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How do I stop missing my ex?

285 Answers
Last Updated: 06/02/2022 at 7:04pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
Canada
Moderated by

Kajsa Futrell, RTC

Counselor

I specialise in respectfully helping people navigate their way through trauma and relationship issues. The adversities in our life can actually transform us.

Top Rated Answers
CalmWhisper22
July 22nd, 2018 8:35pm
A good relationship book is called 5 Love Languages. Not sure if you have a coping skills tool box created but it might be something to consider. I also try to do at least 3 pleasant activities a week.
generousRabbit93
July 31st, 2018 5:30am
remove all contact, take time to foccus on yourself and just yourself, dont jump into a relationship too quick
Anonymous
August 3rd, 2018 2:17am
If you want to stop missing your ex, put some distance between you two. Try to get rid of anything that reminds you of your ex. If you follow your ex on social media, you can unfriend or unfollow your ex so you will not get reminded of your ex and you will not have to see pictures of your ex being with someone else. Occupy your mind with other things asides thinking about your ex. Breakups are very hard and it can take some time to get over your ex. Remember that time heals all wounds.
AngieWillListen
August 12th, 2018 3:08pm
You don’t. It will happen regardless, especially if the breakup was recent. Missing someone is part of the healing process, but if you truly do not wish to miss that person, then allow yourself to be distracted with positive activities.
bubblySunrise55
August 15th, 2018 10:57am
These things take time, it's not easy. What you need to remember is youre better than them and you deserve better. Do things that make you happy, distract yourself. Hang out with family and friends. Let them know what theyre missing out on
Sunniesun
August 16th, 2018 1:59pm
I would focus on concentrating my energy on something else. Catch up with friends, pick up a new hobby or go to that movie you always wanted to see. Realise that there was a life before him and there will be a life after him. I would also try to not keep reminders of the relationship around, as these can be triggering and distracting. Store them away in a box and storage it somewhere where it isn’t easily accessible. This will prevent your mind from preventing you from moving forward. If any further help is needed, do not hesitate to chat to us!
cherryblossomsss
August 22nd, 2018 2:47am
There is always going to be a reason or multiple reasons that the relationship ended, and that’s something to pinpoint. If there is a reason you are missing them, there are also different factors as to why the relationship ended, and to try and hash out which feelings are which, you can try and make a pro/con list of the relationship. It’s also definitely important to try and give yourself space while you move on, as the more time you spend with them, the more you might be prone to thinking about them. In the end, the relationship ended for a reason, and it’s totally okay to miss your ex for a while, but it’s also important to try and look towards a future :)
thymaidenmadi
September 30th, 2018 5:05am
In my experience, I've found that the best way to get over a person is to find someone else, a rebound as some may call it. There may be a part of you that will always miss your ex, but finding someone else, even temporarily, is a good first step in trying to move on with life. I understand that it can be difficult sometimes. In the experience of Romeo from one of Shakespeare's famous plays, he just found that he couldn't stop himself from wanting to be with Juliet. This may not have been the best reference due to the end, but it's meant to show that getting over someone can be hard. But, with slow steps, you can still do it.
Tuyet2
October 10th, 2018 5:46am
You stop missing your ex when you're ready to. No one can give you a time limit because every heart is different. Every love is different. Keep living your life no matter how hard it feels to go about your daily routines without them. Avoid the places that would remind you of them. Your heart will know when its ready to take the first step. You won't stop right away. It takes baby steps to get to the point where you forget about the person. Just take it one day at a time. One step at a time, one day at a time.
LuisaHdb
October 24th, 2018 4:12pm
It’s quite hard to force yourself to not miss him or her anymore. You should just give yourself some time and freedom to do the things you really like. For example, hang out with your friends, listen to your favorite music, go on parties or take a walk through the nature. At first, you’ll think about your ex a lot while doing this, but just try to concentrate on other things. It may sound hard, but don’t look at photos of him/her, don’t write him/her messages and don’t call. Maybe all you need is some distance. Although it’ll hurt and missing will only get worse, don’t give up. I’m sure it’ll geh better soon.
Mymy123
October 25th, 2018 1:42pm
Getting over your ex is really hard. There isn't one solution that helps solve the problem. However, time always helps heal wounds. You can always try filling the void of your ex with someone new. It doesn't necessarily have to be another SO,it could just be a friend or new hobby. The best thing to do is not to think of your ex. You need to make it clear you are are done with the relationship. That means not being friends with them, you need to cut ties in my personal experience. It is hard but it does get easier.
LondonEars5
November 2nd, 2018 7:51pm
