Eat, Pray and Love Yourself Through a Nasty Break-up

By Alex

Okay, so how excited are you for Eat, Pray, Love to finally come out?  Because I know I’m absolutely dying to see Julia Roberts and James Franco and Javier Bardem all together in one glorious movie.

If you haven’t read the book (which I highly recommend you do), here’s a quick rundown:  Julia Roberts’ character has a “perfect” husband, gorgeous home, and dream career.  Turns out the girl who has it all, actually doesn’t- she’s completely unhappy.  Throwing caution to the wind, she divorces her husband, takes leave from her job, and sets out for a yearlong adventure where she plans four months each in Italy, India, and Bali.  Her goals are simply to enjoy life and get back in touch with herself.

Well, I think we can all relate to the confusion and pain of ending a relationship, but unfortunately most of us don’t have the time or resources to do it Julia-style.  Luckily, it doesn’t take a million frequent flier miles to mend a broken heart.  Here are some real life ways to Eat, Pray, and Love your way back to fabulous:

Eat
Dinner parties aren’t just for couples.  Call up your best gal pals and invite them over for a night of bottomless wine and delicious pasta.  There’s nothing like comfort food to get you back on track.  Don’t worry about the carbs or going to the gym the next day.  Just put your feet up (preferably not on the table) and laugh a little.  It’ll feel good.

If you want to take the party on the road, stage a food tour of your campus.  Every school has those guilty pleasure places you go out of your way to avoid because they’re just so darn good (hello Chick-fil-A!), you’d eat yourself into a food coma.  Now is the time to dive in head first.  Tackle those waffle fries, enjoy that pizza, and wash it all down with an extra-large Diet Coke.

Pray
If you’ve never tried yoga or meditation before, then let me welcome you with a great big Namaste!  Both practices work wonders to clear your mind and make you feel energized.  Check with your college to see if your health center offers classes; if they require a pre-paid pass, ask if you can sit in on a class as a guest.  Also, iTunes offers free podcasts that specialize in guided mediation and yoga.

Download a few and you can practice right in your room.  No need to change out of those sweatpants or wash your hair just yet!

Love
Love yourself, all of yourself – not just your funny personality; you know you’ve got great legs, too. Grab an iced tea, sit in a comfy chair, and listen to your iPod for thirty uninterrupted minutes.  Savoring the details of your day can do wonders for your state of mind.  So claim some “Me Time” and do something you love.

Love your friends. The fact of the matter is that when you’re in a relationship, sometimes your friendships can suffer.  However, now is the time to plan girls’ nights and rent all those chick flicks you missed out on (because some loser needed to watch Die Hard for the twentieth time).  Round up the troops, throw on some sweats, and have a little good old fashioned, guy-free fun.  After all, laughter and margaritas are the best medicine.

Finally, get back out there.  Take your time.  Whether you need two weeks or two months to get back on your feet, don’t feel rushed but do acknowledge that eventually you need to reenter the dating world.  Sitting at home weekend after weekend isn’t healthy.  Human contact is the spice of life!  Put on a hot outfit, opt for the higher heels, grab your besties and chat it up with a cute stranger.

Even if you don’t find love right away, know that your Javier Bardem is out there somewhere.  At least that’s what I’m keeping my fingers crossed for…