The title of this should actually be "How to overcome a breakup" because the process may not be quick. This question is best answered with Mark Knapp's "Relationship Stages" theory. It could be quick if the parties involved are in the initiating or experimenting stage because during the course of these 2 stages, the people involved are only exchanging superficial information (e.g. name, favorite sports team, major, etc.) and there's unlikely to be much, if any, commitment or self-discloosure (i.e. telling someone something that isn't immediately clear by simple observation or superficial discussions) involved. If however, a couple breaks up during the intensifying stage, then it will be much more painful, especially if the parties involved have become especially close. When the breakup occurred is also critical. In other words, did the final argument end peacefully or was there a heated exchange? If the relationship ends in a peaceful manner, we might hear statements such as "We needed time to grow and mature and so we've decided to split up for a while". Notice that the word "we" is still being used in this case. If, however, the relationship ends in an unfriendly manner, we may hear statements such as "She was arrogant" or "He was so unappreciative". Notice that in the unfriendly example, "we" has been replaced by "he" and "she". In other words, the unfriendly couple will point fingers when things start deteriorating. The worst way to break up is to act as if everything's fine. This is known as circumscribing which literally means "going around in circles". Statements at this stage move from intimate back to casual as if the relationship is moving back towards the initiating and experimenting stages of coming together, but with one major difference. Although statements at this stage may include "I saw Tom and he said Hi" which seems to be innocent enough, the mood during the circumscribing stage is actually sinister/dark because the reasoning is that hey "You said that I got mad at you" or "I think you're angry at me" and if we're angry at each other, why should we even bother to say that someone said hi to the person with whom we're at loggerheads with and we're just about to break up with? If the aforementioned statements are used, they're probably meant to cover up the ugly side of relationships because if this is going to be our last party together, we don't exactly want our friends to see us trying to rip each other's heads off. So, it's basically a coverup. The last 3 stages (i.e. stagnating, avoiding & terminating) of an ugly breakup are really U-G-L-Y. Statements during the stagnation *i.e. "boring") stage are usualy statements reminiscent of mind-reading such as "Why do we need to talk because I know what you are going to say and you know what I am going to say". During theavoidance stag, the parties involved physically avoid each other.

There are 2 possible reactions to someone else's relationship breakup. If people show sympathy or empathy towards someone who has just ended a long-term relationship, that person will recover more quickly than someone who receives an INDIFFERENT reaction.