It’s a hard part of life that can’t be avoided—a lot of the dating relationships we have are going to end. That is unless you’re lucky enough to meet a person you fall head over heels for when you’re 12, you two become high school sweethearts, and get married. Most people aren’t that lucky though, and one person breaks up with the other at some point. It happens to almost all of us, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

So how do you know when it’s time to end a relationship? What are the signs that maybe it’s time to break up? Just because you’re the one who’s going to do the breaking up doesn’t mean that it’s easy, or that it doesn’t hurt. It’s natural for it to be painful for both people in the relationship, whether they’re doing the breaking up or being broken up with.

What about if you’re on the receiving end? How do you deal with being broken up with?  Of course it’s going to hurt but when does the pain go away? What can you do to help yourself get over the relationship? And how do you stop feeling for the person who broke up with you?

It is an unfortunate part of relationships but there are some helpful tips for dealing with break ups, no matter which end you’re on. Remember, too, that the ending of one relationship can be the beginning of another. The fact that one person wasn’t right for you only means that you’re that much closer to finding the person who is.