Breakup reactions vary from person to person. One gal might be violently slurping on a strawberry daiquiri with her friends. Another might consider cordless bungee jumping. There’s a million different ways to handle heartbreak, but these 5 breakup hacks will help you get over the initial rough patches, even if you feel like the sun will never shine again.
When a breakup is recent, you’re in the most critical phase. If you’ve been in a longterm relationship, it can feel like you’re adrift without an anchor. It’s important to remember when it comes to the breakup timeline, the
first is the worst
. Time is the best healer, so those first weeks and months are going to be the hardest. Like anything else, a relationship is a habit. Breaking the habit is an uphill battle.As you sit in darkness, pouring rose down your throat, it probably feels like the world’s ending. You may not want to hear it right now, but this too shall pass. You might feel like you’re dying, but the initial shock is the worst of it. Especially if the relationship ended badly. Give yourself extra recovery points if your ex cheated on you. But just because someone walked out of your life, doesn’t mean your life is over. All is not lost.
Exterminate
The first thing you should do after a breakup, is a complete extermination. Depending on where you live, a breakup bonfire feels great. Get rid of those old trinkets and photos in a blaze of glory. Buy an incinerator bin first, so you don’t end up in jail for arson. If this isn’t right for you, or your area, just dump it.
Throw those scrapbooks in a river. Throw them into the Grand Canyon. Just get it out of site. Delete their number, and their social media profiles. If they end up calling you, you can always identify them with a Reverse Phone Lookup.
Get Outta Dodge
Wave bye-bye and go on an adventure. Whether it be a weekend hiking expedition, or some serious beach R’N’R, get out of your usual environment. You know all those places loaded with memories? AVOID THEM.
What if your ex used to live with you, but due to lengthy rental contacts you can’t move? Time to redecorate. Even if you just move all the furniture around, and hang some new paintings you found at Goodwill, you need to make your space reflect this new chapter in your life. Make it pretty, and make it reflect your new mindset.
Get Active
If you haven’t left the house since your relationship expired, it’s time to shake it off. It’s a huge, annoying cliche to say ‘go do some exercise.’ Don’t force yourself to join a bootcamp class if you stayed up all night, drinking Jack Daniels out of a mug.
Try something fun and unusual. Groupon is a great way to get fun ideas of how to spend a day. Keeping yourself busy should be your number one priority for the first month post-breakup.
Stay Connected
You’ll need your friends when going through a rough patch in life. When your cat gets promoted to ‘significant other’ status, you have more time to hang out with old friends. Don’t have a pet? Go to the shelter and get a rabbit. One of the hardest things to deal with after a breakup, is the loneliness of an empty bed.
Occupy that prime pillow real estate with a fluffy friend! It’s actually impossible to be depressed and pet a puppy at the same time. Surround yourself with pals and pets. You’ll feel better almost immediately.
Light Up Tinder
Online dating is a two way street. If you do it too early, you’ll be comparing everyone you meet to your ex. But if you wait too long, you’ll be stuck in a rut. You should start dating again about a month after a relationship has run it’s course.
Sound too soon? It’s not about rebounding into a new relationship. It’s about making peace with the idea of moving on. Even if you hate every date you go on, it’s important to force yourself through the motions. Fake it til’ you make it.
Breaking up is a hard process. It’s miserable, and it feels unnecessarily long. But keep your chin up. You may not feel like it now, but someone walking out of your life is an opportunity to open the door to someone new. One day, you’ll look back on this ex of yours, and wonder what it was that you saw in them. What are your breakup tips? Tell us about them in the comments!