From The Straits Times    |

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Getting over a break-up is never easy, especially if you were together for a long time. And while there is no guaranteed way to move on, there are definitely certain things you should do to make yourself feel better and get on with your life. Here are eight ways to do this.

Cry As Much As You Want

Don’t try to be a heroine and say that you “won’t shed a tear over that man”. You don’t have to be a walking cliche and cry over a pint of ice-cream while watching soppy movies but it’s normal to feel emotions and crying is a good way to deal with them. Let it out soon after the break-up, or it might all just creep up on you somewhere down the line when you least expect it – you don’t want to scare your Uber driver or the old lady in front of you in the supermarket queue, do you?

Cut Him Off On Social Media

If he’s your Facebook friend, unfriend him and if you were buddies on Instagram or Twitter, unfollow him. The last thing you want is looking at photos of him having a good time with his friends – or, worse still, with other women. You might think you’ll be able to handle it but it’s definitely not going to help you to get over him. Don’t add social media salt to your wounds so make the first move and click on that button already.

Don’t Rant On Social Media

While it’s good to talk about things with friends, never post about a break-up on social media. Ranting about it will not make you look good and anyone who comments is probably only trying to entertain themselves with some drama. You’ll only be embarrassed later so don’t do it; walk away from your break-up with your dignity intact.

Go Out – A Lot

Going out and getting fresh air really does clear the head so get lots of it. Don’t spend your weeknights and weekends curled up on the sofa, wallowing in self-pity. Interacting with others keeps your mind on other things. But go out to get this interaction – don’t dwell on social media and see what everyone else is up to with or without their partners, as you’re only going to make yourself feel worse.

Find Yourself

If you’ve spent the last few months or years being one-half of a couple, you might have lost a bit of your identity so it’s time to be yourself again. Do the things you used to enjoy by yourself before you became someone’s girlfriend. And, if there’s anything you had to give up while you were with him – eating a certain type of food or watching chick flicks – find the time to do all that again. Make it about you and not about him.

Get Active

Working out is one of the best ways to keep your mind focussed and away from your problems. So go for a run, join a gym or sign up for that yoga class you never had time for before. Exercising is also the perfect way to channel all that anger in you, especially if you had a bad break-up – kickboxing, anyone? 

Don’t Look Back

Don’t waste your time thinking about how you can get him back; instead, think about what you can do without him now. Most importantly, don’t blame yourself – it takes two people for a relationship to work and to fail too. And don’t think of the what ifs either, nobody can change the past so there’s no point dwelling on it – it’s only going to drive you crazy.

Accept It

You’ll never get over it until you acknowledge that it’s over and the sooner you realise this, the less time you’ll spend feeling miserable. Take some time to grieve over the loss of your relationship, then hold your head high, pick up the pieces and get back to being happy by yourself.