If you're like most women, then you've probably gone through a pretty bad relationship that messed you up for a while. This is common for most first relationships, but a lot of women make the mistake of dwelling on the past too much that it gets in the way of their dating future. Don't be like them! Here are three ways to get over a relationship quickly.

#1 - Stop thinking of only the good times.

The mistake that many women do after a break-up is to keep thinking of the good times they shared with their ex, which makes them miss him all the more. This is a sure-fire way of getting stuck -- you can't move on if you keep thinking of the past.

So instead of thinking of things that make you miss him, focus on the reasons why the relationship didn't work. Was he unfaithful? Was he abusive? Was he simply unavailable? Whatever the reason for the breakup was, you'll need to accept the fact that there's nothing you can do to change the past. When you do, you'll be more open to the possibilities of the future.

#2 - Stop giving too much of yourself in your relationships.

It's true that most women tend to give it their all to make a relationship work. This can make a breakup all the more devastating, depending on how much of your emotional health you invested into making it work.

It's always good to try to invest into making the relationship work, but it's a bad idea to do so when the relationship is already over! If you're still trying to find ways to be chummy with him or see him every now and then, you'll only end up feeling even worse.

Instead, treat your dating partners as a sort of "middle priority" instead of making them the center of your lives. Make sure you still have your career, your family responsibilities, your social life, and your own share of "me time" in place. That way when a breakup happens, you still have the other aspects of your life to help you get through.

#3 - Be open to new opportunities, no matter how hard it may seem.

A lot of women try to avoid meeting new men after a particularly bad breakup, thinking that they're probably better off without a boyfriend. But this "defense mechanism" will only make them more and more miserable as time goes by.

Remember that few things in life can ever match up to the magic of meeting and falling in love with an amazing, one-of-a-kind guy. So stay hopeful and keep meeting new guys -- you'll never know who's waiting for you just around the corner.