Don’t run back to your ex because you have been single for longer than you are comfortable with and miss the days when you had someone to call yours, even if they weren’t exactly perfect for you.
Don’t run back to your ex because you have been feeling lonely and their name is the only one on your contact list you can flirt with without the risk of getting rejected.
Don’t run back to your ex because you feel like you are running out of time to find someone to settle down with and don’t want to be the only single person left in your group of friends.
Don’t run back to your ex because you can’t find anyone better and are starting to wonder whether you should have settled, whether the relationship ended because you were too picky, whether you were asking for too much back then.
Don’t run back to your ex even though falling asleep next to someone familiar might feel nice at first. Even though you already know everything about each other. Even though there is history between you and memories that still make you smile when you think of them.
Yes, it would be much easier to pick things up where you left off with your ex than it would be to keep scrolling through dating sites, going on first dates, having first kisses, and getting to know new people. But easier is not better.
You do not belong with your ex. You broke up for a reason. You broke up because you belonged with other people. Because you knew you would end up happier apart.
Don’t run back to your ex because you are going through a quarter-life crisis where you are doubting every decision you have made up until this point.
Don’t run back to your ex because you are worried there is no one else in this world who will put up with you the way they did.
Don’t run back to your ex because you want to feel wanted again.
Don’t run back to your ex because you’re fooling yourself about how you have both grown up, about how you both have changed, about how you can be a functional couple now. Look at the situation logically. Ask yourself if anything has really changed, if enough has changed. Ask yourself if you are just looking for excuses to get back together with them or whether your reasons are legit.
Don’t run back to your ex because you feel like there is nowhere else for you to go. Stay single. You are better off alone than crawling back to someone who belongs in your rearview mirror. Besides, there are a million other people out there for you to meet. Your ex is not the only one who will ever give you butterflies. Your ex is not the only one who will ever love you.
Don’t run back to your ex because the past should be kept in the past. Stop clinging onto ancient history and start creating a better future for yourself.
By Holly Riordan for ThoughtCatalog