Two Day Magazine

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Breakups can be hard. But, no matter what the circumstances of the breakup; the specific causes, the length of the relationship, the timing of the split, the sad fact is you can’t really change what’s happened. The good news is that you can bounce back from it.

Now, when I say “bounce back”, I don’t necessarily mean jumping back into the dating pool. You are the only person who really, truly knows when you’ll feel comfortable dating again, no matter what your friends and/or family say. I know, I know, we’ve all heard the “plenty of fish in the sea” line, but, what if you’re a vegetarian or vegan? “There are plenty of carrots in the patch” doesn’t sound quite as good, now does it?

One thing about breakups is that you’re not alone. Plenty of people out there have seen relationships fall apart, and some of them have channeled their emotions from breakups into music. For a long time, I have believed that after the first big breakup of your life, you should be handed a gift basket filled with some kind of comfort food and a copy of Alanis Morissette’s 1995 hit album, Jagged Little Pill. Or, tap into Fall Out Boy and let the angst out! The post breakup time is a perfectly acceptable time to listen to that sort of music, and you have my permission to do so without feeling embarrassed.

Because, let’s face it, there’s something reassuring in being able to sing along with the line, “I’m just a notch in your bedpost, but you’re just a line in a song.”

No matter what, don’t let the breakup stop you from living your life. I know many of us have felt devastated by a break up, but at the same time, lying around on your floor like a lichen for four months isn’t going to change anything and probably won’t make you feel any better. Instead, go out and try something new, like kickboxing, yoga or even strip aerobics. Or, for the less athletically inclined, knitting, learning to play guitar, learning a foreign language; the possibilities are endless. Or, is there’s something you really liked to do, eat, or watch that your former significant other didn’t? Take advantage of your singleness and indulge in that!

Remember: no breakup will ever be the end of the world. Don’t let it be the end of you.