Unfortunately, the bad news can sometimes get pretty bad indeed so brace yourself for what is sure to be a bumpy ride!

•  You will need to make some difficult and often painful decisions. Healing is a process that is rarely ever easy or painless. No matter how hard it gets, though, know that you are capable of getting through this and coming out of the experience both enriched and empowered. The trick is to avoid repeating the same patterns of mistakes by choosing to do what is in your best interest even that might seem like the most difficult choice to make. 

• There is no such thing as a quick and easy fix. The process of healing a broken heart can often be a lengthy one. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula with which to wash away the pain. The best way out of the pain is through it. In other words, make a conscious effort to confront your emotions and work your way through them so that you can eventually become their master rather than their slave. While there are strategies and resources that you can use to help you along the way, overcoming the emotional obstacles that you before you is something that you will ultimately need to do for yourself.

• Things will get a whole lot worse before they begin to get better.  Though every situation and person is different, the earliest stages of heartbreak are usually the most intense and therefore the most challenging. It is pretty common to feel as if you are dying or as though the pain might never end. Though it's not likely that you will physically die of a broken heart, you may need to endure an emotional death of sorts in order to then be born again into a new and ideally happier life without your old partner.

• You need to step outside of your comfort zone. Personal growth comes from a willingness to embrace and in many cases, create change. This process, though frightening, is a necessary part of healing.

• You may experience a temporary identity crisis.  It might take you a little while to figure out who you are as an individual. This is especially true if you and your ex were together for a very long time. Not knowing exactly who you are or where you're going can obviously be a really unpleasant experience but the process of figuring it all out will make you stronger and will help you to continue developing a new and improved version of yourself that will someday make all of these agonizing challenges worthwhile.