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Stacy Overton, PhD.
Counselor
I am an enthusiastic life-long learner and also a professor of counseling. I have a passion for peoples stories and helping to guide and empower the human spirit.
Top Rated Answers
If it makes you feel comfortable, sure. But it's up to you. If they make you feel bad about yourself and remember all the sad thoughts, then it might be best to rid yourself of them in order to find closure and move on-- but if it makes you happy thinking about all of the good times together and it isn't causing you any emotional damage or self esteem issues, then there shouldn't be future problems with keeping them. It's up to you how you deal with breakups and every relationship is different. People find closure in different ways. Just because you delete someone's picture, doesn't mean that you have found closure. Closure is when you are no longer upset about the breakup and finding a picture of them, doesn't bother you as much as it used to.
Pictures are memories. You can delete pictures but you will always remember the times you had. Eventually deleting the pictures would be fine. Out of a fresh relationship however, I find it best to let things settle before removing any valuables
Meh. I don't know if you aren't in them why do you have them in the first place? We're all fab and should be in all pics
Funny one, this one. If the relationship did not end well (for instance you were in an abusive relationship but managed to get out with your self-esteem intact) and pictures of your ex might trigger certain reactions from you then please do delete them. If otherwise it ended with a mutual agreement from both parties (for instance you liked each other but family or religion did not allow for you to be together) you can keep one or two for telling a story in the future.
Anonymous
December 26th, 2015 6:38pm
if the breakup was mutual and you both are having no problem moving on and the pictures does not hurt you, then you dont need to.
You cannot delete the past, but sometimes getting rid of reminders around your environment might help you move on.
Anonymous
December 26th, 2015 11:04pm
It would depend. If that person hurt you then I'd be best if you did so you can forget them faster. If you both agreed on breaking up then keep a few, to remember the happy memories.
Make the desion that is best for your situation. Are you guys still friends or did you have a bitter ending?
Only if you feel that its necessary. If you're still friends with them, then why should you have to delete the evidence of the two of you being together?
Never forget where you have been and what you have experienced. Build off bad experiences and become better, become wiser, stronger, and smarter.
You could delete them if it makes you uncomfortable. It will not make you forget about your ex, but it is a step
Well, yeah maybe, if it ended really bad but, then again nothing wrong with burying them in your computer/laptop and looking at them later?
Anonymous
December 27th, 2015 7:39pm
I would let a friend of you hide the pictures so you don't know where they are but you can forget about them but maybe in the future you would like to reminde yourself of that time.
Anonymous
December 27th, 2015 8:50pm
Take your time and decide when to do it . If doing that will make you comfortable, then go ahead .
You should delete the pictures of your ex only after a little while, if you are 100 % sure the relationship is over. If he did hurt you, then the photos might always remember you of him, so it is good to caution yourself. Keep only small memories that actually make you happy, but don't look at photos of your ex for a while. You'll just hurt yourself in process.
yes that helps you move on otherwise you keep staring at the photos and that is not helping you moving on
Anonymous
December 30th, 2015 3:29am
It is easier to get over someone if you stop seeing them and following them on social media so if thats what you are trying to do then I think so.
Yes! I would definitely say so. Our minds are extraordinary in the way that they can connect feelings and emotions to little pieces of information, a song or a picture or a memory. So when you see a picture of your ex, you get a reminiscent of what you use to feel when that particular picture was taken or in the past. But you should be working reluctantly to get over those feelings so you can open up your heart and experience those feelings differently and uniquely to somebody else! One who you might never have to break up with. Seems like the best choice to me.
if it helps you forget about him faster and not thinking about him .. I think yes you should cause as long as they are here it will torture you
Hell no. Not if there is a chance to get back with them. However, if you've lost them forever you have to let go. If you two are meant to be together, the stars will lead you to eachother. Either way, in the end I'd recommend destroying pictures if looking at them hurts too much. Otherwise, memories are always nice to have.
Anonymous
December 30th, 2015 2:55pm
Well, that is up to your actual relationship(if you're still talking with him or not). If you two are still keeping in touch and if you still care about him, you shouldn't delete all the pics of your ex. But if you are like strangers or anything, it would be better to delete the pics.
There may be some pictures you decide to keep, but if there are some which only make you sad they should go. It's good to remember your past relationship but the key word is past. In order to fully move on you can't be keeping little parts of them. It will feel hard but it's better, I promise!
Anonymous
December 30th, 2015 6:51pm
Yes, you can keep going back and looking at them its not going to help you move on and move forward with your life.
Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. There is no right or wrong thing to do with your pictures of them, except sharing them without consent.
Yes. Yes and Yes!!!! .
Anonymous
December 31st, 2015 7:33am
I think you should do whatever honestly feels right to you. Some people want a clean slate, some people want mementos, some will chose something in between, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Think about who you are now, what you are thinking and feeling, and who you want to grow into - and then choose what feels right.
Anonymous
December 31st, 2015 8:49am
You will not move on by deleting all your ex pictures, Move on by understanding why you really broke up and convincing yourself that you're really better now so whenever you see your ex pics or personally that wont effect you at all
It's up to you, it's a personal choice, however, if you think that looking at his pictures leaves you uncomfortable, then, yes, you should. You are the most important person and you should protect yourself from pain.
Anonymous
December 31st, 2015 5:46pm
If it helps you feel better then you should definitely do it. Or just keep them out of sight for a while.
If you still feel possessive or obsessive, deleting photos help build a healthy barrier between you and your ex. If you are in a new relationship, ask your significant other what they think about you keeping these photos and have a conversation about what they feel.
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