Top 10 break-up songs: healthier than a pint of Ben and Jerry’s

Break-ups are a lot like car accidents, they can be quick and painless or they can leave you barely clinging for life, reducing you to nothing more than a sweatshirt-huddled mass clutching a box of Kleenex and watching reruns of Say Yes to the Dress. Fortunately, that's where friend interventions, lots of greasy food and a good break-up song will see you through. If you've ever felt hopeless, worthless or disillusioned then step away from the Cherry Garcia and download one of these songs—they're like the musical equivalent of Zoloft.

1-"Someone Like You"-Adele

Okay, so who hasn't heard this song? It pretty much runs on repeat every time you turn on the radio. But if you look past Adele's soulful voice and the simple yet haunting piano accompaniment, the lyrics are just as powerful. In just four minutes, she is able to encompass the heartbreak you feel when you've broken up with someone you once loved and you find out they're with someone else. Even though the feelings still linger, you force yourself to move forward and resolve to find someone like them.

2-"F*** You"-Cee Lo Green

For a less diplomatic approach to an ex who cheated on you or left you for someone who is more like an Xbox while you consider yourself an Atari, blasting this song on repeat will definitely cheer you up. Not that any undergrad probably has issues with gold digging, but the overall idea that it is not worth your time to try to please someone in order to keep them is a point well-taken, Cee Lo.

3-"No More (Baby Ima Do Right)"- 3LW

Your initial reaction might be, 3L-Who? But think back to the ‘90s-a time of orange soda and crop tops-and you might recall the trio girl group (two are now Cheetah Girls) that once sang about getting tired of seeing different numbers on their guy's pagers and how guys act different when they're with their "boys." The message is pretty much summed up in the title: when you've had enough, you gotta do right by you.

4-"Not Over You"-Gavin Degraw

As the title subtly hints, this piano ballad is all about the sometimes painful process of getting over someone. It's hard at times to put on a front of being "fine" when secretly you're still coming to terms with being alone; say when you accidentally sit at a table set for two? But don't forget that misery loves company. and you're not alone.

5-"What Doesn't Kill You"-Kelly Clarkson

Although all of her songs could easily comprise this top 10 list, I could only choose one (Sorry KClark fans). It's climbing up the hit list pretty quickly, but for those who haven't heard it before this song is a break-up anthem. Did we expect anything less from Miss Independent? The empowering chorus, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," a well-known aphorism, seems to really sink in when it's not only sung by a powerhouse vocalist but also coincides with an upbeat tempo.

6-"Before He Cheats"-Carrie Underwood

I need to qualify this song by saying, don't get any ideas. All that anger you might be feeling after finding out your soon-to-be ex cheated doesn't need to be directed at the headlights of his/her car. Take a kick boxing class or run to this vengeful pop-country song and live vicariously through Ms. Underwood. Just knowing that even Maxim Hot 100 girls get their hearts broken is comfort enough.

7-"Bye, Bye, Bye"-*NSYNC

Now I know it might call to mind an image of teenage Justin (Not the Beiber, the Timberlake) with a bleach blonde afro, but if you really listen to the song, it's all about refusing to be a fool and deciding that it's better to be alone then get played. Who would have thought that JT would have words of wisdom beyond what long-lasting gel to purchase?

8-"Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)"-The Script

That earth shattering feeling like you're gasping for air is pretty common when a breakup is one sided and this song encapsulates it. It asks those ever-so-important questions like, what are you supposed to do when you're all choked up because the person you love has moved on? Or what are you going do when the best part of you was that other person? Well, I'm not psychologist, but you should listen to this song and commiserate, that's what.

9-"Burn"-Usher

While most of us cannot relate specifically to having a baby momma, this song is such a classic because it talks about the other side of the breakup-being the dumper. Don't expect to hear anything about falling to pieces because it takes on a more, "It's not you, it's me" approach. It reminds you that people are people and everyone hurts in a break-up, not just the dumped.

10-"I Will Survive"-Gloria Gaynor

The title really says it all, but this song is a recently single guy/girl's anthem. Its timelessly soulful lyrics are all about mending the pieces of your broken heart and holding your head up high because you're not willing to settle for less. Take a page out of Gaynor's single girl swag book and know that you have all your life to live and all your love to give so, though it may not seem like it now, you will survive.