Losing The Love Of Your Life: How To Deal With It?

Losing the love of your life can be a living hell. It can feel like the person you trusted the most betrayed you cold-heartedly and made you fend for yourself.

The end of a long-term relationship not only hurts you and makes you question your self-worth, but it also increases your longing for the love of your life and forces you to obsess over him or her day and night.

The more attached you are to the person you love, the more the breakup takes you by surprise and the longer it takes for you to deal with its painful aftereffects. People who have been dumped before and have excellent coping mechanisms normally get over someone they love in a matter of weeks. But most people, unfortunately, need much longer than that.

Due to overwhelming separation anxiety, destroyed self-esteem, developed fears, and a loss of direction, they need months of time to deal with a devastating separation and get back on their feet. Recovery times differ for every person, but generally speaking, it takes dumpees (people who were dumped) around 8 months or so to recover from the end of a healthy relationship.

You’d think that healthy relationships take longer simply because couples got along and stayed together longer, but that’s not the case. Unhealthy, codependent, highly emotional, and toxic relationships take longer to process and are much more painful because in these relationships couples emotionally depend on each other for love and recognition.

They form strong unhealthy bonds and need each other rather than want each other.

Don’t get me wrong. By no means am I saying that losing the love of your life is easy. Losing the love of your life is still a shock for the mind and the body and an extremely unpleasant experience. All I’m saying is that some couples have it harder than others because they stay in relationships for the wrong reasons.

Some get severely attached, have poor coping mechanisms, and lack breakup knowledge/experience, and the confidence required to handle breakups properly.

Such couples rely on the happy hormones they provide to each other and can’t do their daily tasks without each other. Not until they go through the dumpee stages of a breakup and rebuild their self-worth, confidence, and emotional independence.

That’s why if you lost the love of your life and you want to feel better, try to be patient with yourself as well as your ex. A breakup is an emotionally taxing process that requires a lot of time, self-love, knowledge, and the determination to feel better without your ex.

If you try to make your ex help you and overburden your ex with thoughts and emotions, you’ll bring a bad reaction out of your ex and fail to get your ex back. That’s because you’ll go against your ex’s wants and needs and make your ex want to talk to you and be with you even less.

You need to understand your ex’s problems and desires so you know what your ex expects and needs from the breakup. When you understand your ex, you’ll be able to give your ex the freedom he or she had been craving and let your ex come to you when he or she is ready.

So if you lost the love of your life and want to know how to get the love of your life back, start by respecting yourself and giving your ex things your ex needs to be happy. Whether you had stayed with your ex for a year or 20 years, your ex needs to see that you respect him/her and yourself and that you’re not going to resist the breakup.

Your understanding will allow your ex to enjoy the new lifestyle, process the breakup, drop his or her guard, and maybe even reach out and get back with you if your ex realizes he or she isn’t happy.

Today’s article is for dumpees who wish to know how to get over losing the love of their life and by doing so, maximize their chances of getting back together with their ex.

Losing the love of your life

Losing the love of your life

Since you were deeply in love with your ex and got along well, you didn’t think that the love of your life would leave you. Sure, you had occasional disagreements because all couples do, but you believed you could communicate about all kinds of problems (big or small) and overcome them with patience and willpower.

You thought you were good together.

But because relationships are fragile and people’s mentalities prone to changing quickly, something went wrong. Something or perhaps even someone inspired or forced your ex to lose sight of the relationship and made him or her take the relationship for granted.

Now you’re stuck wondering what went wrong and why you haven’t picked up on your ex’s problems or discontent sooner. Whatever you do, don’t blame yourself for not realizing that your ex had been stressed, disappointed, depressed, or unhappy with you for a while.

Most dumpees blame themselves for the things they hadn’t noticed throughout the relationship. They think that if they had been more attentive, understanding, and caring that they could have prevented the breakup and stayed with the love of their life. But usually, things aren’t that simple.

