When you break up with someone, there’s a very good chance that you’re going to feel bad about it for a while. It’s normal to be sad, angry or even devastated.

But what if you’re the one who ends things? What if you’re the one who initiates the breakup? How do you deal with being “the crazy ex” afterward?

You might feel like you made the right choice in breaking up with your partner — but that doesn’t mean you don’t have regrets. You may feel guilty and wonder if maybe things would have been different if you had tried harder to make it work. You might even wonder if they will hate you forever (which they won’t).

You can’t change what happened in the past, but there are some things that can help make your breakup easier on both of you:

Don’t be afraid to talk about it: If your ex wants to get back together again, he or she may try to contact you out of the blue — or at least express feelings of regret or sadness about the breakup. Be honest about why things didn’t work out between the two of you — but don’t point fingers or blame anyone else for what went wrong! Just be up front about how things felt.

Last modified: September 5, 2022