Walking down a strip of sandy beach, you pick up a handful of sand. You hold it loosely at first, until you clench your fist as tightly as you can so you won't lose it. But each and every grain slips between your fingers; and the harder you grip, the quicker it falls. So learn to let go - here's how.

Michelle Branch once sang "Goodbye to you, goodbye to everything I knew. You were the one I loved, the one thing that I tried to hold on to." And sometimes, the only right thing to do is to say goodbye, and move on.

Still, letting go of someone is possibly the hardest thing in the world to do. It means giving up someone that has been a huge part of your life. It means giving up a chunk of yourself over to fate, or to a higher power because it is no longer within your control. So how do you let go of a person you've loved deeply? How do you say 'enough, let's move on'? Here are six steps to letting go.

#1: Hate is not the Solution

Pamela W., 24, once tried hate as a way to let go of a guy she'd loved for three years.

She told herself that his laid-back attitude was laziness, his sense of humour was annoying, and his thoughtfulness was merely a false front. She decided it was easier to let go if she hated him. As a result, she spoke to him less and less, and what was once a great friendship became a distant and uncomfortable memory.

If there was an award for the worst way to let go of someone, that would be it. No matter the circumstances which forced you to make that decision to wash your hands from the relationship, hating him or her is only damaging to you.

#2: There is more than Him/Her

Loving the same person for so long, he/she begins to feel like a part of you, and letting go is next to impossible. It would be akin to giving up a piece of your heart!

But life is too short to live it down in the dumps, says BettyConfidential.com. And forgetting about someone really is so hard it seems insurmountable. That, however, does not mean you can't move on in life.

Go out, have fun, hang out with friends (your friends, and not mutual friends you share with this other person) and see all the other fish in the sea. Don't do a rebound; just let loose for a while, flirt a little, and boost your own sense of self-worth.

#3: Realising the Cold, Hard, Truth.

There is one truth many who go through a break-up do not realise: That you may have loved more than you were loved by the other person. And once you put yourself in his/her shoes, you begin to see that maybe, just maybe, this other person had no idea how deeply you've loved him/her.

#4: Talk it Out

"The person who helped me get over my ex the most was my sister, who had broken up with her boyfriend of two years and knew just how I was feeling," shares Fiona T., 22. "I cried over her shoulders for a whole night, but it did me a world of good. She told me just what I needed to hear, because it was what she needed to hear when she had her break-up."

And this is what it's all about - the sharing, the talking. Letting out your feelings to someone who understands is the best balm on turbulent hearts.

#5: Looking from the View Above

Dr. Phil (made famous through his appearances on Oprah), on his website said that you have to look at things from a different perspective and take your entire relationship into account.

Ask yourself, "Does he/she even make you happy? Be honest with yourself about the extent to which the relationship functioned. Was it a good relationship? Were you both happy?"

Be objective and evaluate clearly what the time spent together was like. Dr. Phil reminds that "There are times when you break up with somebody and you start missing them and you start thinking about all the good things. And then you're back with them for about 10 minutes and you go 'This was a relationship I left for a reason.'" Don't kid yourself about what it was really like or glorify the past.

#6: The Morning After

Forgiveness is in no way divine in this situation, because forgiveness suggests that harm was done.

"It wasn't about forgiving my ex," says Jojo, 18. "The relationship had fizzled. We just decided that it wasn't going to work anymore. And although I was angry at him for letting the relationship die, I was equally as guilty."

What Jojo did was to decide to remain friends, and so far, it has worked.

"You don't have to be friends, of course. But do make a decision on whether letting go will be easier with him/her around, or with him/her gone. Having him/her around can help sort out the leftover feelings between the two of you or make it harder. No one can tell. But make a decision nonetheless. Seeing him/her as a friend could help loosen his/her hold on you."