5 Ways to Put Some Change in Your Personal Independence Piggy Bank

A relationship breakup can take a serious toll on our self esteem and self-worth -- both of which affect how able we feel to tackle the world and live our lives. It's vital to a healthy recovery to re-build both. So while we celebrate the anniversary of our nation's independence, take some time to make sure you put some serious coinage back in your personal independence piggy bank as well. Here are five ideas to do just that.

1. Get a haircut. Getting a haircut or changing your hair color is an easy way to make a big change to your appearance and boost your self confidence. It's also a great way to start fresh and shed negative associations and feelings that you may have about the break-up. Being reminded that you're starting fresh every time you look in the mirror is exciting, and can have a huge positive effect on your self-esteem.

2. Bust out of your mold. Go out with friends and dress completely differently for a night -- as in out of your normal comfort zone different: go goth, super girly, fifties, sexy, etc. The point is to let out a side of yourself that's been hidden and explore it. Costuming it up for a night is a great way to bond with friends, have a great time and try on a new look for an evening.

3. Dance. Find your favorite 2 or 5 or 10 friends and go out dancing for a night. Salsa, swing, top 100 - whatever floats your boat. The point is to have a great time, feel the music and let loose. If you don't want to go out, have some friends over and start your own dance party. Dancing is a very deep-rooted way to express emotion and release energy. Don't worry about how good or not you are -- just enjoy expressing yourself.

4. Go thrift market hunting. Experimentation with clothing and apartment/house decoration is a great way to find the new you and assert yourself to the world. Being able to do it for not much money? Fantastic.

5. Channel your inner creativity. Sign up for a creative class: painting, writing, photography, sculpture, etc.. Expressing yourself creatively is a fantastic for developing independence because releasing your emotions creatively can be incredibly cathartic and can show you parts of yourself you didn't know were there. If you're not feeling the catharsis, just enjoy the distraction of focusing on creating something new. It's a win-win.

A big part of recovering from a relationship breakup is focusing on you. It's a time to self-reflect, to learn and to grow. By choosing activities that not only distract us and give us joy, but also grow us as people and help restore what we've temporarily lost in the trauma of a relationship ending, we can end up on the other side as healthier, happier people. Fill up your independence piggy bank as often as possible and you'll find yourself moving onwards and upwards in no time.

Originally published by BounceBack, LLC on www.bouncebacktolife.com, where I'm the dating expert.