Take Time To Heal: 5 Essential Tips For Recovering After A Breakup

A breakup can be one of the most devastating experiences in life. After having been part of a couple, suddenly you find yourself alone, trying to piece together a new life and identity. It’s a difficult time and it can be hard to know just what to do and think about. Here are 5 essential tips – backed by research – for recovering from a breakup and reclaiming your sense of happiness:

1. Create an Empowering Story

When we experience trauma or loss, of any kind, our minds automatically revert to a natural state of chaos and processing. There’s so much to sort out all at once, that it’s often helpful to take a step back and give yourself a conscious moment to pause and reflect. This reflection is your opportunity to create an empowering story around what has happened. Narratives have an incredible power over how we feel and perceive our experiences, so that when faced with a breakup and the subsequent barrage of emotions that come with it, we may want to tap into storytelling to bring some clarity and explore different perspectives on the situation.

2. Prioritize Self-Care

The road to healing after a breakup is often difficult and can take time, but self-care is essential. In fact, scientific studies have found that if you prioritize it, regular self-care activities such as exercise, meditation, spending time outdoors and eating healthily can help you cultivate more mindful, compassionate and loving relationships with yourself. Focusing on your wellbeing will leave you in a better place to be able to handle whatever comes your way.

3. Allow Yourself To Feel

Breakups can leave our yearning for answers and a sense of completeness with our former partner, and yet coming to terms with the fact that the relationship is over and all that it encompassed can be too overwhelming to process. However, bottling up feelings rarely leads to a lasting sense of resolution. Instead, it might be helpful to actively express emotions. Even if there is no one to directly recall the breakup to, it’s important to allow yourself to feel whatever emotions arise and accept that they are part of the healing process. While this agony can be extremely harrowing, the cathartic release it offers can set the wheels of recovery in motion.

4. Reconnect With Yourself

A breakup can buffet our sense of identity and make us wonder who we really are without an other half in our lives. Therefore, one of the best things you can do for yourself post-breakup and beyond is really get to know yourself and reconnect with who you are. Take some time out for yourself and spend it doing activities that help nourish those qualities within you that make you unique.

5. Reevaluate Your Circle

Breakups can cause rifts in our social circle and cause us to question the people we thought were our lifelong friends. Take a step back and evaluate the standards in your life, take a fresh look at your relationships, and ask yourself what truly brings joy and which people contribute positive energy and emotional support to your life. Making sure your external environment both nurtures and elevates you helps contribute to your overall wellbeing. Focus on maintaining positive relationships with those that benefit your growth, versus casual acquaintances or people who make you feel bad or unhappy.

It’s clear that breakup recovery has plenty of psychological and emotional upheaval and leaves us feeling fragile. However, remember that these feelings are valid, as is taking time to heal. Prioritize your mental and physical health and understanding that this is a process that should be dealt with patiently, compassionately and honestly.