Heartbreak has a way of shaking your world, leaving everything you once knew upended.

In those early moments, survival was my only goal. And, honestly, that felt ambitious enough. I just wanted to make it through the day without the constant ache of loss threatening to swallow me whole. If I could go a few hours without staring into the void, I considered it a win. But somewhere in that effort to simply stay afloat, I found that I was doing more than just surviving. I was starting to rebuild, piece by piece, in ways I hadn’t expected. I was actively choosing to care for myself in ways that strengthened me, both inside and out. Here’s how I found my way through.

Have you ever tried to make yourself likeable and to impress your date with your accomplishments? I have. Certainly, in an imperceptible way, but still, my goal was to make the guy like me. Normal, some might say. Pathetic, some might think. But a reality nonetheless. An exhausting reality, if I may add.