How to Have a Clean Breakup
Breaking up is never easy, but – regardless of the circumstances – a clean break up can make all the difference. When you and your partner decide to go your separate ways, it’s important to handle the situation maturely, communicate effectively, and minimize any unnecessary drama.
A clean break up is crucial to your emotional and mental well-being, and it’s an opportunity for you to move on healthily. Here’s how to make it happen.
1. Be Sure About Your Decision
First, you need to be absolutely sure that breaking up is the right decision. You can’t undo it once you’ve made the choice, so it’s vital to take your time to think things through.
Ask yourself why you want to break up. Is it because of something that’s bothering you in the relationship, or is it a personal issue?
Whatever it may be, make sure you’re certain before deciding to tell your partner.
2. Properly Break Up
Once you’ve made the final decision, the next step is to break up with your partner in an honest and respectful manner. Don’t do it over the phone, through a text message, or an email.
Instead, speak to your partner face to face. Let them know why you want to break up, and listen to what they have to say.
Give them closure and clarity about the reasons, as it will help them as much as it will help you.
3. Cut All Communication
This may be difficult, but it’s necessary for your well-being. Cut off all communication with your ex.
Delete their number, block them on social media, and don’t respond to their messages. This will give you some time and space to heal, to process your emotions, and help you move on.
4. Don’t Agree to Be Friends With Your Ex
It’s natural to want to ease the pain of the breakup by remaining friends. But the longer you try to make a friendship work, the harder it will be to move on to the next stage of your life.
Give it some time, at least several months, before you consider a friendship with your ex-partner. It’s better not to cross any boundaries and avoid any further complications.
5. Distance Yourself From Mutual Friends
You don’t have to completely wipe out your mutual friends because of the ending of your relationship. Be polite, realistic, and gradually distance yourself from attending events that your ex would be attending.
You will also need the comfort and support of close friends that you can trust and can confide with.
6. Don’t Vent on Social Media
Avoid venting about your ex on social media altogether.
It will only make you look petty, and it serves no purpose. Also, it’s a permanent record for others to scrutinize and read long after you have healed and moved on.
It’s better to vent in private and with close friends.
7. Avoid Friendly Dates
It’s natural to feel lonely and crave the comfort of being in someone else’s company. That said, refrain from going on dates or hookups with your ex.
It’s also important not to give mixed signals and not confuse your emotions further.
8. Return What Needs to Be Returned
If your ex-partner has things that belong to you, set a date to return them. It’s best not to keep any gifts or personal items from the relationship – it’s much better to return them and move on.
9. Don’t Flirt With Your Ex
It’s tempting to flirt with an ex-partner, especially if you thought about them often, but it’s not healthy. Flirting can easily lead to more complicated situations and misunderstandings, can potentially make moving on more challenging, and can hurt your mental and emotional well-being.
10. Avoid Things That Will Make You Remember
Don’t indulge in activities, places, or media that brings up memories of your ex-partner. It’s hard enough to move on and forget the past, and it’s not helpful to immerse yourself in things that remind you of them.
11. Accept That You May Not Get Closure
Closure is not guaranteed, unfortunately. Sometimes we don’t receive the closure we need from a breakup.
It’s important to accept the situation and process your emotions without seeking for closure. It’s better to focus on moving on.
12. Distract Yourself
When you break up with someone, it can feel like your entire world has been turned upside down. Distract yourself and focus on the things you enjoy doing.
Pick up new hobbies, connect with friends, read books, do anything that makes you happy and will help you heal.
13. Treat Yourself Well
When you break up with someone, it’s common to feel insecure about yourself. It’s vital to practice self-love by treating yourself.
Buy something that you’ve wanted for a while, take a relaxing bath, plan something fun for the weekend, or just devote some time for yourself.
14. Learn Your Lesson
There is always something to learn from every experience. Reflect on the relationship, address any issues and be better – not just for the next relationship, but for yourself.
15. Love Yourself
Ultimately, loving yourself is the key. Be kind, patient, and gentle with yourself, it’s time to heal and start anew.
Respecting and valuing yourself will help you feel more confident, happy, and independent. Breaking up is never easy, but having a clean break up can minimize any drama, emotional damage, and potential future baggage.
Take your time, follow the steps, and focus on your well-being. You got this!
Additional Tips for a Clean Breakup
Breaking up can be a wakeup call, a reality check that things are not working out in the relationship. It’s not the end of the world and it doesn’t define your identity. However, it is important to ensure the breakup is as clean as possible to enable you to move forward.
Maintaining a healthy mindset will make healing time shorter, and allow you to process your emotions positively. Here are some other things to keep in mind while dealing with your breakup.
1. Treasure the Memories
It’s natural to want to forget about everything associated with your ex-partner, but not everything needs to be forgotten. Remember the good times, the important lessons, and valuable moments shared in the relationship.
Remembering these things will help you in your personal growth and give you a better understanding of what to look for in your next relationship.
2. Part Ways
Although you may have decided to part ways, it’s not necessary to cause a scene or make a huge fuss about it. Take a moment to recognize the positives of this person’s company in your life, and appreciate the time spent together.
Do this by ending the relationship on mature and respectful terms. You’ll feel relieved having made the decision, but also gratified for acknowledging the benefits the relationship brought to your life.
3. Cut Your Ex From Your Life
The hardest part of a clean breakup may be saying goodbye to your ex-partner. You’ve shared a bond with someone which may have lasted a long time, but it no longer serves your emotional and mental well-being to keep them around.
Make the decision to cut off contact with them, and follow through. This way, you create a fresh start for yourself, while minimizing the emotional distress of staying in touch.
4. Allow Time for Healing
There’s no set timeline for when one should feel completely healed after a breakup. Everyone is different and the time it takes to heal can vary from person to person.
Don’t put extra pressure on yourself to move on quickly, take the time you need to recover. Avoid the temptation to rush into another relationship to feel validated or to show off to your ex; focus on healing from the inside out.
5. Speak to Someone You Trust
Talking about your feelings can be very helpful in the healing process.
Speaking to someone, either a friend, family member, or therapist is a great way to start processing the emotions of the breakup. Even if the conversation is not about the ending of your relationship, staying connected and valued will inevitably build your self-esteem and happiness.
6. Reframe Your Outlook
It’s not unusual to become fixated on the negatives of a breakup: the loneliness, doubts, and fears that follow. However, reframing the breakup as an opportunity to move forward in your life is key.
See it as an opportunity to achieve goals you have been putting off or might have lost touch with due to the relationship. Try to find excitement in embracing new opportunities and meeting different people.
In summary, a clean breakup is essential for your healing and moving forward following an ending. Cherish the memories, part ways, cut your ex-partner from your life, and give yourself time to heal.
The best thing is to allow yourself time carrying out activities that bring you a sense of peace, comfort and, realization. Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself.
It takes a lot of strength and effort to deal with the complexities that come with ending a relationship. In conclusion, a clean break up is crucial for your emotional and mental well-being.
To have a smooth and peaceful separation, it is important to communicate effectively, cut off all communication, and respect each other’s boundaries. Take the time to heal and focus on self-love and self-care.
Make sure you surround yourself with positive people, stay in touch with feelings, keep busy, and above all, don’t rush. Cherish the memories and take the lessons learned to become a better person.
Remember that it’s okay to be kind to yourself, and true healing takes time. A clean breakup is a significant opportunity to move forward, learn new life skills, and be better equipped to handle future relationships.
