How to Cope with Each of the 7 Stages of a Break up ...

1. Shock😮

A lot of times after a breakup, you can be left sitting and wondering what the heck just happened. You might not believe that what you’re going through is even real. It can be hard to accept. Remembering that this is your body’s natural way to try and protect against pain can help. It can be a bit of confusion, or it can be actual physical shock that affects your breath. What you can do is try to calm yourself by going out and taking a walk, indulging in a bubble bath, or meditating. Remember that things will clear up eventually.

2. Denial🙅

When you just go through a breakup, another common accompaniment is denial. You don’t want to believe a breakup is happening and it can feel unreal. You want to push away reality and store your feelings, but that can make it harder to heal. The healthy thing to do is to embrace all your feelings and emotions even if they are hard to handle. Reach out to someone close to you and unleash what you’re scared about or write in your journal. You need to deal with it some way – denying it doesn’t make it change or go away.

3. Isolation

Getting past the denial stage means you’ve accepted the situation. It’s normal for you to be feeling out of whack and uncertain where to go from here. We totally get that you might want to withdraw and take some time with your own thoughts and feelings, and there’s nothing wrong with that. We aren’t saying you have to go out and make an effort to be outgoing. Just make sure that you aren’t letting yourself waste away: take showers and try to make yourself get up and do something on occasion.

4. Anger

It’s common for feelings of anger often come after sadness. When you’re thinking about the situation, you might feel a rage burning inside of you 😡 You may see pictures of you guys together and want to tear them up. You might want to talk poorly about them. Or you might be mad at yourself and start beating yourself up. Either way, you’re trying to place blame. Feel free to write, feel, and talk about your anger, but don’t act on it by “getting back” at your partner or doing anything that you might regret later with a clearer mind.

5. Bargaining

It’s really not uncommon to start thinking about ways to get your ex back. Maybe you’re trying to make yourself feel better about the role you played, or just missing their presence in your life. You might be desperate to negotiate with your ex and go to them to try to get back together 🙏Try to make a list of things that make you happy and goals for the future to take your focus off trying to go back to something you probably shouldn’t.

6. Depression😔

Break ups bring up a whirlwind of emotions, and it can be hard to deal with them all. This can lead to a deep sadness that starts to feel like depression. Memories of what life was like during your relationship may surface, and it can be hard to remember what life was like before. Thinking about the future can be tiring. If you find yourself having a hard time getting out of bed or feeling tired, you may be going through this stage. Try to surround yourself with loved ones, and don’t succumb to binge eating or drinking.

7. Acceptance

The last stage is the best stage in our opinion. You’ve accepted that the breakup has happened. You feel like you can finally let out a breath you’ve been holding in and can start feeling a little optimistic regarding the future. You feel like yourself again and you feel relieved that you’ve made it through 🙂 We do say don’t be surprised if you feel sad from time to time still, but know that you are strong.

Hopefully knowing the stages of a break up will help you as you’re going through it, but just know, you’re not alone! ❤️