All breakups suck. It doesn’t matter if the relationship lasted for two weeks or two years, whether you agreed to split, or someone got dumped. Breakups leave a bitter aftertaste. Here are five ways to help you get through any breakup like a champ. 

1.       Avoid contact… I repeat, avoid contact

There’s no use picking at old wounds, and every time you get in contact with your ex, especially when a breakup is fresh, that’s exactly what you’re doing. So do yourself a favour and avoid them altogether. That means no late night messaging on Facebook, no ‘where did we go wrong’ questions on WhatsApp, no liking the recent Instagram post of a deep inspirational quote, and no retweeting subliminal messages made by your ex about your relationship on Twitter. Lay low, and purge yourself of any communication with him or her.

2.       Allow yourself to feel, but do not be consumed3.       A moment of fun a day, keeps the ‘feels’ away4.       Re-invent yourself

Cry if you need to, and go down memory lane in your mind if you want to, but don’t lie to yourself. If you really are feeling gloomy, go ahead and let it out but do not let it consume you. Give yourself permission to cry and mope around for a certain time but promise yourself that you will make the effort to get up and get going again after your big emotional purge. A good way to ensure you get back up again is to rely on loved ones. They will be your shoulder to cry on and will be your listening ear, but they will also be your biggest motivators to get up and get back out there.

It’s often during times of ‘boredom’ or being alone, when the ‘feels’ come knocking on our door. So as hard or rigid as it may sound, you can actually schedule time into your daily or weekly routine for some fun to take your mind off of things. Plan a movie day with friends, go to a party, or even better, throw your own party! As long as you’re making time for fun, you leave less time for yourself to feel down, and that will have you feeling happier for majority of your time.

Sometimes the key to feeling good again, comes with looking good. After a breakup the general expectation is that you might look a mess, so do the opposite. Go pick yourself up with a mini makeover. It can help to get your hair done, or shake up your style a bit.  That ex of yours is probably going to feel pretty crappy when they see you walking down the street looking all fly… but honestly, its less about them, and more about you.

5.       Relax and enjoy

Time outside of a relationship is sometimes a blessing in disguise. You’re young and there are plenty of other persons your age who are just as interesting and probably just as interested in you as the last one. So take some time to bask in the glory of your singleness, meet others and have fun. You’ll meet the Jay to your Bey (or vice versa) someday.