7 ways to heal and move on after a breakup

November 28, 2023

No matter how long or hard the relationship was, it's always hard to get over a breakup. It's common to feel a lot of emotional pain after a breakup, no matter if you or your partner broke up. People who have recently been through a breakup should know that their deep sadness won't last forever.

It's normal for people to feel a lot of different emotions after the end of a relationship, such as grief, anger, self-blame, and loneliness. Anger and sadness like these often show up:

"I loved the time we spent together. "How will I ever get by without them in my life?"
"I miss those texts in the morning. Could I have changed to keep the relationship going?"
"Perhaps we can maintain some form of contact, even if it's just as friends."

7 STEPS TO HEAL AFTER A BREAKUP

To help you move on, here is a list of seven things you can do right now to ease the pain and start fix your broken heart. Don't think about the past too much. Instead, do something right away to help yourself feel better.

1. Acknowledge Your Feelings

Allow yourself to be vulnerable and give yourself time and space to cry instead of attempting to hide or ignore your emotions or convince yourself early that this was a blessing in disguise.

This article suggests that crying can be used to self-soothe and bring the body back into balance after experiencing emotional distress. Don't be scared to express your feelings, whether that means crying it out in public or burying your face in a pillow in your room.

Problems can multiply if you don't give yourself time to feel and recover from your emotions. For some people, a bad breakup can make them depressed or bring up an old mental health problem, as this study shows.

2. Remove Reminders of Your Ex

You need to get rid of all the things that remind you of your ex in order to move on. Make clear rules, remove them from social media, and ask family and friends not to talk about your ex.

While you don't have to get rid of every reminder, putting them out of sight can help you heal.

According to this study, keeping virtual connection with your partner can make it hard to get over a breakup. Lessening your memories of the link from the past can help you move on without feeling too nostalgic.

3. Make a List of Your Ex's Faults

Listing your ex's faults can help you gain perspective and remind yourself why the relationship didn't work. Focus on the reasons you're not a good match.

For example, if your ex was cheating on you, remind yourself of those things and why it would have never worked anyway. What could be worse than a situation where husband catches wife cheating?

4. Take Care of Yourself

Self-care is key to healing. Maintain a healthy routine by eating well, exercising, showering regularly, and getting enough sleep. Focus on your independence and self-worth.

Here are some ways to take care of yourself that might help:

Going to a yoga class
Writing in a journal
Becoming more mindful
Putting on music
Making changes to a room in your house
Inhaling scents
Having a podcast play

5. Connect With Other People

Reach out to friends and family for support and engage in activities that make you happy. Avoid isolation and create an emergency contact list for moments of weakness.

6. Plan a Solo Adventure

Embrace spending time alone by planning solo activities or trips. It's a chance to rediscover yourself and do things your ex wouldn't have agreed to do.

7. Accept That It's Over

Accepting that the relationship is over is a vital step. It's unlikely you'll reunite with your ex, so don't get stuck in hope or self-blame. Learn from the relationship but keep moving forward.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Recovery from a breakup takes time and looks different for everyone, but happiness returns. Whether you started the split or were surprised, you must go on. How you do that is up to you. You must actively move on.

You won't handle every day perfectly, but as long as you make intentional choices to live a healthy life, you'll feel better and heal your shattered heart. Most emotional healing occurs in the first year after divorce, according to this research.

Still not over your ex? Feeling confused about why you wanted to end the relationship? Cheating suspicions are always hard to accept, especially when your proof isn’t strong enough. Hopefully, there’re many ways to catch a cheater online. For instance, this one is free to use and it can look for any sort of evidence to prove that you were right.