Relationships after a breakup: is it possible, is it worth starting new romances after a breakup, or should we take a break?

Should you start dating after a breakup?

The question of whether it is worth starting a new relationship immediately after a breakup is quite relevant. It seems that new emotions, a new person will help you forget the past and make it easier to survive the stress of separation. However, a quick romance does not always have good consequences.

When you shouldn't start a new relationship:

if the grief of parting is not fully experienced;
if there is still a strong love for your ex-partner, and you cannot forget him;
if there are doubts whether this is really necessary;
when you start a relationship with the first person you come across;
if you haven’t analyzed your own mistakes and patterns of behavior that led to the breakup.

New relationships can also become salvation if a person is ready for them and is fully aware of the consequences.

When to start a new relationship:

the stress has been experienced, the fact of separation is recognized and realized, there is no turning back;
there are memories of the ex, but they do not evoke strong emotions, either positive or negative;
if you really like the new person, there are positive emotions towards him, however, even in this case, you should still soberly assess the situation and act more with your mind than with your feelings.

There is no need to rush, even if a potential partner insists on getting closer.

How soon should you start dating?

Each person experiences a breakup differently . For some, three months will be enough to fully recover and successfully survive the stages of grief. For others, it will take a year or two; in some cases, the trauma has been experienced for decades, and the person never starts a serious relationship.

You need to look at your own condition. If there is a feeling of harmony, painful memories do not bother you, and there are no fears, then you can move on to a new relationship. There's no need to rush. In order for a new relationship to bring joy, you need to completely let go of the past.

In any case, there must be a period to be alone in order to fully understand and experience what happened. Entering into a new relationship immediately after a breakup while trying to forget the old one can lead to disappointment. The psyche during this period had not yet adapted to new circumstances.

You should be guided by your own inner feelings . If trying to start a new relationship is associated with discomfort, then you should wait for now and figure yourself out. Perhaps all stages of grief have not yet been completed.

You need to enter into a relationship when you feel ready to accept a new partner, and memories of your ex no longer evoke strong emotions.

The main reasons for the divorce of young families

There can be many reasons for separation, as well as reasons, but they are brought to the extreme only when one or both spouses realize the fundamental impossibility of eliminating this reason or coming to terms with it.

Here are the main reasons for the collapse of the social unit:

Bad habits (alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction);
Infidelity of one of the spouses;
Conflict with parents, spouse’s family;
Feelings have cooled down or never existed;
Problems with childbearing;
Problems with the child (illness, disobedience);
Difficulties with children from previous marriages;
Illness of one of the spouses;
Imprisonment of one of the spouses;
Irreconcilable differences;
Cruelty, domestic violence;
A feeling of inequality when one person believes that he invests much more in the relationship than his partner;
There is a big difference in age and social status.

What is a substitution relationship?

The goal of such relationships is to avoid despair, loneliness, fear of being alone, and the possibility of returning to your ex-partner.
It is important to understand that they may not last , although there are cases when such relationships develop into serious ones.

Substitute relationships are usually non-binding. In an attempt to forget the previous partner, a person begins to communicate with the one he liked. Substitute relationships do not bring complete satisfaction, since the person is still at the stage of experiencing grief.

It is an illusion that a random person will help you easily forget the previous one. There is a risk that a feeling of guilt will appear, because there are still emotions for the former partner and they have not fully experienced themselves.

After a breakup, a person feels empty , so he cannot give anything to his new partner except disappointment. There is a fact of physical intimacy, but not emotional. As a result, two people suffer, and their relationship, as a rule, does not last long, bringing another disappointment.

Therefore, you need to think about whether it is worth entering into a replacement relationship or whether it is better to live alone for some time in order to completely let go of the past.

More information about this here.

I don’t want to start anything: why?

It’s normal not to want a new union right away, because the psyche is trying to cope with stress.

