Analyze
Take time to analyze the relationship. Think about all the good things you brought into the relationship. If you didn't have something good and valuable to offer, you wouldn't have been in the relationship to begin with. Your partner saw value in you, even if the relationship had to come to an end.
Lessons Learned
You can learn valuable lessons from a breakup, about yourself and about how to choose a good partner. Think about the problems that occurred in your relationship. Think about how those problems were resolved, if at all. Communication is key in resolving problems. Analyzing the problems that occurred in your relationship and how you resolved them, are valuable lessons to help you with future relationships. This knowledge will empower you and build your self-esteem.
Use Logic
Emotions run high after a breakup. More than likely you will emotionally beat yourself up and feel you are to blame for everything that caused the breakup. Use logic to figure out your role in the relationship and what caused the breakup. Your emotions will tell you one thing and logic will tell you the truth. You may question yourself about whether you treated your partner well enough or didn't spend enough time with them. Logic will put this in perspective as you trace back on how well you actually treated your partner and how much time you truly devoted to them.
Support
After a breakup, it's important to surround yourself with friends and family for support. They are the ones who will remind you of how much you are loved and how worthy you are. They will counterattack your feelings of unworthiness and prevent your self-esteem from being hurt. Good friends and family can be your rock to help you through a breakup, but you have to allow them to be there for you.
Take Care of Yourself
Taking care of yourself after a breakup can prevent your self-esteem from being hurt. Pain from a breakup is inevitable, but there are things you can do to feel better about yourself. Eat healthy meals. Don't allow yourself to be deprived of nutrients you need. Being deprived of nutrients can cause your emotional state to feel even worse. This means you're more likely to suffer from low self-esteem.
Exercise even when you don't feel like it. You don't have to get into a strenuous routine, but even a short walk will do wonders. Surrounding yourself in nature is very therapeutic and will remind you of the blessings in life.
Help Others
When we help others, we take the focus off of ourselves and our problems. Find ways to volunteer in your community or even help a neighbor. Anything that helps someone else will prevent your self-esteem from being hurt. You'll feel useful and will be reminded of your value to others. You'll recognize even more what you offered to your partner and the relationship, even if it came to an end.
Just because you had a breakup and you are middle age, does not mean your life is over. It does not mean that a wonderful relationship isn't out there waiting for you. Believe in yourself and the good you have to offer.