Fortunately it has been a long time since I have had to deal with the ending of a relationship. However letting go of my last relationship was very difficult. The relationship was full of happy memories and consisted of two people who really liked each other. However being a service member and moving quite often made it almost impossible to continue a relationship unless we committed to marriage. In today's society breakups in relationships are common. Various reasons are behind the ending of a relationship, and many people wonder the best way to deal with a breakup. These five strategies have worked for me and can work for you as well
Maintain communication with someone other then the person you are breaking up with. Often times talking to someone and expressing your negative emotional feelings through words can help you deal with them. Contrary to most peoples belief isolating yourself or wanting to "just be left alone" isn't mentally healthy. The negative emotions can continue to build making the situation actually worse.
Maintain Self esteem. Despite going through a hard time try to keep positive thoughts in mind. You still have a life, a future, and eventually will move on to other things. Take part in activities that make you happy such as athletics, going for a walk outdoors etc. Try to avoid drugs and alcohol during your recovery time because it is unhealthy and can only provide a temporary solution at best. Most importantly continue to feel good about yourself.
Make new friends and use the "one for one" rule. Since you are parting from the person you are in a relationship with attempt to build a new friendship or better a friendship you already have with someone. This does not mean find a "rebound", but find someone with similar interests and thoughts to share your time with. Maintaining a positive friendship will help you avoid feelings such as loneliness and regret after a breakup.
Understand and learn from what happened in the relationship. You can always take away positive things from a lost relationship. Evaluate the good things you did in the relationship. You most likely have learned what makes you happy and what doesn't. Keep this in mind for future relations and capitalize on your strengths.
Lastly let it go and move on. The breakup has happened and the relationship is over. Do not sit and wonder thoughts of "what if" or "maybe if" about your past relationship. Use your though process to better new relationships whether they are intimate or not.
