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How to Move On From Someone You Can’t Be With
It’s a common human experience to develop strong feelings for someone who is unattainable. Whether it’s a lost love from the past, an unrequited crush that lingers in your heart, or a relationship that simply didn’t work out despite your efforts, the ache of unfulfilled longing can feel overwhelming. Such feelings tap into our deep need for connection and can leave us questioning what might have been or blaming ourselves for what didn’t happen.
Letting go can be painful, as it often means confronting unresolved emotions, unmet expectations, and the dreams you had attached to that person. However, while it’s natural to feel sadness or disappointment, this experience can also become a powerful opportunity for growth and self-discovery. By understanding and accepting these feelings, you can learn more about yourself, your needs, and what you truly value in relationships. Here are five tips according to several relationship experts and psychologists to help you heal and move on:
1. Acknowledge Your Feelings
The first step to healing is often the hardest: facing your emotions head-on. Renowned author and researcher Dr. Brené Brown emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, suggesting that allowing yourself to feel difficult emotions is essential for growth. Suppressing pain, sadness, or anger might seem like a way to avoid suffering, but it often leads to emotional bottling, which can resurface in harmful ways later.
Acknowledging your feelings means granting yourself permission to grieve the loss of the relationship. Journaling can be a powerful tool for this process. By writing down your emotions, you externalize and examine them, which can help you process what you’re experiencing. Similarly, speaking openly with a trusted friend or therapist can provide valuable perspective and emotional relief.
Consider trying mindfulness techniques to sit with your emotions. Acknowledging your feelings isn’t about wallowing in pain but creating a safe space to understand and accept your experiences. This practice allows you to start the journey toward emotional recovery.