How to Get Over a Break Up
by Karen Rollins May 6, 2024
We’ve all been there – a relationship is going well, and you finally feel like you’ve found ‘the one’ and then, just like that, it’s over and you’re left wondering what went wrong and if you’ll ever love again.
At these times it can be easy to wallow in self-pity but Yello has found four ways to overcome a break up which might provide some comfort.
Don’t hold back your emotions
It’s OK to cry, so if you want to ball your eyes out – go right ahead – just don’t do it for too long as you’ll get a stuffy nose. But seriously, don’t keep your emotions inside as they’ll make you feel worse and don’t avoid how bad you are feeling as that may even delay the healing process.
Cry, talk it over with friends, write everything down in a journal, listen to sad music, pen some poems – do whatever it takes to get your feelings out rather than bottled up inside.
Remove any reminders of the relationship
This step might seem harsh but it’s necessary if you really want to let go and reduce the pain.
Archive or delete old texts / WhatsApp messages from your phone. Go on social media and remove photos, videos and old posts and don’t forget to unfollow and block your ex-partner on Instagram / Twitter and unfriend him/ her on Facebook.
Look around the house and discard any previous gifts you don’t want, take down pictures, and donate or throw out your former partner’s clothes or other items (if they wanted them, they wouldn’t have left them).
If there’s anything you want to keep, put it in a ‘break-up shoe box’ so you can look at it some other time, but don’t leave anything on display as a daily reminder of what you once had.
You might be surprised how cathartic this step is and how much better you’ll feel afterwards about moving on.
Set a time to feel better
Just like the grieving process, there’s no time limit on when you should be ‘over’ a break-up, but it might help to circle a day in the calendar when you resolve to stop feeling so bad.
Some people say it takes about half the time of a relationship to get over it (which is scary if you were together 10 years), but in reality everyone is different, and you might have to accept that there’ll always be good and bad days.
However, if you do set aside a date for when you plan to feel more positive about your life again, it could help you to move on quicker.
Splash out on a holiday
They say time is a healer and time goes so much faster, and is much more fun, when you’re on holiday.
Treat yourself to a trip to an exotic location that’ll take your mind off negative thoughts and feelings.
Go solo, go with friends, or join a group tour where you’ll be sure to make new friends. Just make sure you visit some place you’ve always wanted to see, because then you’ll feel as if you’ve accomplished something, and have amazing memories to look back on.