7 Common Emotions You'll Feel After a Breakup and How to Cope

How Am I Supposed to Feel After a Breakup?

Going through a breakup can be very difficult and stressful, and there's no one way you're supposed to feel about it. Often, you are filled with many confusing emotions at once, and you may wonder if what you're feeling is normal. For a while, you might even become overwhelmed with emotions, but don't worry—it's absolutely normal to feel this way. It's quite a process to let go of a person you really loved.

In this article, you will learn about the complicated emotions people commonly experience after a breakup and—more importantly—how to cope with them.

The Emotional Stages Most People Go Through After a Breakup

1. Shock and denial
2. Desperate need for answers
3. Fear, loneliness, and sadness
4. Bargaining (a.k.a. the "crazy" stage)
5. Anger
6. Peace and acceptance
7. Forgiveness

Everyone will go through different stages at different times, so don't worry if you feel like it is taking a little longer than expected to get over a loss. Sometimes, you might even repeat a stage that you've already gone through. Continue scrolling to learn more about each stage and how to cope.

1. Shock and Denial

Shock and denial go hand in hand. At first, you will feel like you are dreaming. Even if you knew that the relationship was in trouble, you never actually thought that a breakup was possible—your significant other loved you too much to leave. Despite all the bad times, there were many good times. You shared so many wonderful memories that this cannot be real.

You tell yourself that your significant other will soon realize that they are wrong and come running back. You can't believe that this is happening to you because you were once "the perfect couple." You tend to forget all the bad things or see them through rose-colored glasses. You continually tell yourself that you guys will fix things and everything will be okay.

You're constantly staring at your phone, waiting for the caller ID to say their name. You believe that they will call soon; they must be busy. At this point, you still will not be able to refer to them as your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend. You tell people that you are not really broken up—you both just need a little time.

2. Desperate Need for Answers

Once the shock of your breakup has worn off, you will likely start asking yourself lots of "what if," "why," and "how" questions, such as:

• What's wrong with me?
• Why didn't he/she want to try to make it work?
• How could I have fixed things?

After a breakup, it's completely normal to feel a burning desire to understand why things happened the way they did. This is a very painful stage, as many of the questions people ask themselves after breakups reflect profound feelings of rejection and inadequacy. You may find yourself fixating on things you or your ex said or did—replaying the memories over and over in your head and trying to pull a rational answer from them.

You may feel like all you can think about is your ex.

The pain and confusion that stems from heartbreak can consume every part of your life, becoming all you think or talk about. You will likely find yourself seeking answers from your coworkers, family, or friends, going over every aspect of the relationship and trying to find logical explanations for why things shouldn't have ended.

Agonizing over memories of your relationship, both good and bad, can even cause you to dream of your ex. This, in turn, can affect the quality of your sleep and cause you to wake up feeling sadder and more exhausted than you were when you went to bed. Unfortunately, there's no way to fix this—you must simply let it pass with time.

3. Fear, Loneliness, and Sadness

The phone has not rung, and it has been quite a while. You are getting over the shock and starting to realize that they might not call. You start to think to yourself that maybe this is real. And that’s when fear starts to kick in.

You fear that you will be lonely forever. You fear that you will have nobody to talk to. You fear that you will not be able to make it in this big, scary world without them. You fear that when you are sick, there will be nobody there to comfort you.

Sadness and depression often kick in when the initial shock wears off.

While you may have felt some initial sadness mingling with the shock of the breakup, it truly hits when you start to understand that the split is real. You’ll likely want to stay in bed and hide under the covers, feeling lonely, depressed, and sorry for yourself. Talking to friends and family is not an option, and you want nothing to do with what is going on around you.

For some reason, you will torture yourself. You will sit and cry and listen to “your song” a million times to the point where there are no more tears left. You will look at pictures of your ex over and over again. You’ll tell yourself that you will never be able to find a person who will love you the way that they did. You’ll question if you’re good enough and if someone else could ever love you.

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4. Bargaining (a.k.a. the “Crazy Stage”)

This stage is a little bit of everything mixed into one. It is the stage where shock, denial, fear, loneliness, and sadness kind of come together. I know that many of us have gone through the crazy stage. This is when you have to realize that the breakup is real, but you are not going to let it stay that way. You are going to do everything you can to try to make this person come back into your life. You are willing to do anything if it means being with them again.

