Think aloud
It’s difficult not to think of what might have been after getting out of a serious relationship. Does he regret leaving you? Does he miss you? All those questions swirl around your head. However, there are signs that show that he knows he messed up.
Being in love and having someone who has your back at all times is a beautiful thing. But the thing is, not all relationships have a happy ending.
Some of them end up badly and with a breakup. The aftermath of such an event may be what led you to this article.
You think about various scenarios where the two of you could have been together for the rest of your life. Or maybe you’re thinking that he’s with a new girl and that he doesn’t think of you anymore.
So you spend a lot of time crying and thinking, “Does he even regret leaving me? Does he know he messed up?”
Well, there are signs he knows he has and it’s all about the little things. If you notice those small changes, you won’t need a relationship expert to tell you that he made a mistake.
Your ex won’t be able to hide his true feelings for you and you’ll know that he regrets breaking up with you. You’ll also realize that your ex wants you back.
I know that dealing with heartbreak is tough. You can’t stop thinking about him because he wasn’t just your boyfriend, he was also your best friend.
If you were in a long-distance relationship, that pain can be intensified even more if you didn’t get closure. Now you’re wondering whether or not he regrets leaving you.
Look no further because there are signs he knows he messed up.
Sometimes a guy hurts his loved one because of a stupid or immature reason but eventually, he regrets hurting you.
That guilt starts eating him up and that’s when you’ll notice a drastic change in his behavior.
That’s when he realizes he made a huge mistake and that he messed up.
His personal life will be a complete mess and he’ll try to find ways to get you back, so that you can be together again.
However, the waiting game is killing you. You don’t know when he’ll come to realize that he messed up.
And the truth is that no one can tell you that for sure.
It depends on how long and how serious your relationship was and it also depends on the reason why you two broke up.
After a breakup, most guys will try to portray their life as perfect and awesome.
They might jump into a new relationship and they’ll show it all over their social media.
However, you know that’s just his pathetic attempt to make you jealous and it will push you further away from him.
You’ll find a new guy and that will be the end of your story with him.
But what if you still love him and you know he still loves you? Is there a way to know that he regrets leaving you?
These 14 signs will show you that he knows he messed up:
1. He makes major life changes
Like any romantic relationship, you two also had things that you disliked about each other.
Maybe you didn’t think that he was heading in the right direction regarding his career.
Perhaps you thought that his friends were a bad influence on him.
You re-evaluated your life and changed, but has he made any major life changes now that he’s not with you?
Maybe something that you said that he needed to change?
If that’s the case, then it’s a clear sign he knows he messed up.
He makes those changes as a way to get you back.
He knows now that the first time didn’t work out because of him and he wants to prove to you that he’s different.
It’s not just you who’ll see those changes; your mutual friends will see them as well and they will tell you about them.
They’ll make sure you know about them.
They even might say that he came to his senses and figured it out on his own. However, you know that those major life changes were all your idea.
He changes as a way to redeem himself to you for all the bad stuff that happened in your relationship. He’s trying to get you back.
Those changes certainly won’t fix any real issues that you had when you were together, but I think it’s a great step in the right direction.
2. He finds ways to talk to you
Even if he’s a man who tries to hide his feelings, when it comes to love, nothing is certain. That includes talking to you even if you two broke up.
He knows he messed up and he regrets it. Despite that, he’s trying to control his urges not to call you or text you, but his desire for you is too strong.
That’s why he’ll find ways to talk to you or even send a couple of pics of himself just so you don’t forget about him.
He has an emotional urge to talk to you because he knows he’ll feel better afterward.
You’ll see that he’s very active on his phone with you and that he’s trying to have long and meaningful conversations.
That’s a good sign the guy regrets breaking up with you and that he knows he messed up.
He feels guilty for hurting you. As a consequence of that, you’ll never have to wait for him to reply ever again, like you did before.
He might ask you for advice on little things, such as what food to order that day or which series he should binge-watch next.
You mean a lot to him even though you’re not together anymore. He misses you so that’s why he tries to maintain a connection with you.
3. You receive long, apologetic messages
Does he send you long messages about how guilty and hurt he feels because he was the one to blame for your breakup?
If he does, that’s a clear sign he knows he messed up with you.
He’s ashamed of what he did, which is why he’ll be the first one to initiate contact with you.
