Guys, 5 Ways To Get Over Your Ex

An ex can unintentionally ruin your favorite song or TV show by association; every time it comes on the radio or cable guide, you’re reminded how much of your life you shared with this person. And even if you’re sitting around in total silence, an ex can pop into your head at the most random moment. An ex is just a big bag of sadness, fondness, nostalgia, dread, heartache and confusion, and carrying around that bag can be a heavy burden. How the hell do we move on?

Maybe we never fully “get over” our exes, or maybe we get to a point where we no longer understand how we ever dated that person in the first place. Either way, you can get back in the dating game and do it all over again, so here are ways to move forward instead of looking backward. Stay up, playa!

1. Get Your Ass To The Gym

Not to start on a superficial note, but nothing will make you feel better and more in charge of your life than getting back into shape when you’ve been crying into a box of pizza most nights. When you exercise and eat healthily, it will make your brain and heart feel way better.

Lose that relationship weight, go for long runs outside to get that sun-crisp tan, maybe pay your barber a visit for a cut and a shave. You’ll feel better when you look better. Plus, the reaction on your ex’s face next time you see her will be priceless.

2. Delete Delete Delete

I could tell you to do it quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid, but sometimes you need time to face that painful sh*t. We all know that deleting someone from your life is crucial when the relationship is over, and far easier said than done. This doesn’t have be done in a hateful way, but it’s today’s version of throwing all your relationship memorabilia in a trashcan and lighting it up in flames.

Delete her number. Zap her texts. Unfriend and unfollow on social media, or at least hide/mute her posts. This sounds petty, but it’s just a necessity in helping you move on, so you don’t spend that first month constantly over-analyzing every photo and post she puts up, which is pure torture. Maybe you can add her again someday, but in the beginning, it’s a must-do.

3. Do The Stuff She Wouldn’t Let You Do

Instead of sitting around, thinking about the good times and bad times and clutching your pillow like it’s her (sorry, might have just revealed a little too much about my past experience, but that pillow saved me!), think of all the things you could have been doing the whole time instead because she didn’t approve or like it, or it took time away from her. So start drinking all day every day! (JK don’t do that!)

But do pick back up hobbies and interests that were more prevalent in your life before you got in full-on boyfriend mode. Alone time is a good thing, and now you have an infinite amount. Thrive in it. Don’t wallow.

4. Make A List Of All Your Ex’s Bad Qualities

After a breakup sinks in, an overwhelming wave will hit you that’s filled with all the beautiful and amazing things about your ex. The way she laughs, how she gets into bed each night, the way she holds chopsticks…STOP!

You can remember her good qualities down the road; for now it’s time to focus on why she was all wrong for you. Write down all the things she did that drove you crazy or hurt you, then read that list whenever she pops into your head and it gets overwhelming. Eventually you’ll realize the good didn’t weigh out the bad, even if there was a lot of good. Then, years later, you can be like, “Well, she was OK, but can you believe she didn’t know how to use chopsticks correctly?”

5. Guys Night Every Night

FREEEEEDOM! Now you have it, so take advantage of it. Make up for all the time you lost with your boys. Hang out with your friends as much as possible instead of sitting at home talking to your bobblehead collection. They will lift you up when you’re down, and then you can gradually get back to being on the scene. In the meantime, you’ll realize you don’t need to jump right into another relationship; you just need to play “Madden 15″ with your buds for awhile.