You may feel compelled to contact your ex and beg to get back together.

While this may seem like a good idea, there are many benefits to the no-contact rule. But it can be very hard to resist getting in touch with your ex. They haven’t called, so you decide to call them. They haven’t written an email, so you plan to write them one. They haven’t texted you, so you tell yourself you’ll text them.

Unfortunately, most people in this stage don’t do these things one time and move on—instead, they bombard their ex with calls, texts, emails, and letters and beg for them to respond. You promise them that this time will be different. You promise to make all of the wrongs right. You try to remind them of all the good memories and make them see that it wasn’t so bad after all. You promise to do anything to make it work.

You read articles and books and watch TV shows on “how to get your ex back.” This is now war. You tell yourself that you’re going to make them love you. The outcome of this stage can vary. Because you are setting yourself up for disappointment, when you don’t get the response you were looking for, you might revert back to one of the above stages. Some people will be in denial or feel lonely again, while others will experience more anger.

You may obsess over monitoring their social media.

If you decide not to contact your ex, or you do, and they don't respond, you may resort to obsessively checking their social media accounts. After all, you want to make sure that there are no other significant people in their life, and the only way you can do that is by constantly looking at their online activity.

If you do go down that rabbit hole, remember that the way people portray themselves on social media isn't always an accurate representation of the way they really feel. So even if it looks like your ex is carefree and living their best life just days or weeks after you break up, that probably isn't the case. In fact, people often post these kinds of photos for the express purpose of making their exes jealous (regardless of whether they are the dumper or the dumpee).

Sometimes, bargaining can lead to relapse.

You may be able to convince your ex to try again (especially if yours was an on-again, off-again relationship to begin with). While this will temporarily ease your pain, it will only make things worse if you break up again. No matter how much you wish it were possible, you can't make a relationship work if you're the only one who wants it to. Healthy relationships require effort from both partners, and you can't blame yourself for not being able to uphold a relationship on your own.

5. Anger

Now that you have been crying for a while and have not moved from your spot on the bed for weeks, you start to think about all the things that you did for this person.

You tell yourself things like:

• I don't understand why they left me.
• I was such a good boyfriend/girlfriend.
• Nobody else will ever do what I did for them.
• Good luck trying to find somebody who will do the things I did for you.

At this point, you need to blame somebody. You are tired of blaming yourself, so it suddenly becomes their fault. You are sick of hearing that song and turn the radio off every time you hear it. You want to rip their picture into a million little pieces and burn it.

Though this stage can be emotionally taxing (as if all the other ones aren't), it can also be empowering. Anger—whether it's directed toward your ex, yourself, or the situation in general—can put an end to the numbness and make you feel alive again. It can also give you positive direction and help you lift yourself out of your slump. For many, anger is the first step toward healing.

6. Peace and Acceptance

Even though you feel as though you will never get to the point of peace, you will. One day you will sit back and realize that you have made it! In spite of the heartache, tears, anger, and fear, you are still alive! Thinking of this person will bring about happy feelings instead of feeling like a knife is cutting through your heart. You will be much stronger than you were before, and you will have learned a lot about what you need and want.

A key shift occurs in this stage—instead of looking back, you will start to plan for the future. For the first time in what feels like ages, you will be excited about life and other people again. You will come to the empowering realization that you don't need your ex to be happy because only you can make you happy. You will realize that you are capable of loving again and that you are worthy of being loved. This is a major breakthrough, so you should be proud!

7. Forgiveness

There are many benefits to forgiving your ex (and yourself), so as soon as you feel like you can let go of those last traces of bitterness, let it happen. For some, this last step can be difficult because that anger—no matter how toxic—can feel like the last connection with your ex. But cutting that final tether will truly free you and give you the strength to rebuild yourself and move on.

Sometimes it can take quite a while to reach this point. Accepting the breakup and coming to terms with why it happened is very different from actually forgiving your ex and—more importantly—yourself, so don't rush it. You will get there, and when you do, you will know that you have well and truly moved on.

