A 7-Step Guide To Getting Sweet Revenge On Your Ex
It's all in good fun... for you.
getty Whether you've been together one year or ten, a breakup is never an easy thing to go through. And what makes it worse is when your ex is out having the time of his life, while you're sitting at home crying into a pint of ice cream.
He broke your heart, and you want to get sweet revenge on him. But you can't set fire to his belongings or physically assault him — that's just wrong and illegal. What can you do?
Instead of getting mad, get even by learning how to get revenge the right way. And it all starts with helping yourself heal, moving forward, and being a better person.
Step 1: Cry.
Cry like you just banged your little toe on every piece of furniture at IKEA, like you just accidentally peeled that skin next to your pinky finger's nail. Just let it all out.
Call your best friend and dump everything on them for 4 hours, then come to their house anyway. Eat ice cream and stream crappy rom-coms on Netflix while crying and fighting all the urges to contact your ex.
Spend the next few days repeating all this, or remain in bed feeling like the biggest loser of all time. It's all okay. Take as much time as you need. Look as ugly as you please. Know that when you're done with this, you will come out stronger and better.
Step 2: Stop crying and wear your poker face.
Yes. That sexy, badass face. Be the cold b**** you always wish you had been and cut all the contacts. Delete number. Block on all social media. Bury all evidence of his existence. Detach yourself from any mutual friend if his. Stay away from alcohol or any places that could potentially remind you of him.
Release feelings privately. If necessary, write them all down in a notebook and burn them afterwards. Basically, don't let anyone know or see your reactions. Keep your cool.
Repeat this: "I'm a rock. I'm stone. I'm the unbroken surface of a lake. All that ripples, I absorb." It's hard now, but you will be very relieved and proud of yourself later.
Step 3: Take excellent care of your body.
Change your eating habits. Work out. Pay attention to styles. Follow beauty and fashion bloggers. Have a skin care routine. Sleep early, sleep long. Drink more water. More, more. Treat this as a hobby. A job. A religion. Be absolutely serious and committed.
Study your body and learn everything you can, from what looks good on you and what doesn't to how your body responds to what you eat. Learn to cook like your mom. Tell yourself this will pay off in no time and smirk about it.
Take a walk everyday to clear your mind. Welcome good thoughts and get rid of bad ones.
Step 4: Focus on your career and make lots of money.
Get back to your desk. Think about what you really, really want to do with your life and do it. If you haven't figured out it yet, take up new hobbies, meet new people, ask for opportunities and take risk. Grow a thick skin. Take interest in money, because it's practical and because you're smart.
Consider selling your soul to it, but then re-evaluate your life choices and decide to go after a lifestyle you desire instead. Still aim for the best, though, because you want to challenge yourself, see how far you can go and how high you can reach.
Feel powerful and invincible. Become wiser and smarter. Make more money. Save money. Invest money. Grow money. Have both feet firmer on the ground. Be thankful for the push.
Step 5: Have fun and spend your money on yourself.
Adapt the cliche motto, "Work hard, play hard." Live your life to the fullest. Take pleasure from daily mundane activities and realize they are actually interesting and relaxing. Embrace who you are. Look into the mirror and say, "Hey sexy. You're great."
Spend time with friends, family and fun strangers, because it's fun and you're spontaneous at heart. Feel the love around you. Appreciate and celebrate life. Invest in yourself in and out. Mentally and physically. Spiritually and sexually.
Travel and do crazy things. Befriend the cool people. Date the good lookers. Take your best friend out to make up for all the mental torture they had to suffer because of your drama.
Step 6: Give yourself a high-five.
Ah, now your ex is nothing but irrelevance. Look at the past and smile in relief. Realize you've completely let go of what happened, and you've become a much better person. Realize everyone comes to your life with a purpose and that person's was to teach you how to let go and love yourself.
Realize he wasn't the right person for you. Realize it wasn't anyone’s fault. Realize you've done what you could at any given time, and there's now only the present to make the most of.
Step 7: Continue living, laughing, loving.
Laugh at the idea of taking revenge. Laugh at having ever been angry, miserable, eating ice cream in sweatpants with smudged mascara all over your face. Laugh at life. Laugh at being young.
Love being young. Kind of love being heartbroken. Love this feeling of being strong again. Love being strong. Love being yourself. Love loving yourself. Love your life. That's enough said.
Ellen Nguyen is the founder of Tingly Mind, an online publication dedicated to the unfiltered experiences of being human and especially of young adults in modern society. The content focuses on honest self-expression, lessons of life, and personal experiences.