You’re in the wallowing stage right now. It’s a horrible mix of sorrow and disbelief. Like hopefully any minute you’re going to wake up and this has all been a terrible, unforgiving dream. But yeah, you’re wallowing. And that’s okay. The wallow can be a necessary stage. Go ahead, free fall into a Netflix binge and listen to the same weepy song on repeat. You’re allowed to momentarily feel like the world is over. Because right now, that’s how it feels.

Depending on how long you were with this person, on the level of intimacy shared, on how the break up went down, it very well might feel apocalyptic. There’s an eclipse on everything good. The sun will never rise. That lump in your throat is never going away. No one will ever be wonderful or charming or make your heart do that flippy-floppy thing ever again. This is it.

Except, no. Not at all.

This is not to downplay what you’re going through. This isn’t to invalidate your emotions. They are real and painful and I’m sorry it seems like everything you’ve ever known is crashing down.

But the sun rises even when we want to remain shrouded in darkness. The birds chirp even when it’s annoying that any creature could seem okay, could seem happy, when you’re so miserable. A new day finds you.

It’s not the end of your world simply because one relationship ended. It’s just the end of that relationship.

It’s the closing of one chapter. It’s a goodbye to one person. And, yes, it’s going to suck. It’s going to suck for a while.

In a world of roughly seven billion people, losing this one won’t ruin you.

So wallow. Hurt and cry and text your friends for support. Be cliché and listen to Adele. Do all the things a broken-hearted person does.

But remember, it gets better.

Maybe not all at once. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not even a week from now.

The sun keeps rising. You keep waking up. Everything isn’t over.

You can’t see right now, but just wait.

This isn’t the world ending. It’s just beginning.