggest jerk of all.

Thanks to these back-to-back romantic failures, I learned the lesson that the one who loves me the most is myself. I must take full control of my life. My sad love story reflects how I see myself.

Then, I made my vision board. The rest is history.

I’m not quite living my dream life yet, and maybe I never will, as I’m always updating my vision board. But when I look back, I’m so proud of myself for what I’ve achieved.

So, are vision boards helpful? It depends on you. If you just throw together random pictures and tuck your vision board away in a drawer, it won’t have any impact on you.

Put in the work, and you will see how your vision board reveals the rainbow after all the storms you’ve been through.

Best of luck!