Relationships

"Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery."
- Joanne Kathleen Rowling

The first step in letting go of a relationship is accepting the fact that it's over. At first this can be a hard pill to swallow because it's difficult to let go of the hopes and dreams that you've had with someone.

We typically try everything we can to hold onto someone that we've invested so much of our time, our hearts and our lives together. There is no question that letting go is painful and we try to avoid that pain by believing we can make things work.

But...the sooner you are honest with yourself that "it's over" the sooner you will begin the process of moving on. You may not like it. You may wish things had worked out differently. You may even want to get back together. But, it's not until you face the reality that your life with this person has ended that you will begin to pick up the pieces and move on.

You may go over in your mind how things could've been, you may constantly fill your mind with thoughts of the past, how you should've done this or if only you had done that, etc. Going over and over what happened will only keep you stuck in yesterday.

Learn from the mistakes that were made in this relationship, use them as tools to learn from your past and these lessons will help you to have a better future.

When you really want something and you invest so much time in trying to make things work, it's human nature to feel bad if the outcome isn't what you desired.

It's okay to have dreams. It's the beginning of knowing what you want from life. Your dreams can and will be fulfilled, the only difference is; your dreams will be fulfilled with someone else.

Once you accept that things will never work out with this person is the time that you will begin the process of moving on from this heartache; and that is the first step in letting go.

Look at this with your eyes wide open, tell yourself the truth about the situation and don't fill yourself with a false sense of hope. Accept reality and it will set you free. Facing the end of hope and then moving past it is the beginning of acceptance.

Remember, the end is a "new" beginning. You will survive!"