20 Times Beyoncé Helped You Get Through a Breakup

NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Beyonce performs during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

6. “Single Ladies”

"Up in the club, we just broke up I’m doing my own little thing"

You knew this one was coming. The dance may not be a cakewalk to master, but we can all put our hands up on cue. And what a feeling it is, to throw your hands up once you’re well over your ex and ready to begin anew.

Once you get through all the melancholy of a breakup, you have to shake off whatever’s lingering. Get out of your funk and enjoy the freedom. Your ex couldn’t give you what you wanted, so get out there and find someone who can. They’re not part of your equation anymore. That’s one of the great parts about being single—you can just do you. You don’t have to worry about what your ex-partner thinks of any of it.

Now, this isn’t a great part for everyone. If you want to do “our” thing instead of “your” thing, doing the “Single Ladies” dance probably won’t make you feel better. But remember that whatever you lost in your breakup, you gained the opportunity to find what was lacking in your old relationship. Find solace in Beyoncé’s “I don’t need no permission,” because now you’re free to look for what you want, rather than wait around for your ex to become whatever that is. Someone will come along who wants to put a ring on it. In the meantime, put your hands up and enjoy yourself.

Next: Me, Myself and I