Think aloud
Breakups can be challenging, especially when you see your ex moving on with someone new within the first few weeks of your breakup. Before you overreact, reach out to your ex, or trash talk your ex’s rebound relationship, check out our top strategies for dealing with an ex’s rebound happiness.
We know what you’re going through – you’re questioning everything about your relationship because you’re struggling to stomach the thought of your ex building a life with someone new. Whether he’s rebounding or trying to build a serious relationship, you’re left feeling horrible and heartbroken.
What are you supposed to do? How are you supposed to navigate the emotional challenges of seeing your ex in a rebound relationship? How are you supposed to find the strength to move on, regain control of your life, and focus on something other than your ex amid the challenges of post-breakup emotions?
Breathe – that’s the first thing you need to do. Whether you come across a social media post of your ex smiling with someone you don’t know, or you get a friendly heads-up from your friends and family that your ex has moved on with someone new, you need to breathe.
What do we mean by that? Don’t panic. Don’t reach out to your ex. Don’t let your ex see how affected you are by the news. Whether you want to get back together with your ex or not, inaction and indifference are the ultimate reactions guaranteed to bring you peace. Read more below!
Our top strategies to deal with an ex’s rebound happiness
1. Accept and acknowledge your emotions
When you go through a bad breakup, you might be scared to face your fears and move on with your life without your ex. Whatever you do to cope with the end of your relationship, though, don’t turn a blind eye to the emotional turmoil you’re experiencing – accept and acknowledge your emotions.
Sure, you don’t want anyone to know that you’re heartbroken over the fact that your ex moved on with someone new. Still, that doesn’t mean you need to lie to yourself to feel better. Be angry with your ex. Be disappointed with how your relationship ended. Be sad.
When you’re done, you’re going to notice a world of difference in how you approach conversations about your ex or your ex’s rebound.
2. Cut all contact with your ex
What are the best strategies to deal with an ex’s rebound happiness, you wonder? Cut all contact with your ex ASAP. We know you’re itching to drop by your ex’s apartment and see whether the rumors are true, but that’s not something you want to do when you’re trying to move on.
Don’t reach out. Don’t respond to texts, calls, or social media posts. Don’t give your ex the power to make you cry or make you question your worth – you’re better than that. You wouldn’t want your ex to think that you’re desperate to get back together, right? You wouldn’t want to seem eager, right?
Whatever the nature of your current relationship might be, there’s no denying that you’re better off following the no-contact rule and removing yourself from your ex’s life.
3. Avoid stalking your ex on social media
After all, you don’t need a constant reminder that your ex moved on without you. Whether you’re struggling to navigate your emotions regarding your ex’s rebound or crying your heart out because you thought the two of you would get back together, you need to avoid stalking your ex on Instagram.
We know you’re dying to see what the rebound looks like or what the two of them are up to these days, but you need to understand that you’re doing yourself a disservice. You’re stomping on your heart by going over your ex’s posts a million times a day. You’re hindering your ability to move on.
Unfollow or mute your ex’s account, take a break from social media, and go outside. Stop asking your friends to check on your ex’s social media accounts, too.
4. Allow yourself plenty of time and space to heal
When you go through a bad breakup, you might end up bottling your emotions, rebounding with different people, and doing everything you can to move on from your ex. While there’s nothing wrong with that, we urge you to give yourself plenty of time and space to heal before going all out.
We can only assume that seeing your ex happy makes you want to gouge your eyes out, but that’s completely normal. You don’t need to be ashamed of your emotions. You don’t need to rush your healing process. What you need to do is rise above the situation and allow yourself to be human.
After all, everything will work out the way it’s meant to, depending on how you show up in life.
5. Avoid comparing yourself to your ex’s rebound
We know what you’re thinking. “Why wouldn’t he want to be with her, she’s much prettier than me!” “What’s wrong with me, was I not good enough for him?” “She’s so much taller, skinnier, and prettier than me, no wonder he got over me so quickly!”
When you allow yourself to talk down on yourself and compare yourself to your ex’s rebound, you pretty much set yourself up for failure from the start. While you might be tempted to blame your physical appearance, personality, or success for the demise of your relationship – don’t.
You don’t want to end up making yourself feel worse over someone who doesn’t deserve it.
6. Put a priority on your physical and mental health
When you decide to follow the strategies to deal with an ex’s rebound happiness, make sure you start by prioritizing your physical and mental health. Sure, these things might sound like clichés when you hear them for the first time, but they’re the best way to heal without resorting to unhealthy behavior.
Go for a walk. Arrange a coffee date with your BFF. Read a book.
Whatever you do, don’t spend all your time pining over your ex, wondering whether the two of you will ever get back together. You have a life to live, and you shouldn’t allow an outside party to dictate how you do that. Allow yourself to take control of your life and focus on what matters.
7. Avoid negative self-talk
What are you going to achieve with negative self-talk? You might be compelled to blame yourself for your ex moving on, but deep down, you know that’s not something you have control over. Your ex met someone new and decided to pursue a relationship with them – you had nothing to do with that.
We’d go as far as to argue that you couldn’t have stopped him from pursuing her even if you reached out to him, begged him to forgive you, or asked him to get back together. Understand that people do whatever they want to do – and there’s nothing you can do about that.
Rather than talking down on yourself and blaming yourself for everything, try coming to terms with the fact that the two of you decided to call it quits and that you had good reasons to do so. Remind yourself of all the bad parts of your relationship and see what happens.
8. Surround yourself with positive people
When you’re surrounded by a good group of people who care about you and want to help you, you don’t need to worry about getting drunk, texting your ex, or trash-talking your ex’s rebound. Whatever happens, you know that you’re taken care of and that you’re surrounded by people who adore you.
Whether you reach out to your friends and family members or decide to meet new people, always make sure that you’re doing what’s best for you.
You might not be dating anyone right now, and you might not even be thinking of a rebound relationship. You’re allowed to grieve the end of your relationship in your own way. Regardless of what your ex might be doing right now, you don’t need to force yourself to do the same thing.
9. Reflect on your relationship with your ex
What do we mean by that? Regardless of the strategies to deal with an ex’s rebound happiness, you might find yourself compelled to think about your relationship and remember all the good times you and your ex had together. Rather than psyching yourself out, you might want to reflect on your relationship.
Remember the things that went wrong. Focus on the things that made you want to break up. Prioritize the things that annoyed you, aggravated you, and made you think that the two of you weren’t meant for each other. Observe your relationship from afar and come to terms with the fact that your ex moved on.
When you do that, you’ll have a much better time trying to cope with the fact that your ex found a rebound within the first few weeks of your breakup.
10. Seek professional help
Whether you turn to a therapist, a support group, or even a friend who’s been through the same thing, make sure you reach out to people who can help you cope with your emotions. One of the best strategies to deal with an ex’s rebound happiness might be to talk about it, reflect on it, and move on from it.
While seeking professional help might be seen as taboo, there’s no shame in admitting that you’re struggling with accepting the fact that your ex moved on before you did. You’re only human, and you’re allowed to feel all the emotions. You’re on the right track to healing from the pain your ex caused you.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed for you!