Let’s Talk: Is It Okay To Be Friends With An Ex?

We have all heard the saying, ” An ex should stay an ex. They’re the EXample of false love and an EXplanation for why you deserve better.” Not only is the saying an eye opener but it also helps provide clarity about the real reasons why that person is no longer in your life, intimately.

All relationships do not end on bad terms. Some end on a positive note because there’s an understanding that it may not be the right time or the right person, or both. In most cases, a mutual break-up can become one of the best decisions that the two of you have made.

Some former couples are better off as friends because they have realized that they are not compatible with one another. Regardless of how much chemistry you two may have had, some people are just not meant to be. We have to accept it and move on.

There has been many questions on whether or not it is okay to be friends with an ex. I say it depends on the situation. If you are in a relationship, I say no. Who wants to pursue a relationship with someone knowing that they are buddy-buddy with someone that they’ve been intimate with? It is not fair to the new relationship. The significant other is definitely going to be hesitant about you two kicking it with one another and texting all the time. Believe me, I totally understand that the two of you are not feeling each other in that way anymore, but who’s to say that those feelings won’t change?!?

Which brings me to another reason why exes can’t be friends: If the two of you broke up and only one of you has moved on, it is going to be hard for that other person to get over what once was. A person has not truly moved on if you’re still making efforts and prioritizing this person regularly. You can’t meet someone new because your old love is still in your life—hanging around, being your buddy, and reminding you of how great they are. This will lead to someone getting hurt in the process.

Regardless, of how much that ex once meant to you, it doesn’t mean you two should be friends. Leave the exes in the past and move on. If you two are meant to be then you will be. Maybe not at the moment, but if they are “The One,” then they will make their way back to you.