How to shop your way through a breakup

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Valentine's Day has come and gone, and if you're in the midst of a breakup, you probably couldn't be happier about it. After all, the last thing you need if in the throes of a bad breakup are hearts, flowers, and chubby-lovey babies everywhere. But now that Cupid's flown away, it's time to stop wallowing and start rebuilding a better, happier, more confident you.-- Must Read:"It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken," by Greg Behrendt (the guy who co-authored "He's Just Not that Into You") and his wife, Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt. It's tough love with a gentle hand and is filled with positive messages on how to move on in your newly single life. Unlike many self-help books, this one deals less with the philosophical and more with the real-life logistics: get out of bed, get dressed, look your best, and don't call that ex! The book is available all over the web, and at Amazon.com of course.-- Cute Kicks:We all know that beauty comes from the inside, but when you're not exactly glowing with happiness, that can be a tall order. For this trying time, consider an outside-in approach: excessive retail therapy isn't what I'm talking about, but try to wear something that makes you feel good when you put it on.Consider a kicky new pair of shoes to add a little spring to your step. I'm currently a fan of retro rain boots and they've got ridiculously adorable and reasonably priced ones at Piperlime.com and Planetshoes.com.-- Feel Good: Now's the time to be good to yourself. If you'd gotten used to someone else spoiling you (and let's face it, if you're broken up that's probably not really the case), it's time to change gears and pamper yourself. Weekly spa trips can be prohibitively expensive, so try a soothing and luxurious at-home spa kit, then make -- and keep -- a weekly beauty date with yourself. A simple online search for "spa gift baskets" will let you customize to exactly what you want, but I like winecountrygiftbaskets.com for their selection and reasonable price points.-- Get a Move On:It's been long known that exercise can, and does, do a body good. Exercise releases endorphins, which help keep anxiety and depression (two common symptoms of break-up-itis) in check. It also lowers stress hormones, which help you sleep, boosts energy, builds strength, and, as a lovely aside, can give you a rockin' body. Overstock.com will let you choose from all manner of equipment, work-out tapes, yoga accoutrement or stylish work-out gear at reduced prices. Even if it's just walking around the block, get your blood pumping and start getting over that ex.While getting through breakups can be tough, at least take solace in the fact that you can use this time for self-improvement and reinvention...you can also revel in the fact that Valentine's Day won't be coming around for another 300 and some odd days.(Helen Malani is the chief shopping expert for Shopzilla.com, an E.W. Scripps company and the largest comparison-shopping search engine on the Web. E-mail askhelen(at)shopzilla.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)