Before I say anything else, know this phrase, live by this phrase, and repeat this phrase: "Keep Moving Forward".

This is a key phrase right after a breakup and it is one you should repeat to yourself whenever possible. It hurts to lose someone so important in your life, it really does. But it is always key to keep moving forward, at whatever pace you deem necessary. Take everything day by day, step by step and eventually you'll grow back into a norm that you never thought you'd see again. But when I say keep moving forward, I also mean don't let yourself move backward.

Some days are going to be harder than others, and some days you won't want to come out of your safe space. But you've got to make sure that each day is better than your last and that you smile just a little more than yesterday! As long as you do one thing each day, make sure everything that is necessary gets done, and you maintain your health, you're moving forward and that is what counts!

You also truly need to make sure to maintain a positive attitude. No matter how hard it is, how much it hurts or how much you want to beg and plead to be taken back, know your worth and know that you'll find something just as good, if not better at some point down the road. Whenever you sense yourself getting down, or starting to complain, start listing out all of the positive things in your life and things that you enjoy.

It helps sometimes to ask your mom or a sibling to help you out. But the more that you vocalize positive thoughts and words, the more you'll start to internalize them and believe them. Compliment other people, compliment yourself, point out the positive aspects of every situation and do so out-loud so not only you, but other people can hear it.

The more you focus on the positives, the less of a distraction the negatives become.

About three years ago, shortly after a really rough breakup, I noticed that I had gotten into a rut of complaining and just generally being sad. I would immediately look for the bad side of things and it quickly snowballed into finding little enjoyment in life. Anytime I saw him, heard about him or saw something that reminded me of him, I fell further into my hole of self-pity.

At some point, I had decided that I had enough of letting a boy have that power over me. I realized that there was a life before him and I was going to have a life after him. But it was my choice whether I was going to be happy and productive or stay in that same rut. So I told myself I was going to be more positive, I was going to try to find the most positive thing in every situation and slowly but surely, thinking of that relationship became less and less painful and it became more about learning from my mistakes and cherishing the good memories.

There, of course, were some days where I wasn't feeling so positive and that's okay. But you have to be happy with yourself outside of a relationship, however long it takes to get there before you can ever learn to be happy in a new relationship. Because the most important thing in your life should ALWAYS be you. As much as you may feel lost, you were an independent, successful person before that relationship and will continue to be afterward. It takes time, but you'll get there.

Try new things, dye or cut your hair, practice new makeup and go on a shopping spree. Do all the things that make you feel good and indulge a little bit. The phrase "treat yourself" is a great mantra to live by right after a breakup and there's nothing wrong with that! If it makes you more happy, more confident and more excited to go on with the day, why not give it a whirl?

And someday, you'll meet someone even better who you'll go on adventures with and who will be your best friend. When you find that person, you'll ask yourself why you ever wallowed for so long when you could have been out there finding this new, better-suited person!

So let me say it again, KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Take baby steps to find your happiness and eventually that perfect person will find you.