Break-ups happen. Suddenly, that person you couldn’t go a day without speaking to is grouped with the other mistakes of your past. It’s a tale as old as time.
But how do you make a clean break without relapsing and torturing yourself with memories of the good ol’ days? That’s where we come in. Follow this guide carefully.
First of all, throw “closure” away
Closure shouldn’t keep you from moving on from a broken relationship. Why do you need to go back to someone who broke your heart to ask them why they broke your heart? People will argue that it’s necessary, but all it does is make your emotions more fragile than they already are. Just accept the breakup has happened, no going back.
Allow yourself to grieve
One mistake we tend to make is to hurriedly pull ourselves together. This isn’t the Olympics, dear. They’re not catching latecomers. This was someone you imagined a future with. It’s okay to mourn the loss of that future. It’s better to grieve now than to be doing “What if?” three years later.
Don’t lie to yourself
Deep down, you know you can’t be just friends with this person, so respectfully decline if they come at you with any “We can still be friends” BS. Unless you can live with that. In that case, do you, boo.
Declutter
Removing their pictures from your social media isn’t immaturity. It’s self-preservation. What would you gain from staring at loved-up pictures from the past or re-reading those sweet texts? Throw everything away.
Don’t be shy to block
You might be tempted to stalk them on social media or read meaning into their posts. Save yourself the heartache and block or hide their profiles. And by block, I mean, don’t go sending messages to check on them either. They’ll be fine. You need to be fine too.
Do things that bring you joy
This might sound cliché, but immerse yourself in the things that you enjoy. Go out and try out that hobby that’s been on your bucket list for the longest time. The more you fill your time with things you love, the less time you’ll have to mope about your love life, and the more likely you are to find a replacement.
Talk to friends
You’ll need an accountability partner for the days when you’re tempted to risk it all and call up your ex.
Never forget the possibility of disgrace
If you skip everything else, never forget the possibility of disgrace. The person who broke your heart once can break it again if you lose guard.
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