Butterflies in your stomach, nervous conversation and exciting new experiences — these are the mark of a teenage relationship. You’ve felt that, but now it’s over. How do you move on from the pain that you feel? How do you cope with a breakup and heartache in a healthy way?
1. Take Care of Yourself
When your heart is broken, nothing really makes sense anymore. Even simple tasks like eating properly, sleeping well, exercising and taking care of your hygiene can all seem impossible. However, no matter how hard it seems, taking care of your basic, physical needs is important during this time. In fact, helping yourself to feel good physically will actually improve how you feel both emotionally and mentally.
2. Wait Before Reacting
When a relationship ends, we might be tempted to react immediately. We might be very angry or very sad and we might want to take that out on the person who broke our heart. Instead, take some time to reflect on your own and let your emotions settle to avoid lashing out at the other person. Avoid sending impulsive texts or making phone calls for a while. Just take some time for yourself to work through your own feelings.
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3. Don’t Bottle Up Your Emotions
That being said, it’s important to find an outlet to express your emotions in a healthy way instead of bottling them up altogether. Talk to a close friend or parent about how you feel. Do you enjoy art or exercise? These can be great ways of releasing pent up emotions too. Find a constructive way that helps you feel free, not emotionally plugged.
4. Get Support
Reaching out and getting support is an important way of coping well with a break up. Even though you may have lost your closest friend in your significant other, you are not alone. Friends, family members, teachers, school counselors—all of these are great options of people that you can reach out to when you’re feeling emotionally overwhelmed and lonely.
5. Let Yourself Move On
Eventually, when you’ve taken time to grieve, allow yourself to move on. This doesn’t mean you should jump into another relationship right away, but that you shouldn’t be afraid to hang out with your friends, laugh and participate in activities you love. Perhaps one day you and your ex can even be friends and eventually you’ll be ready to enter another relationship. Take time to heal, but don’t be afraid to face what lies ahead. This heartache will eventually lessen with time.
Feature Image: Takmeomeo
