Most of us in our lives will go through many breakups before we find our one true love in life (Luv). The pain of a breakup is a very individual thing - some people can shrug it off, and others torture themselves for weeks, months, even years over a lost love. Some never get over it, never date again, or stay single for the rest of their lives. It's safer for them that way: their heart is never broken again. It depends on how long the relationship lasted and how deeply the person was committed to it.
A normal grieving period occurs for most people who breakup after a relationship (Luv). At first there is denial and isolation, anger, depression, and finally acceptance. Some take things deeper emotionally and end up hospitalized or suicidal. How people react to breaking up depends on their style of loving. Some people love in a healthy, supportive way, sharing and caring, with a healthy outlook on life. Others use relationships as an escape from their own dreary lifestyle, or as a way of fixing some fault they see in themselves: with an "if I have a partner I must be okay" attitude. These people usually become addicted to the high of being in a relationship, and drift easily from one relationship to another, believing the other person has all the qualities they want in a partner, while others simply give up their individuality for their role as part of a relationship.
For lasting relationships, and to avoid the ups and downs of constant breakups, a person must have a healthy view of themselves, have high self-esteem, and believe in themselves as a person. They must form relationships with people who understand this attitude, and share it, and allow them to be themselves in the relationship. That way, the relationship is built on mutual respect and will last.
Luv, Tigress. "When love ends." 2004. 18 May 2004.