The unmistakable pain and emptiness you feel after a break up always seems endless. The heavy sadness seems to drag you down like a thousand bricks on your shoulders and the tears flow like a fountain. If you’ve experienced a break up lately, know that you’re not alone because I have too. If there’s anything I’ve learned in the past few weeks, it’s that “getting over it” isn’t as easy as it sounds. However, I’ve also learned that there are some ways to lessen the pain. Here are some of the things that made me feel better: 

1. The first thing you MUST do is accept that it’s over. Don’t try to brush it off, because sometimes this can lead to a breakdown of emotions later. Take some time to process what happened and gain closure. Remember all the good times you shared with the person and thank them for all the memories they gave you but remind yourself that you have to move on from them.  
2. Try to distract yourself. Once you’ve accepted that it’s over, fill up your days with projects and goals. Use all the energy you put into making the relationship work into making yourself feel better. Use the emotions you feel to do something (create art, write, listen to music and sing along, work on personal projects, clean your room, etc.) 
3. Spend more time with friends. Your friends love you unconditionally and will surely be willing to help you during this rough patch in your life. Find the people who appreciate and stick by you and surround yourself with them. More often than not, platonic love is better than romantic love anyway. 
4. Take care of yourself. Wipe your tears, take a shower, order some food, and watch a movie. Drink lots of water and remember to keep yourself healthy. Don’t let this break up kill you. As cliché as it sounds, know that you don’t need someone to complete you. Remember what life was like before the break up. What do you miss about that? How have you grown since then and how can you continue to grow from here? Take some time to yourself and maybe even take a break from social media. The worst thing you can do to yourself right now is stalk them on Instagram and make yourself feel miserable. 
5. To get even more cliché, remember that you are one heartbreak closer to finding the person you’re going to marry and love for the rest of your life. Even if it feels like you’re completely useless or broken and that nothing can possibly get better, believe me when I say it will. This break up will not kill you. There are still people out there that you have yet to meet and there are so many things that you have yet to experience. You will get through this.  

While there’s really no way to move on completely immediately, I hope you use these tips to ease your pain and make you feel a little bit better about your situation. Don’t forget that you aren’t alone in this situation and, if you need to, you can always reach out to a friend or loved one if you need help. Hang in there, I’m sure you’ll get through it.