He’ll send you long, apologetic messages, saying that it was his fault and that he only wishes the best for you.
He knows now that he has lost you because of his stupidity so that’s why he wants to gain sympathy by sending you those lengthy, emotional messages.
He seeks forgiveness to soothe his pain and to accept responsibility for the mistakes he made.
4. He asks your close friends or mutual friends about you
You know that your ex-boyfriend wants you back once he starts asking your mutual friends or close friends about you.
As a way to show you that he misses you, he might ask your friends how you’ve been doing lately, whether you have a new boyfriend and so on.
And he’ll make sure that you know he asks about you.
He simply wants you back in his life and he’ll do anything to achieve that. He knows he messed up big time with you, which is why he’ll do that.
Even if you apply the no contact rule, he’ll still try to get information from your friends because he loves you.
You’re always on his mind and the guilt and pain he’s been feeling lately are hurting him a lot. This is one of the obvious signs he knows he messed up.
5. He’s still single and not ready to mingle
If he knows he messed up, then he’s not going to date any other girl until he knows it’s definitely over between the two of you.
He won’t be ready to be with any other girl because he still misses you.
He won’t be the type of guy who’s going to get back out there on the dating scene just so he can prove to you he can have any other girl.
He’ll remain single because he’s secretly hoping that you two will still get back together.
That’s what he’ll do if he’s truly in love with you. He would rather sit at home alone than go on a date with some random girl.
Someone who’s wracked with guilt won’t even think about dating for the foreseeable future. His heart still belongs to you, even though he messed up.
6. He apologizes to you over and over again
All you ever wanted from him was to apologize for what he did, right? However, sometimes it’s just too little, too late.
If your ex-boyfriend keeps saying sorry to you for all the mistakes he made, then you can be sure that he knows he messed up big time.
In fact, he regrets hurting you so much that he doesn’t care whether he’s being oversensitive or emotional.
He’ll still apologize to you over and over again.
He doesn’t care whether someone says that he’s weak or not ‘manly’ enough if he does that, he just wants to get rid of the guilt he’s been feeling since you two broke up.
It’s important to him that you know exactly what he’s thinking and feeling.
My advice to you is to appreciate that because not many guys would get over their pride to let you know that they realize they messed up.
So, if he apologizes to you a lot, that should mean something to you. He may be missing you a lot more than you previously thought.
If you want him back, then this is the perfect opportunity to sit down with him and try to solve your problems.
On the other hand, if you don’t want him back in your life, then you should be honest about it and not play any games with him.
7. He’s overly negative
It’s rather hard to keep it together once you experience heartbreak.
It seems as if everything is falling apart and you don’t know where you are or what you’re doing.
One of the signs he knows he messed up is when he’s overly negative about his life. Suddenly, you’ll become his therapist.
He’ll go to you to talk about every single bad thing that’s going on in his life, whether that’s something big or small.
It’s his way of staying in touch with you and he thinks that the only way you’ll feel sorry for him will be if he’s overly negative.
However, that’s flat out manipulation.
If you’re thinking about going back to him and giving things another chance, then you should think again.
Do you really want to feel pressured into something that didn’t work the first time?
If you see that your ex is being overly negative, then maybe you should contact his family and friends and let them know he’s having a tough time and that you need to think about yourself now.
Hopefully, he will take the time to stand on his own two feet before thinking about rekindling the old flame between the two of you.
8. He’s overly positive
Does he post pictures on his social media of how great his life has been since you two broke up? Is he being overly positive?
If your answers are yes, then that’s a sign he knows he messed up with you.
He says that he doesn’t need space from you, that he’s ready to be friends, and that he can talk to you about everything.
He lets you know that he hopes you’re having as good a time as him and that things are just great. Or at least that’s what he wants you to think.
That’s actually his coping mechanism. He acts that way because he wants you to feel as if your life pales in comparison to his.
He wants to show you that he’s doing better without you and that he’s much happier. However, we both know that’s not true.
He’s painting his grass greener so that yours looks dull when compared to his and he’s trying to force you to miss him.
This is an obvious sign he knows he messed up. He’s just acting strange because he misses you.
9. He behaves strangely
When they miss a girl they love, guys may turn to alcohol as a way of coping with the sadness.
