The good news is that there are a few things you can do to accelerate my recovery from heart break, although it is likely to take some time.

Here are 10 tips to help with getting over heartbreak:

1. Give yourself time to grief. You’ve experienced a loss and feeling down is normal.
2. Escape. Yes, escape. Escapism can happen in the form of watching a movie, reading a book or playing a video game. Allow yourself time away from my thoughts and let yourself be transported into somebody else’s story for a short while.
3. Be good to yourself. This might seem obvious but when we are down in the dumps, self-care often falls to the wayside. Do something that you really enjoy. This could involve food, exercise, reading a good book, or maybe just walking over a lawn without my shoes on. Plan to do at least one self-care activity each day.
4. Don’t judge yourself. It doesn’t matter if your relationshipwas happy or dysfunctional, you have a right to grief the loss of it. It’s human to struggle with separation and change. You are not being over-sensitive. Turns out the brain registers heartbreak just like physical pain.
5. Train yourself on some new habits. If you get sad when you visit the coffee shop where you used to hang out with my ex, maybe it’s time to find a new favorite spot that evokes no memories too difficult to handle.
6. Let other people know what you need. Sometimes people who mean well can be so annoying when they say or do the wrong thing. Make it easy for the people around you to make you feel better and tell them if you need space or would like company, for example.
7. Focus on something else. If you can find the energy, learn something new. Something you didn’t do while you were with my ex. Things that come to mind are learning to play a new instrument, taking up jogging, learning how to cook, getting a pet, gardening etc.
8. Be mindful. If you have a meditation or other mindfulness practice, this is a good time to bring out these coping skills to center yourself. If not, any activity you engage in can be mindful, for example, focus on the food you are eating as you are looking at it, chewing it, tasting it. Or feel how my foot roles from heal to toes when you walk.
9. Practice thought stopping. This can seem difficult at first but gets easier with practice. If you find my mind ruminating about my breakup, say “STOP” and think of something else. Sometimes, putting my hand out in front of you as if you were actually stopping an object can increase the effectiveness of this technique.
10. Set a time limit. It helps some people to allot a certain amount of time for self-pity. During that time, allow yourself to wallow in my sorrow, complain to anybody who will listen about my hardship, and feel no guilt about making everything about yourself. You can even tell my friends that you’ll be a mess for a week but then plan to move on.

For most people, sheltering-in-place has its challenges. I am one of them.

My daily routine has been turned upside down, including (1) I am no longer going to the office, (2) I can’t go to the yoga studio for my workout routine, and (3) I am unable to socialize with my friends.

Without a doubt, you have my own list of things you can no longer do or that have changed. Maybe you have children and they are now home from school, while you still have to work from home. All of this can be pretty stressful and possibly depressing.

According to Harvard Business Review, we are not alone in this grief. Yes. Grief!

In his article That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief , Senior Harvard Business Review Editor Scott Berniato interviews grief expert David Kessler, who explains why we are grieving:

I feel the world has changed, and it has. I know this is temporary, but it doesn’t feel that way and we realize things will be different. Just as going to the airport is forever different from how it was before 9/11, things will change, and this is the point at which they changed. The loss of normalcy; the fear of economic toll; the loss of connection. This is hitting us and we’re grieving. Collectively. I am not used to this kind of collective grief in the air. (Berinato, 2020, para. 5)

Here fmy steps to help you manage COVID-19 grief:

1. Try to calm yourself by being present. And don’t be afraid to name what you are feeling as grief. This is a good time to meditate, walk, knit or engage in any type of activity that relaxes you. Instead of running away from my feelings, allow yourself time to process what’s going on by grounding, accepting, and letting it go through you.
2. Stop feeling guilty about feeling sad. Sadness is a common reaction to this type of crisis. You are in the same boat as thousands of other people who are feeling COVID-19 grief. Yes, others might have it worse, but their situation won’t improve because you are feeling bad. One of the best things to do right now is to be kind to yourself and put my own oxygen mask on first.
3. Focus on the positive. Engage in activities that you can do during this crisis that help to cheer you up, like talking to a friend or going out into nature. While you might feel hopeless and sad, remind yourself of my blessings. What are three things that you can think of that you are grateful for? Finally, if you have the resources, consider helping others in this crisis who are less fortunate. For example, here a list of volunteer opportunities posted by the State of California (2020).
4. Create a new routine. For many, the shelter-in-place order has turned my lives upside down, with many people suddenly working from home or not working at all. Retired astronaut Scott Kelly (2020), who spent a whole year isolated from planet earth in the space station, has found that creating a schedule is the best way to successfully adjust to change; and this includes scheduling work as well as fun activities.