After recently exiting a short but “it’s complicated” relationship, I had too much time on my hands and a busy mind that needed to heal. Trying to understand what happened in an “it’s complicated” relationship is, after all, totally normal. My solution? I scrolled endlessly through my several zodiac and astrology apps. Co- Star became my best friend, The Pattern became my guru, and my $9.99 a month Tarot+ app gave me a chance to do more readings than I could ever dream of! I was told, “Today, you will break down”, “That little void is going to lie empty for another 2 months and it will all be okay”, etc. The stars shone light on what I was missing out on but they also told me that my partner wasn’t my sun and my moon after all. (Yeah right- easy for you to say Co- Star!) These daily motivational quotes did get me out of bed but they didn’t exactly have a plan to recover from a bad breakup. I still had to figure out how to avoid that pint of ice cream!
While this may seem like an angry hate letter to the man I thought was the center of my Universe for a hot second, it really is a note of hope and guidance to everyone looking to recover from these types of relationships. Yes, Mercury, Venus, Neptune and Jupiter can take our love lives with them into retrograde, our pasts can cause us to accrue a load of self- doubt, and anxiety always making us spiral. Yet, in the midst of all the tears, ice- cream eating, self- loathing and trash- talking, we can remember to take care of ourselves. So I’m going to bring in some crystal talk and help you take the right steps to find the real answers to healing those karmic relationships you thought were your life long soulmates. Because, in reality, these relationships really suck, drain the life out of you, and leave you feeling like WTF just happened!
Peel the Past, Heal the Present, Seal the Future
Every website, every guide, every friend will CHANT the same old mantra: “Move on! Move on!” I’m not going to deny the power of “moving on”, but I will ask you to process it before you move on. “Getting over it”, does not, like a lot of people say, mean getting under someone else- it means getting a hold of the situation and making sense of everything you shared with your partner. It may take you a while to acknowledge the good, but once you do, you will remember the good that YOU did. Meditate over all the things you did super right before you try to forget all the things they did right. Get a hold of it, get over it, heal yourself, say “thank you, next”, and repeat. And when you feel strong enough, send them some loving kindness to wish them the very best in their future.
Don’t Mull Until You Are Dull – A Breakup is Not the End, Just a New Beginning
You’re not in an episode of Gossip Girl, nor are you a character from The Notebook. Our first loves, no matter what age, drain all of us – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. With age, however, we have a lot more resources at our disposal. Besides the cognitive skills I have accumulated over the 22 years, I have also gained access to wine, gym memberships, yoga mats, and makeup. So after you have meditated over your past, wake up one morning and start with the first step- bathe in the sun on your yoga mat and develop a practice that makes you feel better. Go for a great workout session (look around- you might find someone that can carry not only 120 pound weights but also a little more attachment security!) Look good, feel good and enjoy a great glass of wine at the end of the day!
Innovate at Any Rate – Creativity Heals
Our emotions can get take many shapes and forms- drunk texts, petty unfollows, and sob emails (yes, these are all my emotional avatars). This time, I decided to change things up and it felt so good! So every time you want to listen to a heartbroken song- write one instead. If your arms and legs feel the need to punch a bag, break the dance floor at a local Tango club. If your fingers itch to open your message app, open your notes app and publish a groundbreaking article! (What do you think I’m doing?) Follow your deepest, darkest hidden passions and invest in a new hobby. Don’t be a cheapskate- innovate!
Stop Stalking, Keep Walking
It’s such a small world, right? Yes, so you will bump into them. You might even make sure you go to their favorite local evening bar to catch a glimpse of them. More so, if you see them with another date on their Instagram story, you might google map straight off to that location. How’s that going to end? I’ve always envisioned bumping into my ex on the street, falling into his arms, and sharing the second best kiss of my entire life with him- BEEP! No. The steps mentioned above are keys to the answer- and the answer is most likely going to be- toxicity. Charge your crystals and carry them around and keep walking with your head held high.
Karmic relationships come charged with passion, romance and lessons. They resemble the Hinge app- they are “designed to be deleted” and the only thing you take away from them are the lessons and perhaps, the memories. Swipe left on all the negativity, and super like yourself, the world, and the millions of opportunities that lie ahead of you. Your destiny is not tied to a relationship or a partner- carve out time to go on your own adventures and seek your own truth and meaning. Be the best version of yourselves before you search for better fish in the sea!