Don’t suffer from break up depression. Seriously, breaking up may not be fun – but it’s not the end of the world either. Like all unexpected life events (like earthquakes, floods, unplanned pregnancies, and sudden loss of jobs), you’ll recover. Initially you’ll feel shock, sadness, anger – this is typical human behaviour – but then things will start to get better. You can recover more quickly from relationship depression by following some basic advice.

1) Let your emotions out and don’t hold onto old memories for too long. It will only make things worse for you. Writing out your feelings on paper is a great way to extract any deep hidden anger, fear, and aggression inside you. All of these negative emotions can be flushed out through your writing. Write it down, process it, deal with it, move on.

2) Indulge in new activities to take your mind off old habits and memories. If you have passion for any activity, just try going for it. Cake decorating, car maintenance, poetry writing, stamp collecting – do anything you are passionate about.

3) Turn to your close friends and family to seek love, faith, and positivity. The company of old friends will refresh you. And family members can be a pillar of support for you in tough times. Don’t be too demanding on close friends or family, and avoid sounding like a failure. Try to remain generally positive, and behave normally with this support network.

4) See a therapist or psychologist if you still feel the burden of negative emotions, or if you lie awake at nights worrying. They can help you better deal with any depressing thoughts.

5) Try your best to forgive and forget the past. This is probably the best medicine for any break up. To move on in life, you need to completely forgive your ex and look out for new people with a fresh approach. This doesn’t mean that you forget what your ex did or did not do to you. Just learn from any bad experiences, and aim to avoid them in future relationships.

6) Clear your home and workplace from any items that remind you of your ex. Hide photos, gifts, jewellery and whatever else is necessary to “cleanse” your life spaces of their existence. Create a neutral happy home environment for yourself.

The quicker you undertake the tasks above, the quicker you can heal from your break up. I wish you well in your journey.