However, it’s not just alcohol that they turn to. They also do other stuff they never would have imagined doing before.
The sad truth is that the guy who left you feels heartbroken and he needs something that can fill the void that was created when he let you go.
If he acts strangely and does things that are out of the ordinary, then that’s a sign he knows he messed up.
A rational man would instead deal properly with the loss and the regret.
So, this might explain why your ex has been drunk-texting you lately, especially after he made one of the worst mistakes he could’ve ever made – leaving you!
10. He tries to hide his new partner from you
Knowing that your ex-boyfriend already found a new girlfriend can be really tough to accept.
It’s like someone ripped your heart out and stomped all over it.
But does he really love her or is she just a rebound to him?
If you’re wondering whether or not he knows he messed up, then pay attention to his new relationship.
Does he try to hide his new girlfriend in your presence?
Obviously, if he jumped into a new relationship immediately after he ended yours, that could confirm your suspicion that he’s nothing other than a cheater.
However, your boyfriend seems to be afraid of holding her hand or touching her in front of you.
Why? Because he knows he messed up.
11. He showers you with gifts
One of the obvious signs your ex-boyfriend knows he messed up is when he keeps showing up at your home or work with little surprises.
He does that because he misses you and regrets losing you in the first place. It’s tough for him to comprehend that you’re not part of his life anymore.
I know it might be tempting for you to get back together with him, but be careful not to fall into a trap.
If you want to rekindle the flame, let it be for the right reasons – because you love him and you know that you can solve your problems.
You can’t just continue where you left off as if nothing happened, even if it seems like he really misses you and hates that he messed up.
12. He acts as if nothing ever happened
Maybe you two ended a long-lasting relationship. After the breakup, it would be normal to go your separate ways and not talk at all.
Nevertheless, it seems as if your ex-boyfriend can’t accept the fact that you two are not together any longer.
So, why is that? Well, it’s because he knows he messed up.
He probes into your personal life, because he wants to know about the people you’ve met and where you’ve been going.
He doesn’t want to be without you, even though he was the one who clearly messed up.
His desire is to get back together, which is why he’ll send you goodnight and good morning wishes and emojis in texts to you.
By the time you realize what’s happening, you two could already be back together in a relationship again.
13. He makes grand gestures
Movies and real life aren’t similar at all when it comes to love.
Even though you see that those grand gestures really do matter in films and the main characters end up being together, things don’t work like that in reality.
If your ex-boyfriend is suddenly showering you with showy gestures such as booking you a trip to Europe or suggesting a vacation to a luxury resort, the chances are he knows he messed up.
He definitely feels bad about losing you, which is why he’ll try to win you back in this way.
He’s doing everything he can to entice you to get back together with him.
Of course, there are instances when this might work, but grand gestures don’t usually make a difference because the problems that you had in your relationship still exist.
14. He admits it
Sometimes guys won’t beat around the bush and they’ll tell you what’s wrong. There are times when you have to believe what the guy is telling you.
If your ex-boyfriend admits that he messed up and regrets it, then it means that he definitely does feel that way.
He wouldn’t do that just for fun and he definitely won’t show you his vulnerable side unless he really means it.
My advice is to be open to listening to what he has to say and how he feels, even if you know there’s no chance that the two of you will ever get back together.
Try to have an honest conversation and maybe you’ll be able to work things out if you’re open to getting back together with him.
Now that you know he messed up, there are some things you should consider before getting back together with him.
Do you actually miss him or just his companionship?
It’s difficult to accept the fact that you’re alone, especially if you see all of your friends cuddling with their boyfriends and being all cute and sweet.
Suddenly, all you can see is loving couples around you, so it can be easy to fall into the trap of getting back together with your ex.
However, it won’t do you any good if you can’t solve the issues that you had, so you need to think about the reasons why you want him back.
Has he changed?
​​​​You have to first figure out whether your ex has changed for the better or if he is still toxic for you.
A second chance isn’t guaranteed to work.
If you had an unhealthy relationship in the past, the chances are there will be no change in the future.
Have you given yourself enough time to heal?
You have to let your wounds heal before giving it another try. If you don’t do that, you won’t be able to move on from your past mistakes.
Instead of spending your valuable time with a group of friends (where it’s more likely that your ex may show up), spend it with them individually and ask them for advice if you need.