Ways to Cope With Your Breakup

Nobody can predict exactly how long it will take for the pain to go away, and every person is different, but here are some general tips to help you get through your breakup.

Remember the good times and all that the relationship taught you.

It is really hard when you have created so many memories and shared so many important details of your life with another person. Letting go is not an easy thing to do. The main goal is to understand that, yes, your life will change, but this does not mean you have to forget all the good memories and times you shared with a person. This is a part of you and always will be. Remember what this person has taught you, and be thankful that you were able to experience the things that you did.

Make an effort to stay healthy throughout the “letting go” process.

You just have to make sure that you keep yourself healthy during these stages. You need to try your best to get advice and support from the people around you. Eat properly. Try to get out of the house and socialize a little.

Don’t jump right into another relationship (or rebound sex).

Many people suggest jumping into another relationship or simply seeking rebound sex right after a breakup to get your mind off the other person. I do not suggest that.

At this point, you have many emotions built up, and immediately starting a new relationship will not allow you to heal from this one or give the new relationship a fair shot. So give yourself time. Get to know yourself. Discover what makes you happy and try to be strong. Many times after a big breakup, we discover things about ourselves that we weren’t even aware of.

Find a new hobby.

Now’s the time to test out that new activity you’ve been dying to try. Be it baking or boxing, diving into something new can really take your mind off of your ex. Learning something new stimulates your brain and helps start the rebuilding process. It will also boost your self-esteem because you will realize that you are capable of anything you put your mind to. Here are some of the best hobbies to try after a breakup:

• Rock climbing, yoga, or any other type of exercise
• Volunteering for a cause you care about
• Learning to knit or crochet
• Taking an art class
• Learning how to play an instrument
• Learning how to cook

Listen to music.

There are so many benefits to listening to music, not least of which are lowering stress levels and reducing depression. So queue up that breakup playlist and get listening.

Lean on your friends and family.

When dealing with the roller coaster of emotions involved in recovering from a breakup, it’s key to rely on those around you. Whether you reach out for a shoulder to cry on or someone to scream from the rooftops with, spending time with your friends and family can really boost your mood when you’re feeling low.

While it can be tempting to spend your time alone, and you may even avoid your friends because you don’t want to be a “downer,” your true friends will be there for you through thick and thin. They’ll understand your pain and want to do anything they can to make you feel better.

Let yourself cry.

Crying after a breakup is totally normal, so if it feels like the tears need to flow, let them. Keeping your emotions bottled up can often make things worse and lead to an uncontrollable outburst at a later date (like the first time you see your ex after the split—yikes!). Having a good cry can be extremely cathartic even when you aren't dealing with something stressful like a breakup, so it's even more helpful when you are.

Know that you cannot make someone love you.

After all is said and done, if you still feel that this relationship has a chance, then maybe you and the other person can work on it. But remember, you cannot make another person love you.

Give them the time and the space they require to get their head straight as well. They have gone through this breakup too, and I am sure they are feeling a whole bunch of different emotions. We have to remember that. We tend to be selfish when it comes to these things. This person might be going through the same thing as you. Being overly persistent and clingy is just going to push them away even more.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

Just because a relationship did not work out does not make you a bad person, and it's important to avoid negative self-talk that reinforces that belief (or ones like it). Going through a breakup does not mean that nobody will ever love you again.

Maybe you did try your best to do all you could for the other person. When you are with another person, remember you are part of a couple. A couple is two people, and you are only one of the two. You can only do what you can do, just like the other person can only do what they can do.

If you truly love a person, you should want what is best for them. It would not be fair to make a person stay in a relationship that is not fulfilling to them. It does not mean that you are lacking something (maybe they are lacking something within themselves) and no matter how many things you did for them or no matter how much you loved them, they will never find the satisfaction they are looking for.

Allow yourself time to heal.

Unfortunately, there's no magic number when it comes to breakups—no one can say how exactly how long it will take to process your thoughts and feelings. It could take anywhere from weeks to months to heal completely, but it's important not to rush yourself.

Give yourself the time required to heal. Let your emotions out and address them. Do not try to pretend like you are okay if you really aren't; this will just prolong the process. Remember that time heals all wounds!

