The thing most people don't count on after a breakup – especially in relationships that have been going on for several years – is the loneliness that follows breakups. More and more often you find that your social interactions are based on a circle of friends that you've created together. Not only is the love and support of your ex suddenly gone from your life but also that circle of friends that you had together has vanished. Many couples attend the same church and even move in the same social circles. When a marriage or breakup happens, everything changes and you feel so lonely because you think you have nowhere to turn.

How do you deal with the loneliness that comes after a breakup?

You may have thought that the most difficult thing you've ever had to do was to get out of bed the morning after your breakup. For some that may be the case and everything else is all downhill. For others, it's facing all of this and dealing with the fallout when it feels as though your entire circle of friends or support system has been lost at the same time. That is a LONELY feeling. But you don't have to let that feeling swallow you whole. You do have some options available to you. Perhaps it's time for you to enjoy a change of pace or of scenery.

The first thing you need to do is go out and make new friends. Granted, you won't be able to walk up to strangers and become insta-buddies so that you can share a few beers with and pour out your heart to. That might get you a few sideways glances. But you do have friends on the edge of your social circle, coworkers, and even social acquaintances that you can turn to for support and commiseration.

You could also get your girlfriend back and get over the loneliness in a very positive way. She's the one you miss more than anyone else after all. She is the best friend you had that got away and the only one that will really fill the whole that was left behind after the breakup.

There's no one absolute right or wrong way to deal with loneliness after a breakup. The one way that is often most effective though is to make up with your ex and get your ex back so that you don't have to feel that loneliness ever again.