Plan ahead and give your job notice that you'll be taking your birthday off. You'll likely have to take a vacation day, but some work places that allow free leave will understand and encourage a celebration of your birth! Account for the work time lost from your birthday by working ahead prior to the big day. You don't want to follow up your birthday with a day full of errands and catch up work. Don't schedule any meetings or errands on your birthday unless they are absolutely necessary. You want to worry about nothing at all for your birthday. Going to bed early ensures you wake up bright and early to take advantage of your clean slate. The average number of hours to aim for when getting sleep is between 7 and 9 hours for the average adult, but adding an hour in either direction may also be appropriate depending on your needs. Don't drink too much before going to bed. If you drink too much in the evening, you'll find your sleep interrupted by the need to go to the bathroom all night. Consider tossing the alarm clock for the evening. Just let your body handle everything, and get up only when you feel refreshed. Don't be afraid to sleep in. It's your day after all. A few extra hours of sleep feel great and might be what you need to get in the right mindset for the day. Go out to a fancy restaurant and get your favorite meal, or order in and let the food come to your front door. Your birthday is a good day to order that new meal or dish you've always wanted to try. Many restaurants offer free meals or sides when it's your birthday. Take a look online and see if you can score a few free bites! This applies to retail stores as well. Have some breakfast in bed. If you live with someone, ask if they'll bring breakfast right to your bed. Bring a food tray and napkins so that you don't get crumbs or runny egg on your bed. Use a scented gel and some favorite soap, even if it's usually saved for going-out occasions. Light candles, dim the lights and play some music to optimize your relaxation. Bath bombs and other bath accessories are perfect to moisturize and feel great, whether you are starting or ending the day with your bath. You've probably received a few cards or packages in the mail for your birthday by the time the big day rolls around. Don't open them as soon as you get them. Save them for your birthday to accentuate the moment. People are thinking about you! Spend the day deciding how to best display those cards. Cards make a great decoration for window sills or on the kitchen table. If you received gift cards or money for your birthday, think about what you are going to do with those gifts. The day is open, but make sure you don't let the money burn a hole in your pocket. Buy yourself a cake, or make one yourself. If you make one yourself, consider making it the night before. After all, you don't want to work too hard on your birthday. If you make your own cake, go for the guilty pleasure and eat the leftover frosting with a spoon. You deserve it! Your birthday is good time to reflect on your life. Think about where you've been, where you are, and where you are going. Write down how you are feeling in your journal, along with any other things on your mind. Think back over your day.. Pick out three extra fun and enjoyable moments.Write these moments down as a memento. You can look back on this entry when your next birthday approaches to get ready to have an even better time. Write down your goals. Writing down the goals you've achieved and the goals that are still in front of you give you a good metric to measure your progress each year. Other things you can reflect on are your recent successes, your dreams, and any feelings you may have that you haven't been able to express otherwise.

Summary: Take the day off. Sleep well the night before. Treat yourself to your favorite food. Take a fancy bath or shower. Open your cards and gifts. Have some birthday cake. Write down your thoughts in a journal.

There is no quick fix for feeling used, and you may experience a period of time where you feel sad, angry, and hurt. Don't try to suppress those emotions just because they feel bad. Instead, let yourself work through your pain and embrace your emotions. You might not feel like going out or talking to friends during this time, and that's okay. Let yourself cry if you need to. It might make you feel better, especially if you were used by a romantic partner or a close friend. If you've been used, you might want to jump right back into a relationship or friendship to make yourself feel better. Try to give yourself time to heal emotionally and don't rush into anything new while you are still feeling down. Keep talking to your existing friends and save new relationships for when you feel better. Everyone needs different amounts of time to heal, and there is no set timeline for how long you will need. If you have been used in a relationship or a friendship, you may not be able to recover from what the other person has done to you. If you don't think that you can forgive the person, it will only bring you more pain to keep in contact with them. Don't text, call, or talk to them if you can avoid it. If you go to school or work with this person, seeing them may be unavoidable. Keep your interactions short and civil. Talk with your friends and family about how you are feeling. It can feel easier to push them away when you are hurt, but try to rely on them to help you feel better. Even if you don't want to talk about your feelings, try to let them distract you from your pain for a little bit. Some friends or family members can be too prying when they try to comfort you. If you don't feel comfortable sharing about what happened, simply don't talk about it. Approach your friends or family by saying, "I'm going through a rough time right now. Could we spend some time together this week to take my mind off of things?" You might feel like you allowed yourself to be used or that you are to blame for someone using you. This is not the case. Someone using you is entirely the other person's fault and you shouldn't blame yourself. Push down those negative thoughts until they are gone. If you have been used a lot throughout your life, it can be even easier to think that you are to blame. Remember: someone taking advantage of you shows a flaw in their own character, not yours. After you cut ties with someone, it is easy to think of only the positive traits in their personality and in your relationship with them. Try to focus on what was wrong and why removing them from your life is actually a good thing. Remember that they used you and that it hurt. You may be romanticizing someone if you only remember the good times that you two had and reject the bad or painful memories.
Summary: Allow yourself to feel hurt. Give yourself time to recover. Cut off the person who used you if you need to. Lean on your friends and family for support. Avoid blaming yourself. Recognize if you are romanticizing the person who used you.