How to deal with taking a “break”

After finding out that my boyfriend cheated on me for the second time a few days ago, I did a lot of thinking and decided it would be best to put our relationship on hold. I reached this decision because he doesn’t think that sexting women is cheating, he needs to do a lot of personal change (as do I), and because I’ve completely lost trust in him. I let him talk and try to explain, but at the moment I can’t take his promises seriously when he has made promises before and not followed through. I’ve come to realize that I can’t allow myself to keep letting this happen and I need to put myself first right now. He didn’t take it well (duh) and since we live together, we’re forced to be around each other often. He has 4 days off every week and I have school and work most days, but even then I’m home a lot. It’s only been a day since I told him I needed a break, but I’m really struggling with my emotions and I don’t know how to not be together and live in the same home. I guess i just want to know how to get through a break, how to heal, and if anyone’s ever been on a break, do you think it helped your relationship in the long run?