Tell yourself you deserve to be happy (and really believe it).

This is the most important piece of advice I have for you, but it's also the hardest one to follow. Letting go of feelings that you aren't good enough or that you aren't worthy of love can be almost as hard as letting go of your ex, but it is absolutely necessary. Just because someone might have stopped loving, you should never stop you from loving yourself. So tell yourself—every day—that you deserve to be happy (and believe it!).

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2010 Jennifer Bates

Comments

ritesh singh on August 10, 2020:

its has been 3 years to my breakup.it was in 10th standard of school when we broke. But till now i miss her and feel depressed and feel empty. I tried to contact her in recent years but she don't reply and it hurts me too much what i can do to overcome that emptiness?

Karen on July 20, 2020:

This is for the women struggling with attracting great men , "I can recommend anyone to the therapist that helped me. I got results in a week."

Chyke on July 15, 2020:

I wanted to leave the relationship, I really wanted to leave, then I left. Now I want to go back again cos I feel I am the one that got it all wrong.

Jennifer Bates (author) from West Palm Beach on May 31, 2020:

Hello, thank you for sharing. I think that maybe because you expeceted him to come back after a little bit, and becausen he didn't you may have felt even more hurt. I know that it hurts, but as more time goes by and you start living your new norm, you will start to feel better. The relationship was not healthy to begin with if you guys broke up 8 times. You are better off grieving, and then making yourself strong enough for a new healthy relationship. Break ups usually are a great time for us to learn about ourselves and to realize what we want out of a partner. Good luck to you.

Jocelyn C on May 22, 2020:

He broke up with me 3 months ago for the 8th time. Normally, he would come back a week or two later, now he didn’t. I seemed to be doing ok the first month in a half but now I feel so depressed and sad, can’t stop crying. I’m afraid of never feeling better. Not sure why I feel this way instead of feeling better. I feel like my world is falling apart

harmony bonner on March 23, 2020:

My family has ruined everything for me and I mean everything my mum and her husband Paul they are both slackers and threateners and I have been raised by a really horrible family because with every boyfriend I have had so far I had to break up with because of the age diffrents and my surrport worker and people at my work and my horrbile demon family which I don't have a boyfriend anymore me and him are just friends now and because they all have been slacked and threatened by these two horrible Pepole in my family and they are mum and her horrible husband Paul . Everyone else can have one but I can't and it is really unfair I am really sick if it now and mostly I am sick of the slacking and the theatening it has it stop and plus the name calling too . By Harmony Bonner

Jennifer Bates (author) from West Palm Beach on January 28, 2020:

Hello Mike you have to understand that she may want to make it work but she may still have some insecurities and issues with trust since you were acting cold to her. If you want it to work you both are going to have to put in the work to bring back that spark. It is not just going to magically happen because you are back together. You have to prove to her that you want to be with her and that you are willing to make her feel special and worthy. If you are not interested in doing those things then maybe it is time to move on and let her move on as well. But if you want to be together, put in the effort, it will be worth it.

Mike on January 27, 2020:

So I got my wife to give us another chance after a separation and she’s basically been extremely cold and distant to me. I should mention the cause of the separation was I had grown distant and became cold to her. My question- is she simply just out for revenge or should I give her more time we were separated for about a month and have bin back together for two weeks

Jessy on January 21, 2020:

It's really amazing how these steps perfectly describe what I'm going through now.... crying is definitely soothing

Kurt on January 18, 2020:

Not a mutual "breakup," but I got dumped after a 2-year relationship. She found another man and "fell for him," and we have been doing our split mostly via text, which I think is horrible. After going round and round with blame and anger for a couple of weeks, I have made it clear I want no more contact. She will send messages saying she's sorry, still loves me, and misses me. It elicits an eruption of hope, which I know is false and would be foolish to pursue. The hardest part for me is knowing that she essentially put another character in my role, and her movie just keeps going. She's very cavalier about it, and it hurts...badly. I don't have a question so much as I was shocked to see how accurately these steps of grieving have described my thoughts and actions. I haven't begged or tried sabotage, but the outline is spot on, and it has helped me see where I am "normal" and where I need to discern the line of going "too far." Thank you for this. It's been priceless. Now I need to cry and watch a good Ryan Reynolds movie or something.

