Want A New Lease On Love? Welcome To 'Break Up With Your Ex' 2014
We're here to help you stop obsessing over your ex and make room for the love you deserve.
Having trouble letting go of your ex? Just can't seem to unfriend him on Facebook, erase his number and move on for good? You're just in time for our virtual love intervention.
Welcome to our fourth annual Break Up With Your Ex campaign! From now through February 13th, we'll be giving you all the tools and encouragement you need to finally—finally!—put your ex behind you and get on a path to the healthy, fulfilling relationship you deserve.
From January 15th through the 31st, we used Survey Monkey to poll 1,169 YourTango readers about their breakup—and post-breakup—behaviors. What we found out was both surprising and encouraging. While a whopping 64% of people admit to having obsessed over a past relationship, 86% agree they'd be better off making a clean break from their exes.
More than half of respondents say it's nostalgia and longing that keep them hooked, and cutting all ties to an ex just seems "too final." And maintaining digital connections certainly doesn't help matters. It seems we're sucked in by the allure of being in our exes via Facebook, but hanging on keeps us in a holding pattern of heartbreak.
For example, 66% of survey takers have no problem deleting digital photos of their exes—but unfriending their exes on social media? Not as easy. Seventy percent of those surveyed regularly check their exes' Facebook pages—and 7% fess up to doing it "every damn day!" No wonder two-thirds of survey takers complain that the digital age makes it hard to leave old relationships behind!
"Moving on is hard, especially when residual feelings are involved," says YourTango CEO, Andrea Miller. "But we're inspired by the number of people each year who tell us they're eager for a fresh start. The weeks leading up to Valentine's Day are the perfect time to break bad love habits and get on the path toward a fulfilling relationship."
If you really want to move on, get moving. The majority of respondents agree that spending time with the people you love most is the best remedy for a broken heart. The second best? An endorphin-pumping workout!
Another step in the right direction is therapy. Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed have sought professional help, and 34% would consider it.
And if you don't cut off ties with an ex for yourself, do it for the one you're with: Fifty-five percent of respondents have gotten jealous of their partner’s attachment to an ex. After all, more than half of those surveyed do not believe exes can ever really be friends. (Do you? Let us know in the comments!)
So check back every day for articles, essays and expert advice on breaking up with ex at last. And be sure to stay connected: Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates, facts and quotes about living your best love life.
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