Dumpers indeed leave because they’re unhappy, but they don’t do that just because they feel unheard and unsupported. They leave because they lack the ability to express themselves and resolve problems quickly and efficiently. Oftentimes, they develop doubts and feelings for someone else, so they leave for the prospect of finding a person who will make them feel loved and wanted again.

Such dumpers develop the grass is greener syndrome as they think that the quality of their lives will improve merely by getting involved with someone else. Little do they know that infatuation is temporary and that the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. It merely appears to be from afar because they haven’t done enough research and got close enough.

The truth is that the grass is greener where people water it. If they put time, emotions, gratitude, and healthy thoughts into the relationship as well as in themselves, they increase relationship standards (the way the relationship functions) and improve the way the relationship makes them feel.

That’s because they stay in love with their partners and remain committed to them. Real love conquers everything and anything. This includes depression, fear, grief, temptations, and even occasional doubts. A person who is the love of your life will, therefore, fight tooth and nail to secure a spot in your heart and stay loyal.

He or she won’t entertain doubts and risk breaking up with you just because someone else could make him or her happier. A mature man or woman who loves you and has his or her priorities straight would rather work on making the relationship better and stronger.

So if you lost the love of your life and you’re in immense pain because of it, try to get some emotional distance from the person you lost. When you get some space and detach, you might notice that this person wasn’t the love of your life after all. He or she may have been someone you were destined to meet and spend some time with, but not someone you were going to stay with you all your life.

Some people enter our lives and stay with us for years before they leave. That’s because it takes them that long to encounter issues they aren’t capable of dealing with sufficiently.

Such people, of course, aren’t the love of your life. They’re people who stayed with you only for as long as they were able to stay with you. Once issues they lacked the skills and willpower to resolve came up, they gave up on you and pursued happiness elsewhere.

So whether you refer to your ex as the love of your life, the one and only, your twin flame, your soulmate, or your kindred spirit, keep in mind that there is no such thing as one specific person you’re destined to be with. We like to think that there is so we can deepen our sense of gratitude for the person we love, but in reality, millions of people are qualified of being our romantic partners and people we settle down with.

We just need to detach from our ex-partners and fall back in love with ourselves first to realize it.

You’re probably worried that you’ll never meet someone like your ex again, but try not to worry about that. Not meeting the same kind of person is a good thing because you don’t want the next relationship to end the way the previous one/ones did. You want someone different/better as your partner so you can forget about your ex, carry on with your life, and have a more successful relationship.

It sucks that you lost a person you loved after being with him or her for a long time, but it’s better to lose him or her now than later. The sooner the relationship ends, the sooner you can find someone who appreciates you.

How to deal with losing the love of your life?

We talked a lot about finding someone you like, but that comes much later. You can focus on meeting other people when you’ve recovered from heartbreak and done the necessary work on yourself. For now, though, focus on things that need your immediate attention. Focus on healing, distracting yourself, and improving the things you need to improve.

These things will help you cope with losing the love of your life and prepare you for the single life ahead. They will also transform your life and make you as attractive as you can be.

So to deal with losing the love of your life, start by surrounding yourself with friends and family. Your loved ones will support you emotionally and let you vent when you need to. They will also distract you from the breakup and make it possible for you to focus on creating a life you deserve to live.

Secondly, make sure not to stalk your ex, take revenge on your ex, or engage in conversation with your ex. All these breakup mistakes will make you look weak and desperate and wreck your ex’s need and desire to get back with you.

Whether you want the love of your life back or just move on with your life, know that there are certain lines you mustn’t cross with your ex. You mustn’t play jealousy games, pretend you’re happy that your ex is gone, message your ex’s friends, and explain to your ex’s family why you belong together.

The only way your ex will respect you and want to be with you is if you don’t fight or ask for your ex’s love and affection. This isn’t because you’ll withdraw affection and manipulate your ex into caring about you but because you’ll leave your ex alone and show you’re mature, confident, and smart enough to handle anything life throws at you.

So instead of reasoning with your ex and actively trying to reattract your ex back, learn about the rules of no contact and go no contact with your ex. The sooner you get away from your ex, the less damage you’ll cause to your ex and the quicker you’ll heal.

