Reeling after the love of her life broke up with her, Singapore-based illustrator Cherlyn Chong did what she does best: She sat down and drew a heartening, totally relatable comic about the experience.
"Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I resolved to use the breakup for good instead of evil -- which basically means I decided to turn a very painful thing into something really positive. I just think good vs. evil sounds so much more dramatic," the 28-year-old cartoonist joked in an interview with The Huffington Post.
In the comic, Chong outlines her baby-steps-first approach to getting over a breakup: It's OK to mourn the loss of your partner, she reminds the reader. Expect to have very little energy in the weeks to come. And yes, well-meaning friends will offer some bad advice. ("You'll get over it!" is not helpful, folks.) But eventually, it does get better.
Readers have really connected with the comic on on Tumblr, where Chong first posted it. She told HuffPost she hopes her work inspires others dealing with heartbreak to "love themselves just a little bit more."
Read part one of the comic below, then head to Chong's website to read the comic in its entirety.
Like what you've read so far? Read the rest of the comic here (including part two, where you'll meet the turtle mentioned in the title).
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