Love is probably one of the strongest emotions we have as human beings.
We're all familiar with the highs felt from this feeling, but what goes up must come down.
And when we do come down, like when we break away from a long-term relationship, it means being without that warm feeling of love.
Breaking up is similar to grief and lasts for a long time.
For some, it even lasts for years.
The process of regaining our normal senses and getting our life back can be a long one, which takes patience and strength.
For those of you who have broken up with your long term partner, the separation process can feel much more difficult and stretched out.
There have even been some rare cases of lovers who have never been able to repair the damage of a difficult separation.
Perhaps the grief could be described as a bad memory that takes a while to fully disappear from their thoughts.
The memory is always at its strongest directly after the event.
So how do you make it through this stressful and depressing period in your life? A lot of people tend to hide away and ride it out, which really isn't a good idea.
It's better to be strong and confront the emotions head on.
By doing this, you only make yourself stronger for the next time round.
Now you've bought a few boxes of tissues and prepared yourself for the worst.
What's next? A good method that will ease the pain is to remove any visual triggers that get you thinking of your ex.
Hide or throw away any photographs, gifts, perfumes, or belongings that your ex may have left in your home.
This is a well-known and commonly used technique to dealing with breakups.
Another thing you might do is stay away from any places that you often visited as a couple.
So you've brunt up all of your ex's belongings at the Sunday barbecue and now limit yourself movements to your back yard; but still you feel torn inside.
If you are having a particularly bad time, it may be best to seek professional advice, not from your mother, father, sister, or best friend, but from a counselor.
Contrary to popular belief, guidance counselors have a wealth of experience in this field and will be able to give you valuable advice and coping techniques to better deal with your state.
But why not ask your mother? She has life experience and is a cheaper alternative? A counselor doesn't know your ex and has never met him or her, so a counselor is less inclined to have a biased opinion about what you should do or whether you should get back together with your ex.
Your parents and friends, on the other hand, may absolutely hate your ex and will advise you based on what they think you should do.
It is a good idea to stick with the counselor, especially during the initial phases of the breakup process when you are at your most vulnerable.
Then see how it goes from there.
A counselor will give you his or her honest, unadulterated opinions.