It’s a win-win for both of you.

Here are some things to remember and do when you lose the love of your life.

How to deal with losing the love of your life

To deal with losing the love of your life properly, you need to understand how breakups work. Breakups aren’t relationships where people can be convinced into doing what you want them to do. Breakups are emotional and physical separations that require a completely different strategy. A strategy that is based on respect and self-respect.

You need to show the person you love that you’ve accepted his or her decision and that you won’t try to oppose it. You can do that simply by following the indefinite no contact rule and trying to enjoy your life as much as possible.

Another thing you should consider doing is signing up for therapy. Therapy is one of the greatest methods for expressing yourself and calming yourself down when anxiety overwhelms you. Most people should give it a try when they feel stressed, scared, depressed, and lost.

And the last important piece of advice I have for you is that you should stay busy. You may not be able to avoid separation pain, but you can make it a bit better by distracting yourself and focusing on your hobbies and goals. Doing the things you like will slowly prepare you for a life independent of your ex and make you think about your ex less.

Falling in love after losing the love of your life

Whether the person you dated left you or passed away, you need to take the time to process the end of your relationship before you get involved with someone else.

Falling in love with another person when you’re grieving your ex is something that won’t happen. It doesn’t for most people because even if they try to fall in love, they soon realize that they’re hurting and that they need to focus on their internal happiness first.

So whatever you do, don’t date other people before you get yourself back. Take it as a warning from me or you’ll rebound and suffer immensely. It’s much safer for you and better for your romantic life to heal first and then see if you can get to know some new people.

Widows and widowers normally don’t want to date for a while. It’s a moral issue for many of them as they feel they owe their deceased partner loyalty and respect.

As for people who get dumped, they usually become ready to date about half a year after the breakup. This depends on the intensity of their previous relationship and the emotional progress they’ve made since the breakup.

Sometimes it’s important for them not to jump into another relationship so they can understand what went wrong in the previous relationship and do their best to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

Falling in love after losing the love of your life will happen naturally when the time is right. You’ll likely compare the new person to your ex from time to time, but that’s okay. It’s quite common and normal unless you can’t stop thinking about your ex and feel emotionally drained because of it.

My advice is to let love come to you. Instead of forcing it, get to know some people first and get comfortable around them. When you’re ready, you’ll start feeling pulled toward them and want them to reciprocate your feelings.

Are you worried about losing the love of your life? What are you worried about the most? Let us know in the comments below.

And also, if you’re looking for breakup coaching and want our help, check out our coaching services here.

13 thoughts on “Losing The Love Of Your Life: How To Deal With It?”

  1. Hi zan

    I’ve bought the book, read it 3 times, read all your posts and comments and I’m so glad I do as it’s keeping me sane.
    My husband of 19 years, father to my 4 boys aged 3-10 left me after saying he just doesn’t feel that way about me anymore and can’t see a future after we’ve drifted apart over the past year. I fully agree with him but felt we could improve our relationship now the kids are getting bigger and are less dependent on me but he said it’s too late. I’m heartbroken and using your book to help me understand the stages he’s going through as right now he seems to be angry at me. I’m doing no contact unless it’s necessary and about the kids. I’m giving him lots of space and despite how gut wrenching it was I even gave him a reference to rent his own place! I want him to go away and have limited contact with me but it’s just so hard when there’s kids, shared car, finances etc plus I’m convinced he’s battles mental health issues after losing both his parents and 2 best friends in the space of 2 years but he brushes this off and says he’s fine. I don’t want to give up on him but I’m torn

    Reply
    • Hi Jaqs.

      Thanks for purchasing the book and reading the blog.

      Right now, you’re hurting, but try not to seek closure from him. He likely won’t give it to you because he’s angry and needs lots and lots of time to cool off and disassociate negative thoughts and emotions from you. Communicate with him only about the necessary thing such as finances, kids, and sharing vehicles. Also start working on yourself. Grow stronger emotionally, fix the things that broke you up, and improve your self-esteem. Your ex won’t notice these changes now, but he could later when he’s gone through the stages.

