19 Ways to Survive a Breakup and Come Out Stronger

We thought this relationship would last forever. We envisioned a future with this person, we trusted this person, we invested in this relationship, and there were really good times. Often we feel miserable, and heartbroken after a break up, full of worry and full of dread. How can we make the break up easiest on ourselves, while dealing as much as we need to? Some say there is nothing more painful than how it feels after a break up, and that healing takes time. One has to mourn the good times, and allow the feelings of loss and pain to come. There is no better way through this process than to feel your feelings. And yet, sometimes people come to my office feeling stuck. I have found a key contributor to keeping them stuck is how they are thinking about the relationshipand how actively they fantasize about what they have lost.

Beefy, healthy, independent people can find themselves in the white-knuckled grip of a toxic relationship. Relationships evolve. They adjust and they grow. Sometimes they accident and they burn.