There is life after a breakup

So you’ve bawled your eyes out. You’ve hoarded all the tissue rolls and Kleenex boxes at home, and above all of these, your girlfriends have seemed to block your calls, swearing to each other not to answer your call until the time you learn the lesson of calling in at more civilized hours. No amount of aspirin or paracetamol could even hush your throbbing head – and you’re a complete and utter mess. Mr. Potatohead had finally found a reliable counterpart in you, Ms. Tomatoface. That is what you call a breakup. Oh hello, hello, hello pain. Embrace it.

You’ve called it quits. No more last phone calls of the day. No more consistent texts. You might be losing your movie date, your best friend, your fellow food critic, your partner in crime, and just about everything and everyone you’ve ever wanted and needed in your life. Ok, go grab a roll, quick. After drying your eyes, read on please.

Wake up and smell the coffee, why don’t you?! To put it bluntly – sulking, groaning, and whining will not send him/her back on his/her knees. No matter what label you put to it, you’ve had a breakup. Take note: You are not on death row. Meet this little thing called life. Get one please.

Catch up on old friends. Your ex-beau may have had gotten too big a chunk of your time while your posse had tidbits and crumbs of it. Since you’re the one who’s running after them confidantes, haggling for more and more time, treat your clique to a sumptuous dinner or movie. Get back in line and know what’s going on in each other’s lives. They might equally need the company. As cheesy as it sounds, your friends will help you pick up the pieces of your broken heart.

Do what you’ve never done with your ex around. Did you have one of those exes who never let you out of the house a la princess stuck inside a tower unless you were with him/her? (as if he were prince charming) Then, now we’re talking. I’m not saying you drive yourself to the ICU by smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. But if your "used to" caused you to stop cold chicken… then feel free to smoke a bit once in a while. Just don’t overdo it. You wouldn’t want to bump into each other anywhere with black lips and gums, real bad breath, and non-stop coughing. That’ll give him/her the last laugh, you know that, don’t you? He never allowed you to curl your hair but you’ve always felt you could give Sarah Jessica Parker a run for her money? Then go for it! Just go on house arrest if you end up looking like a poodle.

Splurge on yourself. Months and years of saving up just to get him that gorgeous baby blue button down, watch, or new rubber shoes damaged your wardrobe, admit it. Treat yourself to a shopping spree. Get that hot new watch you’ve always set your eyes on but never got your hands on. It’s not a sin, spoil yourself. Research on the most reputable spa and do the works. Re-acquaint yourself with coffee or seaweed body scrub, a Swedish massage and a peppermint foot scrub. Afterwards, pamper your crowning glory with a nice hot oil or a pretty new chic haircut.

Re-invent yourself. If laughter is the child of surprise, let beauty be the child of your heartbreak. Your goal is to make him regret leaving you – unless of course he left you for an ugly girl. If that’s the case, make him feel you’ve moved on and moved up! If that is not your sob story, then this is for you. A new look is always something to look forward to. Just because you feel awful inside, that doesn’t give you the excuse to look just as bad. Gift yourself with a makeover that will make him do a double take at you!

Learn something, anything, everything! Learn to cook, ice skate, cross-stitch, or play the banduria. Not only will this take your mind away off him, but you can think of it as a program that will make you more rounded, more learned, more talented, more beautiful, and more viable! This, my friends, isn’t the only thing you’ll be learning in the next few more days. The hardest and next thing to learn now is to learn how to take care of yourself without someone supervising you or doing the taking care for you. I could say learn to let go, but anyone who’s had his/her heart broken will probably say that isn’t possible.

The most important thing one could ever learn after a breakup, is learn to be thankful for the memories, the friendship, and the heart that taught you its capacity to love, and love beyond its capacity.