Heartbreak is an equal opportunity offender, no matter your age, race, or sexual orientation. But as each generation evolves, new coping mechanisms are learned, thanks in part to online wisdom. So when I, a woman born in the '70s with slacker tendencies and very few roadmaps to relationships, was going through a particularly difficult breakup, one year-old buddy, Kev, gave me life-changing tips. Now when all that ghosting, gaslighting, and whatever the kids are doing these days occurs, I know just what to do.
When I was first learning how to be dumped, we didn't have any statement features like "unfriend," "unfollow," and "block. Now, Kev reminds me, we can take action to help alleviate future pain, and that is to cut off contact. Now, that doesn't mean everyone who ever does you wrong should lose all access. It's, of course, a spectrum and relationship-dependent. But he told me, "When he texts you againβand he will text you againβlet his heart sink when he sees that little blue bubble turn green.
I innocently asked, "What if he wants to get back together? They're in the past now. And you're a shark, always swimming forward. Kev must have sent me links to at least five Chappell Roan songs. Live it. Then he added, "Go do stuff you don't even feel like doing.
Go dancing. Hang with friends. The more you're out of your own head, the faster he'll get out of your head too. Then you block, and he will forever wonder⦠wait, what?
I've always really liked cliches, idioms , proverbs, and common phrases that we like to use over and over. They can get repetitive at times, but they're crucial tools in communication.
