The break up survival guide

Break ups are meant to be dealt with, and swiftly, so you can get back out there and do it all over again (of course, until you fall in love with that special person and you never, ever have to deal with break ups again). Here are four things no woman should be without while experiencing grief, anger and the glimmer of hope that keeps us out there looking for love.

The following types of friends are mandatory: The one who will give you tough love when you're trying to defend the guy who broke your heart; the one who will come up with the best insults about his lame cowboy shirt or sticking-out ears (which you never noticed were so annoying before); and one who will make soothing noises and listen to you cry without judgement.

Check out these titles to take you from a good weep session to an actual laugh out loud.
The weeper: Untamed Heart (1993) with Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei. Down on her luck waitress meets quiet busboy in a heart-wrenching love story doomed from the start.
The rager: Closer (2004) starring Clive Owen, Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Natalie Portman. Two couples swap partners, lies and nasty quips in this tale of relationships and what they make us become.
The ray of hope: High Fidelity (2000) with John Cusack and Jack Black. One man tries to understand his romantic failures by reliving his past, only to find what he really needs is his one true love.

This is no time for fruits, vegetables and whole grains – unless they're covered in cheese, deep-fried in an unhealthy fat or contain unpronounceable chemicals. Eat till your heart's content, fill the sadness hole with your favourites and only stop when your body cries out for something that once grew in the ground. Then you know you're ready for number four.

Go out and spend money on something that will make you feel better and don't feel sorry for it. It doesn't matter if it's a short skirt to flaunt your legs or tennis gear to lose the break up weight, just treat yourself to something pretty and put a darn smile on your face. Consumerism is a great cure for self-pity.

Still in the dark? Find out why he dumped you.