It's no secret that getting over a breakup takes time, regardless of who ended things. If you just got out of a relationship — especially if you were together for several years — it's only natural to need a minute (or, you know, a few) to heal and move on. Understanding the signs you're not over your breakup yet and recognizing them in yourself might help you realize you need a little more time, and there's nothing wrong with that. After all, moving on doesn't happen overnight.
While it would be nice to have an exact timeline for when you "should" be fully over someone, that's not always realistic. Everyone is different. "This truly depends on a couple of things," Chris Armstrong, founder of the relationship coaching company Maze of Love, previously told Elite Daily. "If your ex was the one to break up [with you] and you did not see it coming, it could take several months." On the other hand, "If you broke up with your ex and you had been mulling it over for a bit, it may only take a couple of weeks to a month," Armstrong said.
If you recognize any of the following signs or behaviors within yourself, it might mean you're not over your breakup just yet. Don't be too hard on yourself, because everyone's different. Trust that you will get there when you get there, and everything will fall into place.
You can't truly move on from a breakup if you don't let yourself feel sad, mad, or upset for a while. "Let yourself feel all the emotions," dating coach Diana Dorell previously told Elite Daily. "Denial is a part of the grieving process, and the end of a relationship really can feel like a death of sorts. Trying to skip over how you feel or distracting yourself from your feelings is only a temporary solution."
It is so tempting to text your ex after a breakup, no matter how things ended. So, if you still feel yourself reaching for the phone, there's a good chance you probably aren't over the breakup. "Even if you and your ex aren't communicating, give yourself a timeframe, [during] which you will commit to not reaching out to them in any way," Dorell said "Once you get to that point, re-commit for another round," she continued. "You may find that you don't even have the desire to reach out."
Social media can make breakups even harder. Being able to see what your ex is up to on a daily basis can make it harder to forget about them. "If you are following your ex on social media, be careful to not stalk their account and do check-ins with yourself to make sure you are not feeling sadness or anxiety from checking their social media pages,” Marline Francois-Madden, LCSW, psychotherapist, and CEO of Hearts Empowerment Counseling Center previously told Elite Daily.
At the end of the day, it might be best to hit that "unfollow" button.
You probably aren't over a breakup if you've been holding onto something that belonged to your ex. A shirt, book, or blanket can hold too many memories to allow you to really move on. "Have a simple ritual to honor the relationship, and then release any objects that remind you of them. Donate, sell, throw away," Dorell said.
In order to get over a breakup, you might need to take some time to love yourself. "One of the most important things to remember during a breakup is that heartbreak affects your physiology and your neurochemistry," Elle Huerta, CEO and founder of breakup recovery app Mend, previously told Elite Daily. "Going through a breakup feels like going through withdrawal, so it's really important in the early days to take extra care of yourself — make sure you're walking or getting a little bit of exercise every day to get happy hormones flowing."
There's no real way to rush your way through a breakup, so don't stress too much if you aren't completely over the relationship just yet. It takes time and effort. Remember: Try not to reach out, hit "unfollow" if you can, and take care of yourself. Be patient and kind with yourself. Heartbreak is no joke, but with some patience, you'll get there.
