Getting your heart broken hurts worse than having period cramps. It could have been your crush in middle school who rejected you or maybe it’s from a longtime relationship in your adult days. Whatever the case, chances are you’ve gotten your heart broken before.

There’s no way to sugarcoat a broken heart — that shit hurts. Let’s look on the bright side though; once you heal, you’ll be able to look back at the experience and feel gratitude. That’s right. You’ll actually be thankful that you went through it and you might even recognize some advantages of having experienced heartbreak.

How about we look at some reasons why you should thank him for that heartbreak.

1. You realize just how loved you are

The pain you experience from heartbreak allows the people who really love you to comfort you and help you realize just how loved you really are. When things first happened you probably felt like there wasn’t a soul alive who loved you, but you later learnt that you were wrong. Experiencing heartbreak will definitely show you who is really in your corner and how much they love you.

2. You’re no longer wasting your time

If it’s not the real thing, then it’s not the right thing. No matter how much you love someone, it doesn’t mean that they have to reciprocate it. Unfortunately, you’re just now realizing that they weren’t in it the same way you were, but at least you are no longer wasting your time.

3. You realize how bad ass you actually are

Experiencing heartbreak will force you to stand face-to-face with yourself. Hopefully when you do that you’ll see what I know is there–a bad ass. A beautiful bad ass at that. Never let losing a partner–no matter how in love you were–make you feel like you’re not as amazing as you truly are.

4. You can see the signs of a failing relationship from a mile away

Things between you two may or may not have ended on the best terms, but experiencing this heartbreak will definitely allow you to see signs of a failing relationship in the future, a lot sooner than you did that time. Experience is the best teacher and you’ll be feeling like a pro once you’ve worked through the pain and heartache.

5. You’re stronger

Period. You’re a lot stronger from this experience. Heartbreak takes a lot of strength to get through. It takes, even more strength to be able to see the beauty in an ugly situation. You’re truly as strong as an ox!

6. You’re more comfortable with being alone

Being alone doesn’t mean you’re lonely. After experiencing heartbreak and recognizing how much of a beautiful bad ass you are, spending time with yourself feels great. When you’ve been in a steady relationship for a long time, you don’t get to appreciate being alone as much as you have the chance to now.

7. You know what you’re looking for

Along with being patient with finding love, you’ll know what it is you’re looking for based on what you did or didn’t get out of this last relationship. You got a heads-up and insight on what you should be looking for to make the perfect match.

8. You’re patient with finding love again

After going through heartbreak, you’re more than likely in no rush to fall in love again. Hopefully, you still want to fall in love again, but you’ll be patient about it. Patience is good for anybody and everything. You know that you should wait patiently for the real thing, because once you find it, you’ll see that it’s definitely something to be thankful for.

9. You got a chance to try love on for size

If nothing else, be thankful that you got a chance to try love on for size. If your heart was broken by someone, it’s safe to say you loved them. That’s not a bad thing. Depending on how badly you were hurt, this might not seem like something to be thankful for because you may feel like they didn’t deserve your love, but be positive.

10. You’ll appreciate the real thing so much more now.

When you find love, you’ll appreciate it even more than you did your last relationship. I know you might not think that’s possible, but watch real love blow your mind.

Trust the process. Having your heart broken just makes finding the real thing that much better. Be patient, know what you want, keep the faith and watch it manifest itself.