HOW TO SURVIVE A BREAK UP
So you've been dumped. Here are some tips from Catherine Specter on How To Survive a Breakup:
- Don't Let Yourself Go. Don't get drunk, or pig out on ice cream and pizza. The last thing you need on top of heartache is to feel overly full and ugly. This is the time to eat healthy, take vitamins, and generally be good to yourself.
- Exercise. It's the last thing you want to do when you feel nauseated and teary and alone. But it will pay off big-time.
- Distract Yourself. Make yourself pay bills, read the newspaper, clean the house, do laundry, run errands, see movies, go out to dinner, hang out with friends, whatever distracts you from the pain for a few minutes or hours here and there. If you have trouble falling asleep, read a book in bed rather than watching TV (reading is less passive yet more relaxing, and will have a noticeable effect on your ability to drift off). Take down pictures of your ex. Put their stuff in a box, or moved to one area away from plain view until they come to get it, or until you get rid of it.
- If You Must Rebound, Do It Lightly. The 'rebound relationship' is OK, to a point. Absolutely go out and date, it can be a nice little distraction. But don't put too much effort into it or take it too seriously - not only because you might make bad choices during your heartbreak, but also because someone might fall for you when you're not ready to receive them.
- Get A Little Angry And Don't Feel Guilty About It. When you get dumped by someone you love (or even really like), it's natural to remember them as perfect. This is a great time to recall how rude they were to waiters or how snippy they got after a long, hard day. Were they cheap? Were they a tad too conceited? Were they annoyingly snobby about their taste in food, movies or music? It's alright- it only means you've remembered them for who they were, rather than a fantasy.