Joe on January 12, 2020:

My spouse gave up on me after one argument

Todd on October 09, 2019:

I am working through he steps here myself right now and I'm again surprised how much of this is resonating with me now.I dated a woman earlier this year and it was the first time in a serious relationship since my divorce almost 2 years ago. I completely fell in love with her and we started spending a lot of time with one another - trips - every weekend essentially. Basically lived at my house. A few months in after some really strange occurrences on evening we were apart, I learned that she had an alcohol problem.As I learned more I found out this was not just a "problem" she was a full blown alcoholic.

We split up briefly but always kept in touhc and ever since she's been in and out of my life for months now. I think we are finally through but I haven't been able to get over her. Shes the first woman I have totally come clean with about being truly in love with and now she's gone. I cannot get her back and honestly that's probably best but I'm so scared that when and if she comes running back again that I'd actually take her back and again self destruct.

This is the most difficult thing I've ever had to deal with when someone continues to tell you over and over how much they love you and need you then the next day turns their back on everything you thought you had together.

As I read more of this article I learned this really isn't me, it's her issue and no matter what I say, no matter what I do, no matter what I try this is over. I have to let this go, despite the pain I'm still feeling.

Never knew this could be so hard. Sad to say too but this is 10 times worse then my divorce ever was.

Anonymous on October 01, 2019:

This is my 4th break up I feel like crap he hurt me and I want to move on have no friends where I live what can I do feel do lonely

Anonymous on June 11, 2019:

I've just gone through a second break up in a short space of a year. I ended my previous relationship and four years because I found out she was cheating. Got into another relationship 3 months later, found her flirting with guys and also fooling around but forgave her. A year later she is still flirting with other guys. I put an end to it but feel like crap. Life feels so unfair. I feel like I won't ever find the right partner. I keep blaming myself as this is the second failed relationship.

Anonymous on June 11, 2019:

I've just gone through a second break up in a short space of a year. I ended my previous relationship after

four years because I found out she was cheating. Got into another relationship 3 months later, found her flirting with guys and also fooling around but forgave her. A year later she is still flirting with other guys. I put an end to the relationship but feel like crap. Life feels so unfair. I feel like I won't ever find the right partner. I keep blaming myself as this is the second failed relationship. Any advice for my situation?

Hailee on May 07, 2019:

I am still friends with my ex and i don't know if I should mention the relationship to my ex at all. Should I, or not?

Shane1251 on April 07, 2019:

I dated a girl off and on for almost a year. She was a recovering addict and had a lot of manipulative tendencies. She would give you the silent treatment if you upset her, she got mad at you for apologizing or explaining yourself, she projected a lot of the bad things she did on to you and made you feel like you did them. I was really in love with her, but knew it was unhealthy and kept getting back with her.

We would date for 2-3 months and then she would usually have a freak out about it getting serious or get mad about something completely bizarre I didn't understand. Then we'd usually do a month off and I'd reach out and we'd start hanging out again.

I would often ask her to hang out and she would say that she just didn't feel like hanging out with anyone didn't have to do with me, then the next day she would hang out with someone else.

We broke up the 2nd time in October and started talking again in December. She said she was having a rough time and needed a friend and pressured me to being her friend. I was unsure, and told her she really hurt me and I'd always want to get back together.

Eventually we started hanging out again in January. We exchanged birthday presents and she got me a great gift and I was overwhelmed with feelings. I then told her I still have feelings and I want to be there for her but I want to get back together, she refused to say whether or not she had feelings for me and got angry that I'd even ask. She kept saying she wasn't interested in dating ANYONE.

We did this dance for about a month and a half and then it came to a head. I got back from vacation and asked her if she wanted to do something. She suggested getting ice cream, I said okay. The morning of she suggests we go to pilates instead. I say I'd rather do ice cream the original plan cuz I wanted to talk and catch up. She's pissed. Says we will talk about it at ice cream. I show up and she launches into calling me manipulative, making us do what I want, that I'm not nice I just pretend to be nice and it makes her feel icky. Then she tells me she's been seeing someone else.