The ending of a long-term relationship can leave you feeling abandoned, resentful, or angry especially if you were on the receiving end of the breakup. Breakups can create feelings of rejection and a sense of, humiliation, despair, and despondency, however you don’t have to feel these uncomfortable emotions forever. There are ways to recover and move on with the your life, despite the breakup, you can find happiness again, give yourself time.
First and foremost, be patient with yourself and allow yourself time to grieve. Short-cutting the grieving process will only haunt you. Unresolved grief can cause prolonged depression and/or anger, which can simmer and erupt when you least expect. Give yourself the chance to feel the pain; ignoring it creates an elephant in the room effect. Facing painful emotions is like staring down a fear, you need to confront it to overcome it. You have experienced a loss, not just a physical loss also an emotional loss, someone you trusted and love. Even if you were the one to initiate the breakup, you might still have to work through the grieving process, as you let go of one life preparing for another.
Be kind to yourself, treat yourself like a best friend; remember that you are still here, your wants are important, don’t ignore the need for food, rest, and companionship. Take it easy, rather than beating yourself up by rehashing old arguments or thinking that you could have saved the relationship if you did this or were more of that. Take some time to nurture yourself, take hot baths, read, play music that makes you happy, buy flowers for your house, set your living space up the way you want it to be. Foster healing through alternative holistic methods such as massage therapy, Reiki, or Acupuncture, take restorative yoga classes.
Surround yourself with loving positive friends and family, people you can have a laugh or a cry with, people who are there for you without judgment. Be honest with them about your feelings. If you live far away from these supportive folks, call them; take a trip and visit if you can. Be cautious of people who try to take advantage of your vulnerability, you don’t need to beg for attention or affection nor do you need to bargain. Seek out honest, forthright friends that will hold space for you while you heal. Stay emotionally and physically safe when you are feeling susceptible. During recovery from a breakup, often people run into the arms of a stranger, just because they don’t want to be alone, be wary of that behavior as it rarely leads to a healthy relationship. Stay single for a bit until you’ve worked through the healing process.
Go out with people that make you laugh, find or foster those platonic relationships that leave you smiling. Laughter is extremely healing physically, mentally, and emotionally. It lowers your blood pressure, relieves stress and helps you connect with others.
Move, get out and walk, dance or ride a bike. Physical exercise has a cathartic effect, releasing those endorphins that increase your sense of well-being. Sitting around the house, being sedentary can exacerbate feeling bad about yourself and your life. Holing up on the couch watching endless Netflix movies will only make you feel stiff and slow your circulation. Getting out and exercising, flushes fresh blood through the body, slows the breathing, and quiets the mind all while keeping your body healthy and improving your self-esteem.
Spend time figuring out what it is you want. Write down how you want your life to look, don’t censor yourself, write without monitoring what is possible. Do you crave more time in nature, would you like to allow for more creative time, do you want to travel? Then go down the list and begin to do some of those activities or at least plan for them. Always wanted to go to Australia but your partner never did, now is the time to splurge, count your pennies and take the trip. Begin to rebuild your life the way you want, let go of what was and focus on what is and what can be. Reinvent yourself from the pool of personal passions and desires. Take dance lessons, or that job in the city; start to say yes to you.
Before long, the misery of the breakup will be behind you. Celebrate that you have come through the fire, you have not just survived, you are happy and most likely a better more wholesome version of yourself. Realize that the breakup as painful and awful as it was, taught you something about your resilience, your ability to heal, then open your arms and let happiness back in.