How Long It Takes Each Zodiac Sign To Recover From A Breakup

Aries: Four Days

Listen, it’s not that you don’t care about your ex or are heartless—you just aren’t one to dwell. As the cardinal fire sign, you have a strong desire to keep moving forward, no matter what you’re feeling inside. Fake it till you make it was made for you. 

Inevitably, you’ll give yourself a few days to be hurt, plot all sorts of revenge schemes (you are ruled by Mars, the planet of ambition and aggression, after all), and rant about how much better off you are without them. The funny thing is, after getting it all out of your system, you do start to believe it. You know that things can’t be changed, and your goal is to move on, and so you do.

Taurus: Six Years

Let’s be honest, Taurus—it takes you a minute to fully move on. You’re all about stability and comfort, and your fixed earth-sign nature isn’t one to budge once you are settled into a relationship. When a breakup occurs, even if you were the one to initiate it, you take your time processing and getting over the routines and memories you created. You may not want to show to the world, but you will cling to bits and pieces of your past relationships for years if you aren’t actively working towards moving on and leaving them behind.

This doesn’t mean you won’t move on or date others—it simply means that, at times, you may get hung up on how your current relationship doesn’t do things the way you and your ex did, or you may still miss that person even when you’re falling for someone new. Once you fully move on, though, there is no going back–you’re done for good. 

Gemini: One Month

The length of time may slightly vary with you, Gemini, but a month is usually a solid marker for when you feel confident to move on. For you, breakups may feel right one moment, then totally wrong the next, and you find yourself jumping back and forth between those “what ifs” for weeks. You may even try to reignite things with your ex, only to regret it the next day. Your mutable air sign vibes keep you longing to explore every option until you’re sure, but that process can be exhausting and even a little frustrating for everyone involved.

While you may struggle to know if you’ve made the right decision, once you take some time to yourself and finally delete your ex’s number, you usually find that a month gives you the clarity you need to move on and not stay quite so hung up about what’s going on in their Instagram stories—and it’s a relief when you realize you haven’t thought about them in a while.

Cancer: Two Years

Some call you a die-hard romantic, Cancer, and they aren’t wrong. In fact, getting over a breakup is far from easy for you. However, you aren’t one to stay hung up for the rest of your life because you’re more willing to feel all the emotions rather than deny them. It just takes some time because you have a lot of feelings. Particularly if you’re the one who is broken up with, it’s hard to let go of the dream you painted in your mind about the relationship, and you can feel devastated at the outcome.

It can take a few years (especially if you have to see them around), and you may find yourself falling for someone else, but after a couple of years, you realize you never bring up their name like you used to, and you can accept it wasn’t meant to be. If you find someone else, you may find yourself letting go of your ex sooner because you want to make room for potential true love, but otherwise it will take a bit to get there. 

Leo: One Weekend

Here’s the truth—regardless of how long it really takes you to process a breakup, you’ll never let the world know. You tend to view breakups as a hurdle to overcome. Anyone who knows you is aware that you won’t lie down and wallow in your misery, especially where your pride is concerned.

For you, getting over a breakup involves immersing yourself in all the things you felt you couldn’t do when you were with them—whether living your best single life or going to that restaurant you loved but they couldn’t stand. After a weekend of amping yourself up and reminding yourself of what you bring to the table, you’ll be way past your broken heart and on to bigger, better things.

Virgo: Six Weeks

You are known to fixate on things, Virgo, and a breakup is no different. It isn’t simple for you to get over your ex because you tend to dwell on what you could’ve said or done to avoid the situation. You analyze every text, facial expression, and conversation you last had with them. You pour yourself into solving the puzzle and finding some sort of closure so you can know you did everything you could.

Of course, you’re smart, and you eventually come to the conclusion that regardless of what happened, the reality is your relationship ended, and you can’t change that. You know the process may feel exhausting to some, but it’s your way of coping, and you won’t be able to move forward until you’ve examined every possible angle. 

Libra: Five Days

Okay, let’s be honest—it may take a little more than five days to fully move on, but you’re usually well into acceptance before a week ends. The key for you is whether or not you feel the breakup was fair. From your perspective, if you think the person dumped you unfairly or if life circumstances beyond your control caused the split, it can take you some time to move on because you want things to make sense and be justifiable, and it’s hard to accept when they’re not.

However, these feelings often throw you into a desire to move on and forget the situation, and in less than a week, you’re usually back on your feet, flirting like crazy, and throwing yourself into having the time of your life. Sometimes this flips the switch, and you find yourself ready to move on without a second thought, and before you realize it, you’re over it.

Scorpio: One Week or One Year

Your brooding, vengeful stereotype would have many think you stay hung up for decades, but that’s simply not the case. Sure, breakups can be hurtful and hard to deal with, even for someone as reserved as you, Scorpio. However, getting over a breakup involves a pretty straightforward process for you—it simply depends on just how deep you are in it.

If you weren’t too invested, one week is all it takes to get back on your feet. You’ll pretend you never knew their name and will make them feel invisible. If you were deeply invested, you’ll put on the same pretense, but you’ll harbor some resentment off and on for months. You’ll act like they never existed, but you’ll stalk their Instagram and TikTok late at night. Eventually, you do realize they weren’t right for you and you’re able to let go, but it rarely happens overnight. 

Sagittarius: 12 Hours

Okay, okay, this sounds quick, but truthfully, Sagittarius—you know it’s true. It’s not that you are invincible when it comes to your emotions, it’s that you prefer not to stay in one state for too long. You may feel devastated at the breakup, but your next move is to round up your friends and go out for the evening. 

By the next day, you often remember you have the whole world at your fingertips, and you’ll fully convince yourself your ex was holding you back. When you think about the idea of being restrained, it’s pretty easy for you to move on.

Capricorn: Seven Months

When it comes to a breakup, Capricorn, you are known to take your time fully getting over it. Of course, you won’t make a scene and you prefer to keep your head down, but when you’re alone you can become overwhelmed with the ache of the loss. It takes time for you to let someone in and to be vulnerable with them, so naturally, it takes time to let them go.

Of course, once you have moved on, there is no going back. Even if you’re still trying to move on, if your ex shows up again, you aren’t going to get back with them—you don’t want to have to restart the healing process all over again, and you have other things to look forward to.

Aquarius: One Year

While many assume you’re extremely detached and aloof, that isn’t always the case, Aquarius. Your fixed air sign nature often leaves you caught between your emotions and logic—even if you know the breakup is right, it doesn’t mean your heart always gets the memo. You are the type who will reach out to your ex on occasion (if the reason for the breakup wasn’t due to staggering betrayal) just to “see how they are” because you struggle to go through your life without feeling connected to them.

Eventually, you do move on and see it as a lesson, but getting there isn’t as simple as deleting their number or going on a few dates. 

Pisces: 10 Years

As the hopeless romantic of the zodiac, breakups are difficult for you to move past. Sure, you may find someone else you have feelings for, and you may even accept that you two weren’t right for each other. However, you have a lethal combination that makes moving on take longer than it should: denial of what’s happening and a constant “what if” mindset. 

You can struggle to accept that the relationship really ended, or that it made an impact on you. Denying your feelings is easier than managing them, and the longer you wait, the longer it takes to heal. Pair that with the constant questions of wondering if things could work out “someday” mean that you can stay a little hung up on your ex and view them as “the one who got away.” Once you let go, it’s no small thing, but getting there is never easy.