Five Ways to Rebound from a Breakup

Breakups can be difficult to handle. Either you or someone else gets their feelings hurt, often when least expected. Not to mention, money, time, and resources are spent with someone you believed would stand the test of time. But now it’s done.

Everyone has their ways of dealing with breakups. Whether it’s drugs, sex, alcohol, or all of the above, people choose to cope in the best way they know how to move on. But in the end, if you move on in ways that only offer a temporary fix, you will hurt yourself more in the end. To officially end the chapter in your life that once was, here are a few healthy ways to rebound from a breakup.

Accept your feelings

It does not matter what people may think of you. Accept your feelings for what they are. If are angry, be angry, should there be sadness, let it happen. The point is that we are all human beings, not robots, and we come with plenty of emotions. Sometimes they are uncontrollable and other times may be unexpected. Like it or not, our emotions are here to stay so it is best we take control of them.

Over the course of a relationship ending, we go through a roller coaster of emotions. The key is not to ruminate over them. Personally, I have done this before and it only leads to disaster. Overthinking what cannot be changed is a major waste of time. Let your feelings be what they are the pain will soon come to pass.

Give Yourself Time

This brings me to what I believe to be most important, and that is time. Time to get back to yourself, time to do what makes you happy, and time to pursue another relationship when you are ready is a simple approach that is worth the wait.

Giving yourself time is good for several reasons. First, it says you are taking yourself seriously by not pushing the envelope and getting yourself in a position where whatever happened in your previous relationship is repeated. It speaks volumes to those who know you and shows respect for the next person that comes into your life. Why? Well, rather than immediately putting yourself back on the market, you are taking time to heal, making corrective action to put yourself in the best position, and being intentional about attracting the right person when you are the best version of yourself. Anything less is a waste of everyone’s time.

Give Yourself Space

Giving yourself space is invaluable. This does not mean you have to hide underneath a rock or fall off the face of the Earth. Simply removing yourself from anything that triggers negativity or reminds you of an uninviting experience is good enough. Sometimes this means taking a break from people who are not supportive or maybe toxic overall.

My personal space is everything. I do not need to be around a ton of “yes” people, rather, I make an attempt to put myself in environments that are healthy. I enjoy people who challenge me intellectually and add to my growth. But I need space from them at times as well.

Prioritize Your Growth

Personal growth is imperative. As people, we should always strive to learn and grow in ways that benefit our souls. I believe that breakups can be one of the best ways to do that. Not only do you gain a better sense of what does not work for you, you appreciate and have more value for the things that do!

I have learned that working on myself is the best way to go. Whether you were at fault in a relationship or not, prioritizing personal growth is a win, and not just in relationships.

For instance, can you think of something you have always wanted to do but may have pushed off because of your relationship? It could be taking a professional development course on the weekend, learning a new language, or training for a marathon. Sometimes we neglect to put ourselves first in a relationship because we are caught up at the moment. This is the moment to do whatever you want to do.

Let it Go

I hate these three words. I don’t like them because when someone says it to you, it can come off as insensitive. It comes off as insensitive because what happened to you is personal, and by them saying let it go or get over whatever you are dealing with does not get better. Almost as in the flip of a switch you can go back to your normal self. But the truth is they are exactly right. You must move on and do what is best for yourself and your future? How do we do that? We do it by practicing all the things we just covered on a daily basis.

Breakups are minor tragedies that shake up our lives. Most can agree that there is no one way to deal with them, but the truth is they are a part of life. And like everything else in life, we all have a choice. We can choose to make things better or worse. We can choose to learn from a situation or not. We can learn to move forward or backward. But whatever it is we decide, it is important to remember, the decision is yours and yours alone. And with that, we must live with the outcome.