EVEN at such a young age, Andrea Brillantes has gone through a bunch of obstacles in life.
She started out in the entertainment industry at 7 years old, jumping through hoops and giving her all to put food on the table for her family.
But all her hard work as an actress and her family’s breadwinner has paid off because of the success she’s savoring, thanks to her talent and relentless determination and perseverance.
Now 20 years old and one of the most sought after stars of her generation, Brillantes still faces new challenges in life, especially now that she has begun testing the waters of love and its misfortunes.
Despite possessing almost everything one could ever desire in life, the teen star is no exception to heartaches. Just recently, she has made headlines because of her breakup with UAAP basketball star Ricci Rivero.
Though their relationship was imperfect and a bit messy, like any other romantic entanglements, Brillantes said never did she regret anything that happened between them.
In fact, she was able to pick up quite a few lessons from her experiences, which we can all learn from and relate to.
Honoring your pain
It is no brainer that breakups could be painful, most especially if we have truly loved the person with whom we once had an emotional connection.
While there would be times we would attempt to deny our agony to save our ego from a relationship that just ended, Brillantes said one of the best ways to mend a broken heart is by acknowledging our grief.
Whether through crying, soul-searching, or whatever means one could think of, it is important to release this pain in order to move forward.
Brillantes said it took her at least a month of crying before finally accepting the separation.
Allowing herself to mourn helped her a lot in moving on, she said.
“Hinayaan ko talagang maging malungkot ako, iyak talaga ako,” Brillantes said in an interview with comedian and television personality Vice Ganda.
Acceptance is the key
Like other people, Brillantes said she also went through denial, anger, and bargaining phases post-breakup with Rivero.
She said she tried to work things out with him despite knowing that the boat is already sinking, in the hopes of salvaging the love they built together.
She further shared that she also felt aggrieved about what happened.
But later on, she woke up and realized that there was nothing she could do to fix what’s already broken. The only way to save herself is to accept the fact that their flames have been extinguished and nothing could light that fire back to life.
Courtesy: Andrea Brillantes on Instagram (@blythe)
It’s cliché but learn to love yourself
Brillantes also shared during the interview that thanks to the breakup, she was given the opportunity to realize how enjoyable her own company is, especially during her solo Spain trip last month.
Moreover, it also allowed her to value herself more and said it is a lesson she can pass onto her children in the future.
“Kailangan ko munang gawin to at maipakita ko na may self-value ako para magkaroon din ng self-value yung anak ko at matuturo ko sa kanya kung ano yung tama,” she said.
Don’t enter where you’re not welcome
Aside from these, the Kadenang Ginto star said she learned to not force herself to fit into places and people that don’t want her.
She also hinted that the reason her previous romantic link with Rivero did not prosper was because there was already someone else waiting to take her place.
“In love pa ako noon pero kasi parang may iba na eh, so paano ko isisiksik sarili ko don? San na ako don?” she said.
Most importantly, Brillantes realized that she need not cry over a boy because there are so many adventures that still await her in this journey.
“There’s so much more to this life than just one boy,” she said.
Courtesy: Ricci Rivero on Instagram (@ricciiirivero)