Why people don't want new relationships:

Fear of making mistakes again.
The love for the previous partner remained.
I can’t let go, I can’t forget my previous relationship.
There remains hope that relations will resume.
Deep disappointment in love and people.
The desire to be alone for some time is a normal mental reaction after a breakup.

Sometimes a lot of time passes from meeting someone to starting a new relationship. This is the period when a person gets used to living without a former partner and rethinks what happened. When the breakup was difficult, there is no strength or desire to start a new relationship. The psyche has not yet adapted to what happened, so it takes time.

Afraid of being rejected, abandoned once again, a person takes a break and does not start a new relationship, even if there seems to be a need for it .

Painful separation occurs among those who experience strong emotional dependence on their partner. Therefore, not only time is required, but also therapy. Only in this case will the next relationship develop successfully.

Should we do something about this?

If little time has passed since the breakup, but you don’t want a new relationship, this is normal and you don’t need to do anything.
You won’t be able to forget your ex-partner right away; memories will still come up. However, if a person is severely depressed or has conflicts with other people, then it is better to seek advice from a psychologist .

If several months have passed and the former partner is not forgotten, this is a reason to sound the alarm - in this case, the person definitely needs help.

Difficult experiences prevent you from starting a normal life and building new relationships. In difficult cases, the person returns again and again to the previous stages of grief, without reaching the stage of acceptance.

What should you avoid?

Avoid negativity and getting stuck at all costs, to do this, look to the future, don’t dwell on the past:

Don't take revenge or try to hurt your ex. Yes, you may have pain and a feeling that your life has been ruined and resentment for wasted years. Believe me, this will pass, but shame and guilt, after your revenge plan succeeds, will remain with you forever.

Anger and resentment are not the best advisers

Realize what happened. Understand that the divorce happened, everything happened, nothing can be returned.
Admit your mistakes, but don't blame yourself for everything. Feelings of guilt are not constructive and do not allow you to move forward. You are adults, both of you made the decision to get married, and probably also about divorce, responsibility for what happened lies with both of you, yes, not in equal proportions, but both must admit their mistakes and accept responsibility. Start with yourself.
Learn to discuss problems, this is extremely useful to do in marriage, but even after a divorce, especially if there are children, you need to learn to talk through and solve problems, and not bring the situation to critical levels, when none of the characters no longer wants to discuss anything, but is only ready to scandals and war.
Don't dwell on the situation, don't get stuck in the negative. Many people spend years turning thoughts in their heads and driving themselves to depression with endless thoughts: How could he? Why did she do this? What could/could I have done differently? What if I then...? Do not do it this way.
This will lead you to serious psychological disorders. If you can’t cope and can’t get rid of mental gum, which is one of the signs of depression, consult a psychologist.
The main rule is DO NOT involve children. Never speak badly about your ex-spouse in front of them, and do not let them know the details of the divorce. Do not forbid seeing your father/mother (unless the parent is an abuser). Divorce of parents, especially if they are good parents, is a severe trauma for a child, his whole little established world collapses, don’t hurt him more.
Do not involve your child in adult games, help him get through this difficult period in the most prosperous way. And then there is a chance that your divorce will not affect his future life and relationships with people.

Important: By speaking badly about your child’s other parent, you deny a part of him, devalue his feelings and lower his self-esteem!

How to build connections with the opposite sex?

Fear and uncertainty about your next partner are normal feelings before starting a new relationship. If you have doubts, then there is no need to rush yet, it is better to take a closer look at the potential candidate, to get to know him better.

What to do:

Avoid one-night stands - they will bring nothing but disappointment.
Take your time - enjoy the solitude, be alone with yourself.
At first, communicate with a potential candidate, get to know each other more, this will help avoid mistakes when getting closer quickly.
Set boundaries - make it clear to a potential partner what is acceptable and what is not allowed. A conversation will help you find out whether a person has similar goals, interests, character, and intentions.
Don’t rush to move in together right away - at first it’s better to limit yourself to meetings, communication, and spending time together.

