What to do when your love interest doesn't like you back

Unrequited love is its own kind of heartbreak. At one point you were hopeful that things would work out with your potential bae, but now all that excitement has just been stepped on and flattened a thousand times.

This painful rejection might take you a while to get over but, don't stress. It might feel like you're the only one who's going through it but, many people have been there and managed to overcome that disappointment.

As you take your time to recover, it doesn't hurt to keep yourself busy. These five suggestions will surely help you feel better and keep you encouraged.

Accept it

Overcoming rejection forces you to go through different stages. Sometimes you feel like there's hope or that there is something you can do to change their mind, but there isn't.

At this point, you must accept the truth because that is what will stop you from making more futile attempts to win them over. It will hurt and there might be some denial, but it's better to admit to yourself that they're not interested in you and that is okay.

You too have put someone in that situation and if you can be honest about those people you have rejected or friend zoned, you will realize that this is part of life and we all go through it at one point.

Take some time to process your feelings

Emotions are very powerful and if you let them take control, they can overwhelm you. When something like this happens, you need to let yourself process everything so that you recover fully.

If you try and act like you're not hurt or dismiss your true emotions, you're setting yourself up for an emotional breakdown later on. Don't feel silly if you need to be alone for some time until you heal because what you're going through is a real heartbreak.

Don't take it personally

Any kind of rejection can make you question your entire self-worth. And if you feel like this situation means you're not worthy of being loved by anyone, know that those feelings aren't true.

Understand that one rejection shouldn't have the authority to scar you for life. Your crush has a right to decide who they like and who they don't see themselves in a romantic relationship with, and one day you too might have your reasons for rejecting someone else. That's just life so don't process it as a personal thing.

Use this situation as motivation

The best comeback for any heartbreak is self-improvement. Maybe your crush rejected you because they saw you didn't take care of yourself properly or that you didn't have the right relationship qualities, and that is probably your wake-up call.

So, if you choose self-improvement after this, it shouldn't be about proving anything to anyone. It's just a chance for you to work on yourself and that hurt is the perfect source of motivation.

Talk to a friend about it

You should take some time to recalibrate your life but, be careful not to sink into isolation. Your close friends and family are there as your support system and you should open up so you can get the strength you need to move on. Choose someone who you trust and vent if you need to.