8 Things I Wish I Would’ve Known Before My First Big Heartbreak

1. It would hurt like hell. You never realize how much you leaned on someone until they aren’t there anymore, but it wasn’t even him that you leaned on. It was the way he curled your hair around his finger while you talked about your day. It was the way he knew just what to say at the time you needed it most. It was the way he wasn’t perfect, but he was to you.

2. You will see him everywhere. You will see him walking down the street. You will see him in the faces of your friends. You’ll see him in the face of strangers, and sometimes, that’s the hardest.

3. You’ll lose a piece of yourself. You spent all this time learning how to share your life with another person, and all the sudden, you are back to being on your own. That’s a scary place to be, and for a while, you’ll feel like he left you with half your heart, but you will find it again.

4. There are too many people in the world to be stuck with someone who doesn’t treat you like his world. There are far too many good people in this world who would treat you better than what you’ve been tolerating. You deserve to not have to work so hard on something that’s supposed to be “meant to be.”

5. It’s okay to be devastated. We’ve always been taught to move through life with strength and dignity, and that’s true, but it’s still okay to acknowledge that something really hurt. It would be worse if you didn’t. You are human, and no one can expect you to not feel a broken heart deep in your bones.

6. He’s worth your tears. Not for too long, though. But after everything you two built together, the life that you had planned, he’s worth a few tears.

7. Your support system won’t leave you, too. They are great for listening. Lean on them. Give them a chance to give you all the love you’ve deserved all this time. Let them show you what you deserve to feel.

8. You will be okay. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but you will be okay. One day you will wake up and he won’t be the first thing on your mind.