You’ll Be OK How to Feel Whole Again After a Breakup

Explore ways to handle post-breakup emotions, focusing on self-care, maintaining routines, and setting realistic expectations for healing and future relationships.

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Going through a breakup can feel like your whole world has turned upside down. One moment you might be planning your weekend together, and the next, you're sorting through your feelings and wondering what to do next. It's tough, but believe it or not, you can bounce back from this. Let's talk about how.

Understanding Your Feelings

First off, it's completely normal to feel upset, confused, or even angry after a breakup. Your emotions might be all over the place, and that's okay. You've just lost a significant part of your daily life, and it takes time to adjust. Acknowledging your feelings is the first step to healing.

The Healing Process

Healing is not a one-size-fits-all process; it's personal and can vary in length from one person to another. Here are some general steps you can take:

You'll Be OK How to Feel Whole Again After a Breakup
  • Let it out: Talk to a friend, write in a journal, or even shout into a pillow. Expressing what you feel is a healthy way to deal with your emotions.
  • Stay active: Physical activity can boost your mood. Whether it's a kickabout in the park, a bike ride, or just a walk, getting moving is beneficial.
  • Try new hobbies: Ever wanted to play the guitar or learn to paint? Now might be a perfect time to start something new and exciting.
  • Give yourself time: It's okay not to be okay. Allow yourself time to feel sad, angry, or anything else. Healing doesn't happen overnight.

Keeping a Routine

Maintaining a routine can help provide a sense of normalcy during this turbulent time. It might be tempting to skip class or ignore homework, but sticking to your usual schedule as much as possible is really important. It helps keep your mind occupied and stops you from dwelling too much on the breakup.

Why Routine Helps

Having a routine helps you know what to expect during your day, which can make things feel less overwhelming. It also ensures you're keeping track with your studies and maintaining good habits, which are crucial, especially when you're feeling down.

Connecting with Friends and Family

While it might feel like you should just crawl into your room and shut the world out, staying connected with friends and family can be incredibly helpful. These are the people who care about you and will listen to what you're going through. More importantly, they can take your mind off things with a good laugh or a shared story.

When to Seek More Help

Sometimes, a breakup can feel like too much to handle on your own. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmingly sad or anxious for a long time, it might be a good idea to talk to someone like a counsellor or a trusted teacher. They can offer advice and support.

Moving Forward

Ultimately, the goal isn't just to get over it' but to grow through your experience. A breakup, while tough, can also be a big lesson in understanding who you are and what you really need in relationships. Use this time to explore your interests and dreams.

Setting Realistic Expectations

When thinking about your future, it's important to have realistic expectations. It's natural to feel lonely or wish things were different. However, focusing on what's possible ahead rather than what's lost can make a big difference in how quickly you start feeling happier.

Future Relationships

It might be hard to think about now, but you will likely have other relationships in the future. Each relationship teaches us something valuable. By understanding what went wrong and acknowledging what was good, you can better prepare for future relationships.

Tips for Daily Coping

  • Limit social media: Seeing your ex's updates can make things harder. Maybe take a break from social media or unfollow people if it helps you feel better.
  • Do things you love: Engage in activities that make you feel good, whether it's playing video games, reading, or watching your favourite films.
  • Volunteer: Helping others can improve your mood and widen your perspective. Consider local opportunities to volunteer.
  • Stay optimistic: Try to find at least one thing you're grateful for each day. It could be something small, like a sunny day or a nice meal.

Conclusion

The end of a relationship is never easy, but remember, it's also a beginning of something new. With the right tools and support, you can move through your sadness and come out stronger on the other side. Focus on things that make you happy, stay connected with those who care about you, and give yourself time. You'll be surprised at how resilient you are. You've got this!

How are you feeling?

It is really important that when we need help, we feel able to ask for it. This could be speaking to a parent, a close friend, a teacher or someone else you trust. Sometimes it can be really hard to share our feelings with other people but if we are feeling low or don't know where to turn, sharing with others is really important. Teachers will always take you seriously and listen to your problems in confidence if you approach them for help. Likewise, parents, siblings or friends will help you if you reach out to them.

If you feel like you can't speak to anyone you know, there are people and organisations that can help support you:

  • Childline - Call them on 0800 1111 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
  • NSPCC - Call them on 0808 800 5000 between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday or email them on help@NSPCC.org.uk
  • The Samaritans – Call them on 116 123 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
  • SANE – Call 0300 304 7000 for support (4:30pm - 10:30pm every day)
  • Mind – Call 0300 123 3393 (9:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday)

*Sometimes we will use real life examples in our articles to aid understanding. When we do, names and ages will be changed.