By Abbi Comphel and Whitney Johnson
There are so many things to be excited about during the holidays: fun-filled family time, delicious home-cooked meals, presents waiting to be unwrapped and perhaps a much-deserved vacation. However, if you’re nursing a broken heart, this festive time of year may seem burdened with only cold and lonely days. You may never forget your heartache, but someday, you will be healed and happy again. Just make sure to get some solid relationship advice in the meantime.
Until then, the ten tips below may make your holidays seem a bit more bearable and that damaged heart feel a little less painful:
1. Volunteer: No matter the time of year, giving to others can mend a hurt soul and fix any frown. During the holidays, the opportunities to volunteer seem to multiply, making it extra easy for you to make a difference in someone else’s life.
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2. Listen to holiday music: There’s something so innocent and child-like about holiday music. It’ll take you back to those days when your biggest worry was whether or not the item at the top of your wish list would be waiting for you to unwrap it. Although Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey had a rough celebrity divorce, Carey still is positive and puts out beautiful holiday music that you can listen to!
3. Take up a new hobby: Attend a cooking class (Whole Foods offers great options) or take a knitting course and make a homemade gift for someone special. If you live in a snow-filled spot, give snow skiing a try. By being outside of your comfort zone, you’ll not only distract yourself from your heartbreak, but you’ll also regain your confidence.
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4. Enjoy hot cocoa by the fire: A cozy spot and delicious drink are sure to warm your heart during this holiday season. Snuggle up with a good book or have some girl-bonding time with your mother, sister or best friend. When Taylor Swift broke up with celebrity ex Harry Styles, she spent time with her best friends during the holidays to make her feel better.
5. Watch a feel-good holiday movie: It’s important to remember that you will find love again, and a holiday movie is the perfect way to do just that. The options are endless: The Holiday, Four Christmases, Miracle on 34th Street and more. As Hugh Grant’s dreamy voice tells us in Love Actually, “If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion….love actually is all around.”
6. Reconnect with old friends: Re-establishing a friendship that was lost due to distance or busy lives will boost your spirits and remind you that there are plenty of people who love and support you. When former celebrity couple Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber split, Gomez surrounded herself with her closest friends again.
7. Book a quick getaway: Whether it’s a snowy vacation in the mountains or a relaxing weekend on the beach, pick a place that makes you feel like yourself again. Most of the time when a hollywood relationship ends badly, the two in the relationship probably end up taking a quick trip to themselves. It can be very relaxing.
8. Buy yourself something special: Yes, it is the season of giving, but sometimes that giving needs to be self-directed. Use the money that you would’ve spent on your ex to buy yourself that much-desired handbag or new pair of shoes.
9. Cook a new dish for your family’s annual holiday get-together: Tackling a challenging recipe will surely keep you busy — from picking out the dish to shopping for the ingredients to pulling it all together, you’ll hardly have any time to think about that broken heart.
10. Meditate. It sounds so simple, but closing your eyes and paying attention to each breath allows you to shut out the rest of the world and focus on yourself. You can let go of those negative thoughts and sad memories and be ready for your next adventure (in love or otherwise) by New Year’s Eve!
How did you recover from a broken heart? Share your thoughts below.
