Totally changing your look
In TV and movies, the bad breakup haircut is an often seen symbol of a very messy relationship split. However, even if things ended totally amicably between you and your partner, it’s normal to want to shake things up and rediscover what makes you happy in the weeks following the break. This could mean a new hair colour, a tattoo or a cart full of new clothes.
Social media stalking
Social media stalking isn’t the most mature and well-adjusted way to behave, but let’s face it, almost everyone has done it. In the days immediately following a breakup, when feelings are at their most raw and painful, it’s understandable to want to check your ex’s Instagram story for signs that they’re struggling and hurting too.
Having a cry
Crying into a pint of chocolate ice cream after a split is a cliche, but it’s referenced over and over again in media for a reason. Though it might be tempting to skip the sobbing stage altogether in an effort to convince yourself you’re done processing and totally fine, it’s healthy to grieve your squandered relationship hopes and the future you’d imagined before moving on.
Re-evaluating your goals
Sometimes, the silver lining of a difficult break-up comes in the form of clarity, which allows you to see the ways in which your life is failing to live up to your hopes and expectations. If when newly single you suddenly experience a desire to prioritise your career, start a side-hustle or begin saving to get on the property ladder, that’s totally normal.
Rereading old texts
No matter whether you were the one to end things or not, it’s normal to be flooded with nostalgia and uncertainty in the immediate aftermath of a breakup. This can lead many people to play detective and reread old texts, Instagram posts or Facebook image captions in search of clues that the relationship was doomed from the get-go.
Blocking your ex
While some people will become a dedicated watcher of their ex’s posts following a breakup, it’s equally common to want to create as much distance as possible between yourself and your former partner. It’s understandable and even healthy to want to prevent the agony of seeing what they’re getting up to post-split, so blocking your ex is completely normal post-breakup behaviour.
Letting some chores slide
The first few hours and days after a split are the hardest, so you should cut yourself all kinds of slack during this period. If you subsist primarily on takeout Chinese food and delivery pizza, and let the dishes pile high in the sink for a few days, that’s OK. Similarly, no one would blame you for putting off changing the sheets or doing laundry.
Focussing on fitness
Working out after a split simply in order to get a “revenge body” and make your ex regret leaving is definitely not healthy behaviour. However, exercise can be a great way to reconnect with your body and show yourself grace and kindness during a difficult time. In that way, hitting the gym after a break-up is a completely healthy impulse.
Questioning your decisions
Going through a breakup can be a pretty destabilising experience, not least because you likely lose one of the main people you turn to in periods of strife, during an incredibly stressful time. Many people cope with this sudden loss of security by questioning all the decisions they made in the lead-up to the split, wondering if they could have acted differently to prevent the breakup.
Leaning on friends
The longer and more serious the relationship, the more the subsequent breakup can leave you reeling. Nevertheless, one thing all splits have in common is that they leave you feeling in need of love and validation. That’s why one of the healthiest things you can do in the aftermath of a breakup is make plans to hang out with cherished family and friends.