1. Just because you love someone, it doesn’t mean that they should be a part of your world. There are times when you must let someone go and allow them (and allow yourself as well) to become a better person especially if you two don’t belong together.
2. Don’t allow anyone to guilt trip you. If the wound is too fresh and it hurts you to be friends with your ex, tell them. Don’t try to be friends with them only because you feel bad about rejecting them.
3. Don’t stay friends with them hoping that someday you will get back together. If you still have feelings for them, trying to remain friends with them may hurt you even more.
4. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that deciding to stay friends with your ex is taking the high road. You should do what’s best for you. You should take care of yourself first. So, if a friendship with your ex is not of your best interest you should cut contact. You should distance yourself from them if they are making you feel sad.
5. Before you decide to stay friends with your ex, ask yourself whether you can stomach seeing them with another man or a woman, or even casually mentioning that they are dating someone new. Because, if the mere thought of them with someone else is making you jealous, then you should definitely refuse to hang out together.
6. Regardless of you wanting to continue your friendship, the truth is – your relationship will never be the same. You might start seeing them in a completely new light now. You might not joke around and have fun like you used to. You might not get back the things you were missing from them because they might be a completely different person this time around.
7. If you two have decided to stay friends, then stay just friends. Do not step over the line. Don’t sleep together or make out when you are bored or lonely.
8. Finally, it hurts so much to stay goodbye to someone you love. But, staying friends with your ex might not get you the closure you need, it will only prolong the inevitable pain. Therefore, you should know that you don’t have to stay friends with your ex, at least not while you are both in the process of healing. You can reunite again when you are both ready for each other.
