Breaking up with the person you love absolutely sucks.
No ifs, ands or buts about it.
The hurt stays for weeks, months or even years but we all eventually move on from that feeling.
In fact, sometimes we want to rekindle a friendship with that person again.
Yeah, not relationship, friendship.
Maybe you guys don’t absolutely hate each other after it was over and want to go back to at least being buddies again.
Is it possible? I definitely think so.
I’m no relationship expert but there are definitely some things anyone can try to do to remain friends even after breaking up.
Spend Some Time Away From Them
I think this is especially true for people who have broken up more recently.
If you’re schoolmates or colleagues then this might be a bit tough, though.
The long nights of texting each other and hanging out all the time are now things of the past.
Seeing each other too soon might just spark a bunch of unnecessary emotions again.
Taking a break from each other might be a good thing to slowly clear your mind over the recent split.
And the best part? There’s no fixed amount of time you need to do this for! Take as long as you need.
When you finally feel more relaxed and at ease, that’s when you can try and reach out to them again.
Just know your former partner may or may not need different amounts of time too.
Social Media Break
It’s 2019 and I’m almost sure you guys would’ve followed each other on various social media accounts.
I’d recommend staying off it for a bit.
Why? Because I don’t think that going through your ex’s profile is healthy for you.
You may not want to be a stalker but sometimes the urge to go and simply check ‘how they’re doing’ can revive feelings that you’re trying to get over.
I’m not here to tell you to completely block them, though.
If you’re insistent about using social media, maybe muting them for a while might be a good choice.
As mentioned, you don’t want them out of your life, just a break from them.
Hang Out In Groups
You guys are friends and definitely still want to meet up eventually.
Avoiding each other only happens for so long after all.
Once you’re finally ready to face them again, meeting up face-to-face might actually do both some good!
However, you may want to go in a slightly bigger group than just you two.
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It’s a lot easier to get past the initial awkwardness when you’re in a group compared to one-on-one.
Your other buddies can act as ‘buffers’ to slowly ease the two of you into a strong friendship again.
Managing Potential Jealousy
The two of you have separated and are now living your own individual lives.
Perhaps out of the blue, they suddenly mention that they have a new partner.
The question is, are you getting extremely jealous or feel your chest hurt?
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If you do then perhaps you’re not that ready to be ‘just friends’ yet.
Being friends means being happy or supportive of the new positives that come the other’s way.
And most of all, being friends again means that it should be time to move forward from being ‘an ex’.
As mentioned earlier, taking as much time as you need away from them may help to slowly ease your pain.
No Ulterior Motives
Above all, you need to be clear with yourself why you want to make contact with them.
Do you really want to be friends again?
Are you secretly hoping for something to spark again like the old days or are you even just looking for a hookup?
If you truly want to just be friends again then you need to push aside any lingering motives you may have.
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Lying to yourself is only going to cause you more hurt.