Apparently, Breakup Day is coming up on December 11—just in time for the holidays.
Many people look to lock it down with someone before the cold winter months arrive, but some actually break off connections during this time. According to experts, mid-December is a popular breakup time because it arrives just before the holidays, when many are attending work parties, friend outings, and family gatherings. Perhaps the constant socializing causes many to rethink their +1.
If you’ve been dumped or should you find yourself a victim of breakup day in a few months, certain strategies can help speed up your healing process. Greg Matos, PsyD, ABPP, a board-certified couple and family psychologist, shared five tips for breakup recovery in a recent Psychology Today article.
1. Create and Follow Structured Routines
After a breakup, it’s easy to feel like your entire world is crumbling. The future you planned is no longer in the works, and the person who once felt like home has become a stranger. According to Matos, creating routines helps keep your life intact after such a major loss.
When you’re following a schedule, you won’t have as much time to sit and wallow. Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t process your feelings or allow yourself to grieve—that’s a crucial part of the breakup process.
However, following a routine packed with healthy and fulfilling activities will ensure you’re still prioritizing your own health, well-being, and dreams.
2. Move Your Body
Exercise is obviously beneficial for your physical health, but it can also do wonders for your mental health. Simply moving your body for 20 minutes each day, whether through walking or weightlifting, or even stretching, can help you relax and improve your sleep.
3. Eat Healthy Meals
Trust me, I know how it feels to endure a gut-wrenching breakup with someone you thought you would spend your life with. The gravity of that loss can make you feel like you’re mourning a death. In the immediate weeks following your breakup, you might be physically unable to eat, or maybe you get nauseous after just one bite. Know that this will pass—and try your best to eat what you can in those moments, whether it’s a piece of toast or a pint of ice cream.
Once you’re able to gut food, however, choose healthy, nutritious options, as this will support your healing. Many people are unaware of the gut-brain connection and the importance of eating healthy food, especially when you’re enduring a difficult time.
4. Find Purpose
According to Matos, fueling your passions and dreams will help replace the purpose you found in your relationship. Without even realizing it or intending to, many of us lose ourselves in love, giving less of our time and energy to what lights us up. Breakups are the perfect opportunity to reconnect with yourself and redefine your purpose in life.
5. Give Yourself Closure
After a breakup, many of us feel desperate for a form of closure that will tie everything in a neat bow and allow us to move on with grace. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work that way. Oftentimes, breakups lead to anger, hurt feelings, regret, resentment, and poor communication.
Rather than seeking it from your ex, find ways to give yourself the closure you deserve. Accept the situation as it is, and take your power back—not as a form of revenge but rather as a way to heal. Try not to feed into rumination about what went wrong or whether your ex misses you. Focus on yourself, and trust that everything will pan out as it’s meant to.
And of course, most importantly, be easy on yourself throughout the process.
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