      Stay strong,
      Zan

      Reply
  2. Hi Zan,

    I am absolutely devastated. I have never known such pain and lack of self worth, in all my life. We broke up about 2 months ago, and she started seeing someone new a few weeks after. We still remained in contact with each other and being friends, but the pain still remains and shows no signs of going away anytime soon.

    We would still text and chat with other and engage on each other’s social media. We’ve never had much time apart through all of this until recently. It had been a few weeks of no contact by both of us, until she reached out. We had a very brief text exchange and I decided to reach out to her since no contact was broken by her. No response to me directly, yet will comment or like my social media content.

    I don’t have a lot of friends, most of my social activity took was when I was with her, so I feel like I’m starting completely over but completely alone. I don’t know what to do or where to begin.

    Reggie

    Reply
    • Reggie, my advice would be to stop all contact with her immediately and move on. I would ask her to please refrain from commenting on your social media and to stop contacting you. You will have to rebuild your life. It is ‘starting over’, and It’s absolutely horrible. I know first-hand. But get out there, pursue hobbies you like where you might meet other like-minded people, join meetup groups, reconnect with friends and acquaintances, whatever you need to do. Being pro-active is key. She offers nothing to you now other than memories. You can go out and find someone who won’t leave, and who will appreciate all you bring to the relationship. But you have to put the work in to do it.

      Reply
    • Hi Reggie.

      You shouldn’t text her just because she reached out. You won’t get her back with texts. She’s dating someone so she’s not open to that idea. Go back to no contact and stay in it. You feel like you’re starting over, but this is a good thing. Now you can improve your social life and become independent too.

      Kind regards,
      Zan

      Reply
  3. I hate to say this and I am not saying this to be hurtful, but I don’t think your ex would care if you looked like superman. You show weakness and needy and that would be a big turnoff. Congratulations on your improvements and keep doing it for yourself and move on with your life.

    Reply
    • Thank for your comment Gary. I explained I am in no contact so am not displaying any needy or weak behaviour. I don’t intend to. My question was relating to how no contact doesn’t help the situation where an ex said things about attraction & then you make improvements they’ll never see

      Reply
  4. My ex was the love of my life. It is so hard to believe she could treat me so callously! We have been in no contact for 2 months now. Not heard anything from her. I guess I was monkey branched.

    My question Zan is about my improvements. Since we broke up Christmas 2021, I have hit the gym hard and lost a lot of weight, gained muscle and feel great. I also am having some cosmetic surgery to remove xanthelasma on my eyes.

    I have also gained promotion in work! Life is good but I’ve not got my ex to share it with. So I don’t feel complete!

    I miss my ex like mad despite how she treated me. She’s a lot younger than me but age was never a problem in the relationship.

    I’ve made improvements but she’ll never see them as we have no contact or mutual friends I keep in touch with.

    The main issue she said she fell out of love & didnt fancy me anymore but I’ve changed for the better. I’m sure she’d be shocked at how good I look since she left.

    It plays on my mind she won’t know if these changes if she doesn’t see me again. She may change her mind if she did. I’m I’m the best shape of my life!

    We live 35 miles from each other so not going to bump into her any time soon. I forced her to return money she owed me a month ago by asking a lawyer friend to write to her. At that time she said she had some of my belongings to give back so I had the opportunity to meet her but I ignored it as I saw it as breadcrumbs. I didn’t want to break no contact.

    I suppose it’s for her to reach out but I wish she would to see my life improvements!

    Thanks Zan! You’re a legend

    Reply
    • Hi Jaytee.

      By the looks of it, you want your ex to validate your personal changes and feelings. You’re forgetting, however, that she doesn’t care about your new looks. She’s focusing on her own life and won’t change how she feels about you even if she notices everything you’ve accomplished since the breakup. You can’t attract her back just by improving yourself, Jaytee. Improvements are for you and for your next relationship.

      Despite what I said, don’t stop working on yourself. The changes you make will benefit you in the long run.

      Sincerely,
      Zan

      Reply

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