Missing an ex is dreadful. It is really the hardest thing ever if he left you. If you truly love the person you cannot just switch off your feelings. It is probably best to plan to do things with friends to keep yourself distracted. Sometimes you will indeed need to grieve as it is like loosing a person from your world. To be consumed with sadness can actually need professional counselling to support the journey. Depending on the nature of the breakup it can go on for months even years in some cases. If there are children involved it can be worse as the person will have left you however will still constantly hold a place in your life forever. New hobbies. Learn a new skill as in crafts or baking or language. Book things to look forward to. Be kind to yourself and know that you are enough while you nurse your broken heart.
Fernweh89
November 11th, 2018 11:41pm
You don't. You let yourself miss them. And you let yourself feel everything you need to feel. Eventually it won't hurt as badly, and one day it will cease to hurt at all. It won't be easy and it won't be fun. but it will happen. Nothing stays the same forever, and luckily that includes the bad parts. It will hurt, but this is a necessary part of the process. Hopefully you will also learn from them. Take the good, and make note of the things you want and don't want in your next partner. Believe me, it will be okay.
learningtolive365
November 15th, 2018 6:55am
Keep yourself busy and try to be around people you feel safe around and can trustThe fisrt few days of my breakup, I thought that isolating myself would heal me faster, But it only gave me more reasons to think about the past.Then after a couple of days, I got out of my cocoon, Started focusing of my life and make sure I was as bust as a possibly could be so that I didnt even give an opportunity to myself to go down that hole.On saying that it is never easy to stop those feeling afterall you ex was an important part of your life at some point so dont force yourself you stop those feelings and let them come naturally
Anonymous
January 2nd, 2019 11:50pm
What you are feeling is very common when people break up. Some people try to take comfort in their friends or other relations. They try to talk about the situation with someone else in order to try and understand things better. This can help the way that you feel and can also help you see future opportunities. For example, although you still miss your ex there could be someone out there that makes you feel ways that your ex did not. Another common thing people do is to try to pick up a new hobby. This can help because it distracts your mind from thinking about your ex
StarrySunset29
January 30th, 2019 5:16am
Make sure you allow yourself time if need be to grieve the relationship. Really wallow in your feelings without guilt. When that time is up though get yourself showered and ready for the day and engage yourself in any activity you can that brings you joy and makes you a happier, better person. Whether it be drawing or spending time with friends or family at least for that time you are self-soothing and supporting your journey to recovery. The pain will fade and the distractions will not only make you forget for small moments, but those moments of distraction will increase until you haven't thought of your ex all day. It gets easier each day.
llola3
February 7th, 2019 9:17am
this is a situation i have had a lot of experience on recently. missing your ex is a sigh that you are not ready to let him go and you do not, yet, have complete closure on the relationship. you know yourself your ex and the whole situation way better than my understanding can go so this is just things that have helped me in the past couple of months, try reaching out to him and let him know that you want to remain friends, that way you will still have him in your life and there won’t be a need to ‘miss him’ surround yourself with people and activities that keep your mind active and keep you from thinking of him before you know it he will be in the back of your head
Anonymous
February 8th, 2019 10:58am
I like to work with images. So I would embrace the feeling, recognize that is there, try to visualize it and look at it as if it doesn't belong to me. We're not what we think. Then, concentrate on what you're doing in that very moment. For example, are you driving? Feel the steering wheel. Is it cold? Look outside. Which colours are the cars you're seeing? How many trees are there? Try to be present in whatever it is that you're doing, it will help you leaving out every other thought, even those about "I miss him/her".
Anonymous
March 16th, 2019 5:26pm
To get over your ex, you first need to move forward from that chapter of your life. You should realize that it is okay to be okay to move on. This can only happen when you are ready. If you are not ready, it may seem like you are in a tight spot, because you may want a new relationship, etc. But, until you feel it in your heart that it is time to move on, then you will. If you feel that day will never come it slowly but surely will. You will go from thinking of them everyday, to it being only a distant memory.
browneyedbrontide
March 22nd, 2019 3:58am
In the past, the way that I've been able to get over things that I'm finding are really difficult to get past, I try to look forward to things that I know are going to heal up my soul. Like the fuzzy dog I'm going to have when I'm older and the apartment I'm going to buy all on my own. The places I'm going to visit, the amazing people I'm going to meet. The foods I'm going to try and the nights I'll laugh so hard I'll cry. Perspective, I think, has helped me get over things and people.
SirNobilis
April 21st, 2019 8:08pm
Stay busy, learn a new hobby, exercise, spend time with family and friends. Keep your mind busy, express self love and compassion. The emptiness you feel inside is your soul calling to you to love yourself! Thus loving yourself and accepting you are ok without the need to have validation from anyone else will help immensely. It is ok to miss someone but relationships either with Ex's or a current partner need to be from a place of giving freely. All that you gave was given without expectation and all that you will give in the future comes from this same place.
