6 Ways to Survive the Initial Breakup Blow
There’s no doubt that you can survive a breakup. While getting over a relationship is hard, time (and a little help from your besties) truly does heal all wounds. However, this perspective is a little harder to see in the first hours, days, and even weeks following the split. To keep your mental health in check following a breakup, follow these six tips for surviving the initial blow.
1. Surround yourself with friends. The people who care about you most are going to want to be there for you during this tough time. When you can, spend time with friends who will lift you up, give good advice, and comfort you in the immediate aftermath of the breakup.
2. Prioritize your mental health. Breakups can be all-consuming events that affect people in different ways. For this reason, it’s important that you’re in touch with your mental health during this time. It’s perfectly normal and okay to feel sad and anxious, but make sure to get help if your mood goes outside a healthy zone. When it starts affecting your work, your personal life, and your ability to enjoy the things you used to, it’s time to seek some professional guidance. And don’t feel like things have to get “bad enough” before you talk to someone — a therapist will be able to help anyone sort through their feelings, even if those emotions aren’t (yet) completely disrupting your life.
3. Give yourself time (and check out if you need to). Since your emotional needs have to take a front seat during this fragile time, delegate responsibilities if you feel that you won’t be able to accomplish them fully. This doesn’t mean you get to duck out on everything that needs to be done, but it does mean that you should take time to yourself to do things that make you happy while you’re mentally on the mend. Where it’s possible, people who care should be stepping up to give you some breathing room.
4. Maintain your routine. While taking time to care for yourself is important, it’s also equally essential to keep up your routine. If you normally eat certain meals, sleep at certain times, and work out on certain days, do your best to stick to those patterns. Keeping your everyday routine intact will give you stability and provide you with welcome stress relief from your feelings, as well as set you up to get over the breakup successfully down the road.
5. Cut off contact. The hardest and most tempting part of a breakup is the desire to talk to your ex. Surely, you’ll want to know how they’re doing — or perhaps you’ll want to keep talking about what went wrong. However, resisting this temptation is the best thing you can do for yourself right after the breakup. Not only will you gain perspective on why the relationship ended in the first place, but you’ll also give yourself (and your ex) essential time to heal on your own.
6. Keep moving forward. The time immediately after a split can feel as slow as molasses. It can be hard to get through the day, and it’s darn near impossible to believe people when they tell you everything will be okay. But if you follow these tips and simply set your sights on moving forward, things will gradually begin to look up. We promise!
How have you gotten through the first week after a breakup? Let us know @BritandCo!
(Photos via Getty)
