Rules for a Break Up

I've had a lot of reader emails this week about breaking up, and a lot of the questions (I felt) could be answered with a few simple break up rules. Ok, so the rules for dealing with a break up may sound simple, but actually doing them takes a bit of effort. Still, I was surprised at how many people struggle over a longer period of time dealing with a break up, and how similar the questions were across the board no matter who was asking them and what the circumstances were.

So today I'd like to ask you how long it takes you to cope with a break up. Do you automatically start dating someone new to forget? Do you wait a couple of months (or years, depending on how serious and committed the relationship was) before trying again? Or are you still carrying a torch for a lost love? And for those of who you have successfully maneuvered your way through a particularly difficult break up, let us know what break up rules you employed to deal with your relationship loss.