How To Get Over A Broken Heart

When Christine Mahogany Pinnock, a junior at Tampa Bay Technical High School, exchanged phone numbers with a guy at her homecoming dance, she didn?t expect the heartbreak that would follow. After the dance, they spent time talking, and Christine liked him more and more. Not long after they met though, Christine found out that she wasn?t the only girl in his life. He already had a girlfriend. "It was devastating," Christine says. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Breaking up is one of the hardest parts of being a teenager. After a breakup it can feel like your world is ending and that you'll never get over that stinging feeling inside. The key to moving on is knowing how to handle the situation and look at it in a positive light. Here are a few tips to help you work through the pain.

What you're feeling is natural.
A lot of thoughts and feelings will be running through your head after a breakup. Although you may be unsure how to deal with them, it's important to know that it is natural to feel sad, angry and disappointed.

Talk to people.
Friends are great, but don?t count out talking to your family. As much as you may not like to believe it, your mom and dad have probably been through heartbreak and they may have better advice than you'd expect. Michael DePalma, a sophomore at Palm Beach Gardens High School, says, "It is extremely crucial to talk with people you love. Keeping it all to yourself could make the healing time take a lot longer than it should."

Don't seek revenge.
The first thing you do after a breakup shouldn't be plan revenge on your ex. It's fine to be upset, but it's not OK to be bitter. Nothing you do to your ex will make you feel good in the long run, and it only makes you look like the bad person.

Remember, this isn't the end of your life.
Breakups are bad, but they aren't the end of the world. They're actually necessary to learn about yourself and help you grow. Since a breakup is a loss in your life, try filling that void with other things you love. Find new things to keep your mind off the breakup. Just because it's the end of one relationship, doesn?t mean it can't be the beginning of a relationship with something new.

Everyone has different ways of getting over a breakup.
Krysten Kalthoff, a junior at South Dade Senior High School, says to "put your mind to other things and remember that certain things happen for a reason."

How you get over a breakup is really up to you, just make sure it?s safe and helping you, not hurting you. And don?t worry, we all get past it eventually. It just takes time.

About the Writer:
Amanda Hamilton, 19, is a sophomore at the University of Central Florida studying journalism. She graduated from Epping High School in Fremont, New Hampshire.