What going through a break-up taught me
Some have come out stronger, others slightly tainted
When a relationship ends, a break-up usually goes one of two ways. You’ve either grown to despise your former partner like a stain at the bottom of the kadhai you can’t scrub away. Or if you’re lucky, you can end up like every Brad and Jen meme.
Those initial few days after wash over you with gloom like a Mumbai monsoon. Whether it was a conscious uncoupling or you fought until you had stress-induced hair loss, it takes a while to come back into your own.
A break-up can be a defining moment in your life, filled with heartbreak, uncertainty, regret and often, unseen wounds and commitment issues that can last a lifetime.
But it also teaches us something about ourselves, life lessons that affect how we view ourselves and others.
We turned to our Tweak family (online and IRL) to find out how a break-up has changed their life.
Here’s what we’ve learned about relationship dynamics, inner strength and finding a silver lining on the most miserable of days (in the form of puppy kisses).
All the life lessons we’ve learnt from a break-up
I learnt not to judge future partners with the mistakes of the past ones. Everyone is different and we shouldn’t fear opening up to beautiful possibilities – Swati Joseph
People make mistakes in the heat of the moment. Don’t let that tarnish all the good memories you have of each other. Think of them fondly, it’ll make it easier to move on – Kanika Sharma
You don’t have to be different to be loved. You have to be yourself – Riya Bhat
I don’t need to be in a relationship to get my self-worth. That’s something that comes from within – Shrishti Kapoor
I learnt that being accommodating and accepting is very different from being a push-over – Nikhita Arora
That moving on is fucking hard – miamor_por_viajar
Only dogs will give you unconditional love. You don’t need a new boyfriend, you need a pet – Vanshika Sharma
No one is so special that you can’t ignore them – Kavana.s
That I had lost myself in the relationship – G Venugopal
I saw an ugly side of myself I didn’t know I had, using personal details and experiences to spite my partner. I stooped pretty low – Jhavni Atwal
Hope is a dangerous thing – Rach
I learned that fully moving on and letting go is a superpower that I am yet to master – Shahana Ghosh
Don’t ignore the red flags early on. Because they only get magnified with time to a point where it’s irreparable – Arundhati Chatterjee
That ‘I can’t live without you’ is just a cheesy line – Apoorva Wadde
Never let yourself be powerless in a relationship. have self-respect – Shruti Khandelwal
I learnt that a break-up doesn’t have to be a huge fight if you respect each other and have good communication – Lalita Vennugopal
No one will ever love you the way you love yourself – Rupa Amin
I hate being controlled by anyone. I love to live life my way – Vaishnavi Akkinepally
I’m a lot more resilient than I thought I was. I can take a big hit and still hold my head up high. We need to start giving ourself more credit and not depend on other people so much to tell us what we’re worth – Sneha C
Don’t forgive too easily. Don’t forget yourself – Kira Frankie
Self-love, self-acceptance, learn to say no. Your confidence should be unshakable – Swati Mishra
Somethings are forgivable, other things are not. Know what your boundaries are and set them early on – Anam K Anand
I learnt that I can never be happy with someone else until I learn to be happy with myself. I think that’s what people need to focus on – Santoshi Ulhall