The hardest thing is learning to trust a person again. It is important to remember that all people are different, and if it didn’t work out with the previous partner, then it is absolutely not necessary that the situation will repeat itself. Use your mind, do not be guided only by feelings and physical attraction.

To a man

After another breakup, a man may think that all women are the same.
Most likely, this opinion arose because each time a similar type was chosen. Therefore, before entering into a new relationship, you need to analyze what was wrong in the past , what type of woman is better not to allow into your life.

Some men prefer one-time meetings after a breakup. As a rule, this only brings physical satisfaction and even greater disappointment in women. Choosing a lady for a serious relationship must take into account whether the man is ready to bear responsibility for her, whether it will be comfortable to be with her every day.

A serious, long-term alliance is, first of all, a reasonable approach, a calculation for the future.

To a woman

Choosing a man with whom you want to live a happy life is not an easy process . Ideally, when he loves more, in this case the woman will feel care, attention, stability.

If you quickly develop strong feelings for a man you like, then you should stop and think. The period of falling in love can be bright and interesting, but behind the emotions it is difficult to notice the shortcomings of the partner.

If the feelings are strong, you need to give yourself time so that your mental state becomes more stable, and the woman can assess whether this is really the person with whom it will be good.

What to do:

Don't rush, give yourself time to get to know the person.
Do not give in to strong emotions, act with your mind, not your feelings.
At first, just communicate, get to know the man more. If you have mutual friends, you can carefully ask them what kind of person this is.
Immediately set your own boundaries, what is allowed and what is not, otherwise problems with personal space may arise in the future.
If a man is jealous, this does not mean that he loves, most likely he is possessive.
Try to immediately identify a potential manipulator so as not to enter into a toxic relationship.

Common mistakes and their psychological consequences

Things don't always go smoothly. At first, there is a grinding-in stage, when partners are just beginning to get to know each other. Conflicts are inevitable, but there is no need to be afraid of them, they allow you to better understand the other person, his needs, pains.

Typical mistakes:

too rapid rapprochement - new acquaintances do not know each other well;
behind bright emotions and strong love, it is difficult to adequately evaluate a person;
comparing the new partner with the previous one, sometimes not in favor of the first;
excessive demands already at the beginning of acquaintance;
the desire to limit the partner’s contacts, to tie him exclusively to himself - freedom of choice and personal space must remain;
the fact of accepting that the past relationship is over has not occurred, there remains the hope of returning to it;
the new partner is perceived as temporary;
behavior when one of the partners tries too actively to adapt to the other;
on the contrary, an attempt to adapt a new person to oneself;
hushing up what irritates you, what you don’t like - sooner or later this will result in a strong conflict, because you can’t keep negative emotions inside yourself all the time and not notice irritating factors;
jealousy is an initial lack of trust in a partner;
specially provoking jealousy - the only thing this will lead to is conflicts, mistrust, severance of relationships;
lie - relationships should be built on honesty, only then will they be strong;
excessive intrusiveness - you need to leave your partner his personal space - if today he doesn’t want to communicate, that’s his right.

Advice from a psychologist ↑

Forget about your former relationship. If you meet someone new, you can briefly talk about why your marriage broke up, but without going into detail. Also, when you communicate with a new interlocutor, do not compare him with your ex-husband or wife: neither out loud nor in your thoughts. After all, you have begun a new life that you create yourself!
Approach the issue of choosing your chosen one responsibly. You already had a mistake that was resolved by divorce. Now be smarter and more reasonable. Do not look only at the advantages of a new passion: in the process of communication, analyze whether you can come to terms with this or that shortcoming. Also, don’t flirt with everyone - don’t waste your time on trifles, so as not to waste your time and spoil your reputation.
Take care of the well-being of children . Your dating should not be at the expense of your offspring. Don't leave them too often in the care of relatives and friends just to arrange your life.