Debut Flash: 'How to put a life back together' by Sophie Meeks

1. Remove his voice from the answering machine. Don’t listen to it a dozen times before you do.
   
   
2. Delete all texts. Do it fast before you change your mind.
   
   
3. Shower. Daily. Use the nice shower gel Mum gave you. Don’t save it for the best time. Now is the best time.
   
   
4. Deploy chocolate as required. Diet later. Diet never.
   
   
5. Call your friends back. No, really, do it. If you don’t they will appear on your doorstep and annoy the neighbours with their incessant bell ringing.
   
   
6. Breathe. Preferably outside. Even better, in the park watching dogs chase sticks with single minded joy and devotion.
   
   
7. Cook. Let Hello Fresh deliver everything you need and enjoy assembling it all. Smell the tang of fresh limes and earthy parsley. Savour every mouthful.
   
   
8. Delete Adele’s ‘Hello’ from your playlist, replace with Born Slippy and pogo around the living room. Let it pull you back into your own life.
   
   
9. Absolutely do not stalk her on FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram or any of the endless ways to torture yourself with the woman he left you for.
   
   
10. Never think that his choice defines you in any way. Hold tight to this fact, tighter than Kate Winslet ever did to that wardrobe door. 
11. Do not fall into internet rabbit holes about weight distribution on floating bits of wood and how Leonardo could totally have fit on that door beside her.
    
    
12. In fact, avoid the internet altogether for now. It’s not going anywhere, but you will be, if you let yourself.
    
    
13. Lean on the people that love you. They will like that.
    
    
14. Lean on yourself. You can take the weight even if you think you can’t.
    
    
15. Remember that phoenixes can be human too.