Did you know that more people split during the Christmas break than any other time of the year? Well get prepared… How many times have you consoled a mate who has just split from her bird and found you are still visiting the same territory with her months later? We may be fantastic in bed, make fantastic long-term partners and know how to ‘move into lover’s home’ with precision, but when it all goes fanny up, we are the worst offenders in moving on. Well it’s time to pick yourself up out of that gutter or should I say massive dyke, get off the Prozac and get over it!

Women can be heartless when breaking off a relationship and Lauren has seen the harshest of break ups, “I think my girlfriend found it incredibly hard to finish the relationship but ended up making it worse, I have since found out that she had been seeing someone else, but failed to tell me. Instead, she became very mean to me rather than tell me the truth.” The relationship finally ended with a simple text message saying that Lauren had the weekend to move her stuff out and find somewhere else. “If she had spoken to me properly about it I would not have been so angry and could have planned moving out properly,” explains Lauren.

The harsh reality is that the majority of us get dumped at some point in our lives, this bombshell can be the worst thing on earth, but believe me, it is nothing new – we cannot prepare ourselves for the reality of a split, but what we can do is make sure we fight to get our life back on track, after all no one else is going to. And remember the cliché, time will heal all wounds, you’ll look back one day and feel that it was all for the best.

 Quick guide>>

Invest in yourself: Take time to deal with the break up, but also be strong enough to say ‘I’m going to take time for me!’. Do things you’ve always wanted, join a club, sports group or pamper yourself – this could be turned into a great opportunity, after all you’re worth it, and besides you have plenty of time on your hands.

Single life is great: Trust me, this is an opportunity. Remember, the sudden change to being single is not as bad as you think – it can be a great break in rediscovering independence and yourself. Try spending some quality time with mates, get yourself feeling confident by dolling yourself up with new gear and strutting your stuff around town – you’re a babe after all!

Look at yourself: Turn your anger around. Learn from your past relationship and digest what has happened, it usually takes two to make mistakes, and understanding fully what happened might act as therapy in speeding up the healing process, but will also help you work out what you want from future relationships and the next hot babe.

Therapy: if your friends and family can’t offer support and you feel you are not strong enough to get your life back on track, try speaking to a therapist or gay help group.

Revenge: Don’t try and get her back, make her jealous or turn up in places you know she will be. If she was going to take you back, your absence will be the best way for her to realise what she is missing. However, don’t hold your breath, she may not take you back and getting on with rebuilding your life is the best way to put her behind you. Either way acting like the pining ex is not a good look!

Rebound: It might help your self esteem no end to jump into bed with the next available philly, but are you emotionally ready? It usually takes a few months to get over a harsh break up, it’s hard to jump into a new relationship and a one-night stand is just a short-term fix that can leave you feeling empty.

Lose yourself: Whilst at your lowest ebb it’s all too tempting to let yourself go, indulge in drowning your sorrows, turning to temporary pick ups such as drugs or becoming some misfit. Well don’t, this escapism will only contribute to making things worse and besides you will have to face up to reality at some point.