How to move on after ending a long term relationship?

How to move on after ending a long term relationship?

Ending a long term relationship is not a decision one not makes lightly, but it comes to a time when enough is enough and you realise just because they had the last (in my case 8 years) doesn’t mean they can have the rest.

When I finally walked away, and this time for good, I had made a few attempts, I didn’t realise that it really was only just the beginning.

When I finally found the strength to leave, I’m not sure what I had anticipated I was so caught up on needing to leave I didn’t realise the long journey of healing ahead.

Surround yourself with friends and family
Find time to reconnect with family and friends and enjoy their company. Often in relationships it seems people don’t spend enough time with friends and family as you become caught up in one person. Drawing on the positive energy my friends and family has been critical for my healing. It helps to share how you’re feeling.

Set yourself a goal/s
Think about things that you would have liked to have done but you couldn’t because of your relationship. I always wanted to spend time overseas and learn another language, so I’ve set myself a timeline for saving and working towards that goal. I always said I wanted to blog… so here I am…

Keep your distance from your ex
I know this may not always be possible, but you should try limit contact at least in the beginning. This is a difficult one for me because we have the same circle of friends, but at least for a while I am definitely going to try to keep my distance. There is obviously still a lot of love and a lot of pain and seeing him only brings it all back.

Remember that life is a journey
Throughout life people will come in and out and touch us in different ways. I like to remember that my past relationship was one that helped shape the person I am today, for better and not worse, and that I can only learn from my experiences and continue to journey through life meeting new people and enjoying every moment.

Find good ways to grieve
I have lost my best friend, someone I shared the last eight years of my life with, and I think it’s okay to be sad that it’s over. But I remind myself that life isn’t over though, a new page is just beginning. Don’t inflict anger on him or others or yourself. There are plenty of good ways to grieve I’ve found that reading blogs and experiences from others online has helped my grieving process. Also watching sunsets, exercising, and just having a bit of quiet reflection and me time has also helped. It’s perfectly human to grieve and feel hurt, but there are good and bad ways, try not to let negative thoughts consume you.

Life is a gift and there are so many wonderful things about it. We are only human we love, we make mistakes, we feel and we hurt and that’s just a part of life. Embrace all the moments – we can only truly appreciate happiness by feeling pain.

If you are going through a break up to I hope some of my experiences help your healing.