It’s hard for anyone, teen or adult, to experience the end of a close relationship. Yet, teens, you’re already going through a difficult time of change, and a breakup can add extra emotional weight to your already stressful life. Teens you should know that it’s normal to feel like your life is over after a breakup, but that doesn’t mean it should lead to making poor decisions for yourself.

For instance, teen depression can be a common response to a breakup especially if you felt that your sense of self was heavily invested in the relationship. And parents and caregivers might be quick to judge you as being overly dramatic. Feeling alone in your experience and feeling misunderstood (which is very common for teens) might lead to experiences of depression, anxiety, and deep feelings of loss. A serious breakup can even affect your ability to function at school. Adolescence is already a time when you’re discovering more and more about who you are in order to grow into mature, well functioning adults. So, with an already fluctuating sense of identity, a break up can feel shattering.

However, below are suggestions to consider for healing so that you can move through the breakup quickly and with ease.

1. Allow yourself to feel. It’s natural to grieve after a loss. You might feel the need to want to avoid the pain of the breakup initially, but eventually you will want to face the grief in order to heal.
2. Understand the grieving process. Experts agree that there is a certain process to grieving. Although they don’t all agree on the steps in that process, most realize that there are usually feelings of denial, anger, depression, and finally acceptance. If you know where you are in the process, you’ll know what else to expect.
3. Practice forgiveness. When you’re ready, you might find that letting go of resentment, judgment, and expectations can help you move on. In fact, in addition to forgiving the other person, you might also forgive yourself for any mistakes you made in the relationship. For yourself and your ex partner can ease the process of healing.
4. Channel your energy. If you feel you’ve done enough crying and ranting, you might want to simply do something else. You can channel that emotional energy into exercise, working harder in school, making plans for the future, and taking steps toward your goal.
5. Take good care of yourself. If you feel like you lost yourself in the relationship, this can be a time to learn how to take care of yourself, how to be patient as you heal, and most of all, how to get back to yourself.
6. Seek support. You might need to call upon a parent, teacher, friend, or mental health professional to support you during this time. A breakup can exacerbate feelings of depression and sadness. A serious breakup can even affect your level of functioning and have an influence on your sense of self. If you feel like you could use the support, don’t be afraid to rely upon someone you trust.

When a teenager experiences a breakup, it can feel like their life is over. These are suggestions for healing after a relationship breakup so that life doesn’t feel like it’s coming to an end.