1. Be Sad

When you’re trying to find ways to heal a broken heart in the beginning it’s okay to be sad. It’s better to be sad than to try and push your emotions down and pretend to be over it. Ignoring your emotions will only prolong your sadness and keep you stuck longer. Allow yourself to grieve for the appropriate amount of time. Just remember, this searing pain can’t last forever and sooner than later you’re going to move into the next phase, which is usually…

2. Get Angry

Okay, by no means do I mean slash your ex’s tires or stalk them at their work declaring your undying love only to turn around and slap them in the face when they don’t want it. Please don’t mistake anger for crazy. It’s empowering to feel angry after feeling sad for so long. Anger can remind you why you’re better off broken up. Let your fire roar, but preferably not with your ex’s house.

3. Start Working out

I have never been more motivated to work out than after a break up. Not only will your body start to look better, but you’ll have a flood of endorphins running through your veins that will make your feel great. Giving yourself a new routine will get your mind off of your grief and get it goal oriented. Achieving new goals will not only make your days go by, but will also help you heal faster.

4. Remember Your Passion

There’s no time like the present to throw yourself into your passion. Once you’ve taken some time to be sad and angry, throwing yourself into your passion can be an exhilarating experience. Chances are you’ll have a lot to say. Use this time of emotional vulnerability to create what you love. Time will fly and your mind will be taken off of the past and plopped smack into the present, right where it should be.

5. Be Nice to Yourself

Sometimes when you’re grieving it’s easy to beat yourself up when you really should be taking this time to be nicer to yourself. Remember, you still deserve to be treated nicely even if you don’t think so right now. Buy yourself a yummy smelling candle or splurge on a massage. As much as you may want your ex to do these nice things for you, the greatest gift is when you can do them for yourself. If your friend were hurting you’d be nice to her, right? Be a good friend and be nice to you.

6. Find Your Faith

Whether you believe in a higher power, are religious or not at all, believe that there is something better waiting for you and have faith that it will come when it’s supposed to. Having hope (not hope that you’ll get back together) for yourself and the future will pull you through your darker moments right now and remind you that life really is beautiful. We all need someone to lean on, even if it’s just a stuffed teddy bear.

7. Hang with Your Friends

Oh, yeah. Remember those people? The ones you may have forgotten about while you were in love? Well, they probably miss you and could use a little love themselves since you’ve been gone. Plan some girls' nights out (don’t go to places your ex might be) and remember what a good time feels like. Your friends love you and want you to be happy. Let yourself be.

Finding different ways to heal after a big break up, especially your first one, can be daunting. But remember, this too shall pass, and before you know it you’ll be in a whole new phase of your life and actually happy that you’ve moved on. Have you recently found a great way to heal from a break up? Leave a comment and let us know!