Some people have the capability it seems to jump right into a new relationship immediately after a breakup. For many people though it takes a long time. Sometimes even years. Think about it. You put everything you had into your last relationship only to have it slip away. When you are in a relationship giving it your all you voluntarily make yourself vulnerable to your partner. You literally trust that person with your life. And it is indeed your life they have in their hands. As you can probably tell I am not talking about dating someone for a while and deciding that you should not go any further for whatever reason. I am talking about people who have invested years of being together whether in marriage or otherwise.

Perhaps people who can go immediately to another relationship have spent years in a one-sided relationship. Maybe they were neglected and another person was able to lure them away from the relationship they were in. Maybe they were never in love in the first place. Maybe the relationship should have never happened. Perhaps they are so shallow that relationships and other people don't mean that much to them. There are people in the world who are like this. Either way they seem unaffected by a relationships end. I am not saying any of these people are bad.

On the other hand there are those who can't seem to move forward. They have a hard time believing that the relationship they were in has ended. They can't see themselves with someone else. The pain of the relationship is still present even years after the fact. How do you get passed this?

Become single again. You don't have to be in a relationship. You are not less of a person because your relationship has ended or you have gone through a divorce. If you are having some of the difficulties mentioned above then you probably should not try to date for a while. Try to master being single again. Get to know who you are. Perhaps you may have lost track of who you were and what you were about because of your last relationship. Take some time to do some soul searching.

When you have become comfortable again with who you then you are on your way back to emotional and mental health. And while you're at it add some physical activity to your life like going to the gym, riding bicycles, or just walking. Get in shape. You could really remake yourself. Just do a little bit at a time. Healing is a long process.

Another thing that is very helpful is to make new friends without any angles of trying to hook up with someone in a relationship. Practice being a friend again. As time passes so will the pain of your last relationship dissolve little by little. It may only take a few months or, it may take a few years. But when you have fully mastered being single again and all your pain has faded away, you will be closer to being ready for a new relationship if you choose.