When Ariana Grande broke her musical silence following the end of her engagement with Pete Davidson and the passing of former boyfriend Mac Miller, everyone was listening closely to her track, entitled "thank u, next."

In this track, Ariana is quick to name-drop Davidson and Mac Miller, among other former loves, and share the lessons that they taught her about life and relationships. "thank u, next" radiates self-love, positivity, and growth, saying something you don't typically hear when people look back on their relationships: "I'm so f-king grateful for my ex."

In all honesty, if you're not looking back on your former relationships with the same mindset as Ariana describes in "thank u, next", you're doing it all wrong.

We so used to hearing the negative narrative after a breakup. Artists release the same heartbreaking tales of exes making them feel like they're not good enough and we all listen to them and do nothing but wither in the pain of a broken heart. Yes, relationships gone wrong can be pretty terrible. They can knock you down and leave you completely heartbroken. But in these moments of heartbreak, you can learn the most valuable lessons, if only you look at it in a more positive light.

Dating a compulsive liar can teach you the value of honesty.

Being cheated on can teach to never settle for someone who isn't completely obsessed with you and only you.

Dating someone who never sees anything but the bad side of you can teach you self-love and help you realize how wonderful you really are.

It's time we stopped the ex-bashing and started thanking them for everything they've taught us. Without them, we wouldn't learn the lessons that made us the person we are today. We would've never experienced the sadness that turned us to the period of self-love that makes us a better, happier person, who will eventually be ready to love again.

You only hurt from your heartbreaks for so long before you begin to learn and grow into a more mature person. If it wasn't for your ex, you wouldn't have gained the confidence, self-love, and positivity necessary to lead you to your next.

It's time we all joined Ariana and said just how thankful we are for our ex. A piece a shit they may be, but without them, we wouldn't be the confident, self-loving queens we are, ready to find someone worthy of our love.