By Laura Smith, Chief Groovy Chick, The Breakup Lounge

Imagine This:  You're in dreamland. Zzzzzzzzzz.  Blissful. Unaware. Major REM activity going on.

Suddenly, the alarm goes off.  You tap the snooze button. You're a bit groggy.

THEN IT HITS YOU LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN -- OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY HEART IS BROKEN!

I used to loathe going to sleep during a breakup because it meant I had to wake up and there'd be that little moment in between sleep and reality where I had forgotten all my pain. Where there was no pain. And then reality would slap me in the face.  Damn, I hated it.

Unfortunately, there is no way to get around this moment unless, of course, you want to set the Guinness world record for Most Hours a Human Being Has Stayed Awake.  While this title is impressive, it's not worth the bags you'll have under your eyes. You will wake up.  You will have to face your day.  It's at this moment you have a choice.

I recommend you either:

A) Smile. This sounds hard when you're sad. If you force yourself to smile (yes, physically smile) first thing in the morning, you will feel a teenie tiny bit better.  Try it.  It's almost impossible to smile and feel bad at the same time.

B) Pretend your pillow is his face and give it a good swat. Yes, this suggestion contains violent tendencies but if you get it out of your system first thing, I bet you can go back to Step A and really mean it.  Sometimes, once isn't enough.  Don't feel bad if you need to repeat this step a few times.  Go ahead.  No one's watching.

C) Close your eyes and assign him an animal spirit guide. Some of the first things that come to mind are the ever-popular pig or dog or ass. You could be really creative and make him a stink bug, goat or one of those monkeys with big red butts. Think of the animal. Picture his face. Merge the two. Ta-Da! How unattractive is that? Ewwwww!

D) Close your eyes and contemplate and plan your day and see yourself going through your day as the strong fabulous woman you are.  Imagine you ~ walking tall and proud.  You strut right by the vending machine at work without giving that Snickers bar a second thought.  You laugh more.  You OWN your day.  You make it what YOU want it to be.

It goes without saying that it's really important to take care of YOU during this time.  Typically, the way you start your day influences the hours that follow.  Why not start it out from a happy place?  It's your choice.  Since we all know you're amazing, it's a pretty good bet that sensational days are ahead!

You may not believe me when I say this but this feeling does get better with time. Pretty soon, it will be 30 seconds before reality hits you.  Then a minute. Then 5 minutes. Then longer. Until then, I hope these suggestions help, You Fabulous Doll!

Shine On!