Breakups are awful. They’re inevitable and one of the worst things in life. While some are more serious than others, no break up is fun to go through. There’s the ice cream, the millions of tears, and the crumpled tissues littering the floor. Here are the main 5 stages of a breakup:
Stage 1- The “End of the World” Stage
The breakup just happened and you SWEAR that it’s the end of the world. How will you ever get through the day without talking to them or being with them? There’s tons of crying--and I mean TONS. You’re either gorging on ice cream and soul food or your appetite is barely there. You want to wake up from this awful nightmare that somehow just came into your life. Stage 1 is always as bad as it’s going to get.
Stage 2- The “Just Terribly Sad” Phase
At this point you’ve come to terms with the breakup, but it seems as though no matter what you do, there are happy couples EVERYWHERE. Every little thing makes you sad whether you’re in the grocery store and see their favorite snack or see a cloud in the sky that kind of resembles their face (somehow?). A bottle of wine per night is essential and a lame sappy romantic movie makes its way onto your screen. You isolate yourself from everyone who would make you happy (as if being alone is going to make anything better.) You stalk his Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and just about every other thing that might give you a clue on how he’s doing.
Stage 3- The “Anger” Stage
This is a dangerous stage. You’re ripping up old photos, throwing away gifts given to you, and you’re blocking them on all forms of social media. YOU changed the relationship status on Facebook to “single.” There is nothing but hate at this stage, how could someone cause you THAT much pain?! They’re so inconsiderate. You tend to go crazy, envisioning ways they could feel the way you do. You talk badly about him to every mutual friend you have and force them to pick sides. You want to win; you want everyone to realize how much of a jerk they are.
Stage 4- The “I’m Never Dating Again” Stage
After everything that’s happened you’re over all of the stress that has been put on you with this breakup. You’ve completely called it quits with ever being with another person in your life. Your friends are all that you need to live happily, so why not just stay single? Do you want to go through another break up? I think not.
Stage 5- The “Feeling Myself” Stage
You get to the point where you’re sick of crying, you’re sick of grieving, you’re sick of analyzing everything that could have been changed to be together. You’ve accepted the fact that it’s done and nothing will change that and YOU DON’T CARE. You realize you were way too good for that person, you start loving yourself again and take pride in the person that you are. You’re more open to making plans and going out and taking your mind off things. You actually ENJOY the single life. You’re happy being alone and have really learned a lot about yourself that will help you later on in life. Eventually someone new and great will come along but for now it’s all about you.
