Musings on Life and Love

Image by utsavbasu1 via Flickr

We get lots of generic advice when we break up. “You’ll get through it.” “You’re better off.” “Don’t worry, you’ll find the One.” But no one ever tells us how to get through the pain, the loneliness, the emptiness. Whether the breakup is mutual, shocking, brutal, or civil, it sucks.

So what do we do? Blast “I Will Survive” until our ears bleed? When will those yucky feelings go away? I think everyone has their own progression that they go through, similar to the five stages of grief. Here’s mine:

Disbelief and Denial

After my boyfriend of two years broke up with me, I was shocked. In hindsight, it was a long time coming. During the last turbulent months of our relationship, I knew we were heading down that road. He had moved away six weeks prior—a tell-tale sign of doom. But when it actually happened… well, I was shocked. It was a Sunday morning, and he had spent the weekend with me. When he left that morning, he left for good. I was a puddle. I sat in my room for three hours, knowing that once I walked out of there, I’d have to face my roommates and tell them what happened. I wasn’t ready for it to be real.

Desperation

Six hours after the dumping, I made the tearful phone call begging Mr. Ex to take me back. Not one of my finer moments. I was a ball of desperate emotion. I needed to save us and wasn’t ready to accept all the valid reasons for the breakup.

Spite

For me, this was different than anger because I had someone to be mean to. Two weeks after the breakup, we had a wedding to attend together. For the sake of the wedding, we didn’t tell anyone about the breakup except for a few close friends. Mr. Ex and I sat next to each other during the entire ceremony and did everything possible not to touch each other. I knew it was going to be awful, so I resorted to spite. I made sure I looked amazing. Then, I left the reception early, casually letting him know that I was going dancing with a great guy I’d met. I wanted him to realize what a great catch I was and that I was no longer his.

Boing! Rebound!

I’d met the great guy right after I got dumped. He was nice and attentive, and he thought I was fabulous. Mr. Ex did not think I was fabulous. And I got to be spiteful to Mr. Ex. This way, I didn’t have to think about why we had broken up. I didn’t have to think about why Mr. Ex did not think I was fabulous. I didn’t have to think about Mr. Rebound. I was too busy spiting Mr. Ex and feeling good about myself.

Oops. After a few weeks with Mr. Rebound, I realized we did not have as much in common as we’d thought. I realized the only thing I really liked about him was that he liked me. So that ended.

Being Single

At this point, Mr. Ex and I were still on pretty hateful terms. Mutual friends were involved, and there were a myriad of details to sort after we dissolved our relationship. Therefore, he couldn’t just—”poof”—disappear from my life. Lots of phone calls and emails, all filled with hurt, anger, and tears on both sides. I was done. I couldn’t even watch a romantic comedy without thinking, “really? That seems like a lot of hassle.”

I decided it was time to take a step back. Away from boys and to spend some some with me. I needed to make plans without having to check with someone if we were free on Saturday night. I needed to feel fabulous about myself and not wait for Mr. Ex or Mr. Rebound to feel that way about me. I learned that if I didn’t feel that way about myself, Mr. Future certainly wouldn’t. I announced to myself that I didn’t want to date anyone for three months. Why three months? Well, it was the summer, and three months marked the end of the summer. What if I met someone great? Well, I wasn’t ready.

Ironically, during this period, I did actually meet Mr. Future. I thought to myself, “cute. But seems like a lot of hassle. Maybe later. Hopefully he’ll still be single.”

Introspection

This phase ran concurrently through all the other phases. It ended when I realized that I was no longer filled with anger, hurt, longing, and loneliness over the breakup. I kept busy. Busy enough to avoid depression, but not so busy that I didn’t take the time for introspection. I figured out my own culpability in the breakup and learned to be okay with it. Oh, and getting busy with Mr. Rebound didn’t count as introspection.

Resolution

The last thing I wanted was to be friends with Mr. Ex. I had spent a lot of time being angry at him. When I thought about our two years together, I was filled with bitterness and sadness. And I didn’t like that. I didn’t want my memories to be spoiled. So I had to get past my anger. I knew that we were better friends than lovers, and I didn’t want the memory of our friendship to be tainted by the ups and downs of our relationship. We never regained the friendship we had before we dated. But we became friends again.

Meeting Someone New

As luck would have it, after I reached my resolution, Mr. Future and I crossed paths again. And he was still single. I was finally ready, and all it took was me allowing the progression of the breakup to run its course.

So, to all those newly singles, perhaps that’s the best advice anyone can give: just give yourself time.