7 Things To Be Grateful For After A Breakup

There are seven billion people on the planet. You will fall in love again.

Updated 8 years ago, April 10, 2017

There are breakups and then there are breakups. Unless you marry your middle-school sweetheart, you’re bound to go through it at some point. If you find yourself experiencing a particularly painful one at the moment, think of this: One day you’ll be happy again, and you’ll look back and be grateful you had these seven things.

1. Tearjerkers.

Jerk those tears right out of that head. There has been enough research—formal and informal—to prove the therapeutic power of tears. So, let ‘er rip, girl. It doesn’t have to be The Notebook. It doesn’t have to be anything romantic-centric, in fact. Whatever makes you cry, turn it on. Let it out. Exhale. A sticky face and a red nose may not be what great selfies are made, of but they are the signs of a weight lifted. A few deep breaths later, you’ll feel lighter, no doubt. Thank you, Netflix.

2. Chocolate, books, tea.

These three things are a trifecta of healing goodness, if there ever was one. Add a pair of fluffy socks and you’ll be instantly convinced you never loved him or her anyway. Actually, whatever it is that gives you cozy comfort, that makes you realize you don’t need all that much to be happy, do that. Thank God for the little things. They help us get through the big things.

3. The friend who lets you talk.

You need to flesh it out with someone. That’s what friends are for. You need to analyze it to understand it, and you need to understand it in order to frame it in your mind—“It wasn’t our time,” “He wasn’t the right one”—before you can move on. Here’s a toast to patient friends everywhere: May we know them and may we be them too, if and when the time shall come.

4. The friend who won’t let you talk about it anymore.

And when it’s time to move on and you’re still clinging to a box of tissues, there’s the friend who drags you out, back into the land of the living. She might even scold you for not blocking your ex yet but you know it’s for your own good. You play along, dance to the music, and realize after a while, you might actually be enjoying yourself. You didn’t think it was possible, but your friend knew. She knew you still had it in you. Thank God for her.

5. Shows and movies that make being single look fun.

Watch every season of Sex and the City. Skip to your closet like Carrie, push the hangers aside and glance up. You can’t ‘help but wonder’ just how good being single will look on you. Thank God for reruns on E!

6. Makeup.

It’s just so much fun to play with and experiment. And when it gives you some newfound confidence too, then by all means, consider it an investment, not an expense. Thank you to sales reps everywhere for not kicking out the girl who is breakup makeup shopping for hours.