Anonymous
April 25th, 2019 11:02am
Always surround yourself with friends and family; aim to distract yourself. Remember, there was a time you were happy before you met him or her and you can achieve that same level of happiness too. Things always happen for a reason. If this relationship did not work out, it did not for a reason. Learn from your mistakes of what you did wrong in this relationship and how you can be prepared for the next one. If he or she is not the one, someone out there will be the one for you. Just because you haven’t met the one, does not mean you won’t.
Anonymous
May 3rd, 2019 8:51am
It's natural to miss the connections we makes with others, especially in close relationships. Whilst it's impossible to erase memories, look back on the best bits of your relationship with fondness, but don't live in the past; accept that life moves on and try and focus on the present. The pain of separation is raw at the beginning but does ease over time. Think about what you've learnt from your ex, mistakes you might have made, qualities in them that made a difference, and how you can apply these to your next relationship. It's an exciting new time; where is your journey going to take you next?
AlaineG
May 15th, 2019 11:26am
It can be difficult to get over an ex, and we may find ourselves wanting to dwell in the ups and downs of our relationship, which causes us to feel even more sad. When I go through a breakup, I make sure to focus on myself and what I did before I knew my ex. What did I enjoy doing by myself, or with friends, or family? I get back into my hobbies and try to keep myself busy to remind myself that I was also happy before I knew my ex, and I can be happy without them, too.
Anonymous
May 29th, 2019 2:03pm
In my experience the best thing is focusing on yourself! It's corny and everybody says it, but filling your life with all of the things that make you YOU - hobbies, friends, little adventures, mastering a new skill - can give you (a) real purpose, and (b) distractions while you find ways to live without your ex. Romantic relationships can have profound impacts on us but I've always found that, looking back on how I moved on from an ex, it was the people and things I surrounded myself with that helped. And NOT texting or talking to them or finding excuses to run into them, as hard as that can be.
AprylFools
September 20th, 2019 10:14pm
Missing an ex is a human response to loneliness. While I cannot give you an accurate answer based on just this question alone, I can tell you that what you feel is normal. Typically, when you want to get over an ex, then you need to try your utmost best to avoid doing things and being around people that enforce a negative emotion. Try to do something new, like some hobbies that you've always wanted to try but never had a chance to, make more friends and learn a little more about yourself. It is also important to remember that this doesn't come instantly, it will take some time so you need to have patience.
suttacoustic
November 6th, 2019 5:15pm
Focus on yourself is the healthiest thing you can do. Take classes, go to the gym, pick up a new instrument! If it is a particularly rough breakup then take your time slowly because it is okay to feel down sometimes. Set yourself some time (say a week) to gather your thoughts and reflect. Once you feel better start doing new activity to keep all the bitter past behind and hopefully you'll see improvements in your mood. Time will heal everything and filling your time with positive vibes and energy helps a lot. At least that's how I got over my breakups.
amayya
December 5th, 2019 11:45am
hhmm, it's hard not to missing our ex, but maybe you can delete all the pictures that you have taken with your ex. everything about your ex should be erase from your life. in that way it will be easier to not missing your ex anymore. or you also can distract your self by doing something new. and stop doing activities you did before with your ex. also... delete all the chats, the messages, social media... everything that make you connect with your ex. well I mean it work on me. I hope it can work on you too. aahh also delete your ex contact phone number. email. ID and everything that you have still about your ex. Good luck
WinterJackalope
December 18th, 2019 2:32pm
Ask yourself what you truly find captivating about your ex. Then realize that that captivation comes more from *you* than from them. Whatever it is that you especially notice about this person – the combination or looks, traits, aspirations, etc. – has crystalized an inspiration inside of *you* that you get to keep, regardless of whether this person comes or goes. As an exercise, I occasionally line up in my mind all the people I've ever had crushes on, like one enormous family photo of crushes. This tends to drive home for me that my attachment isn't so much to this person or that person, but to something else I instinctively recognize in all of them, and whose blueprint I can possess even with nobody present. The bottom line is: when I focus on the happiness or inspiration itself brought out in me by people, I don't feel as strong a need to reconnect to one particular person to regain those feelings.
Evag123
January 2nd, 2020 6:33am
it is important to know that moving on is a part of life. instead of missing your ex, try to focus on things that distract you in order to get your mind off of them. try doing things that you love, try attempting new hobbies and discovering new things about yourself. spend more time with your friends and family to help you feel less lonely. it’s always important to surround yourself with people who make you smile. they can help you through tough times and you will make it through this time. time heals all wounds. it will get better.