r/BreakUps • u/Regular-Ninja9795 • 9h ago
š” venting/ranting Stop Counting Your "No Contact" Days. Start Moving the Fuck On
I keep seeing posts on here from people saying "Day 8 of no contact" or "6 weeks no contact, still waiting" or "3 months, do you think they'll reach out?"
Jesus Christ, guys. STOP COUNTING. š
Seriously, is this how you want to live? Do you really want to spend the next six months of your life counting the days since somebody decided they didn't want to be with you anymore?
I went through a breakup about a month ago. Couldn't even tell you the exact date at this point. Not because it didn't hurt, trust me it fucking did. But because I made a conscious decision to move forward instead of sitting around keeping score.
Here's something a lot of you probably don't want to hear.
They made a decision. A DECISION.
People don't just wake up one morning and accidentally break up with somebody. In most cases they've been thinking about it, weighing their options, processing their emotions long before you even knew there was a problem.
By the time they walked away, they were already several steps ahead of you emotionally.
And now you're sitting there googling "Does no contact make your ex miss you?" or "How long before a dumper regrets their decision?"
Dude. What the fuck are we doing here? š
Now, do you want some consolation? Here's something that might make you feel a little better.
There's a pretty damn good chance they miss you too.
Maybe not right away. In fact, initially they might feel hella relieved. Like a giant weight has been lifted off their shoulders. Remember, they've probably been wrestling with this decision for a while.
But eventually the dust settles. The relief wears off, life gets quiet, and memories start creeping back in. And believe me, they're not necessarily going to remember only the bad shit. They'll remember the laughs, the inside jokes, the good times, the little things they loved about you.
You don't just erase somebody you shared a meaningful part of your life with.
But here's the part you need to understand.
Missing somebody doesn't mean you want them back.
And every time you break this precious "no contact" streak to check in, tell them you miss them, or see how they're doing, you're not resetting some magical timer.
You're potentially pushing them even further away.
They made a decision to distance themselves from you. You desperately trying to pull them back in isn't going to make them suddenly reconsider. You're just reminding them why they wanted distance in the first place.
And if THEY reach out? You don't have to jump at the opportunity like you've been waiting by the phone for three months.
You can ignore that message until you're emotionally ready to handle whatever conversation might follow. You don't owe anybody immediate access to you.
I absolutely hate the term "no contact" because so many people treat it like some kind of strategy to get their ex back. Like if you can just survive another 30 days without texting them, suddenly they'll have some magical revelation and come running back.
Stop calling it no contact. Start calling it MOVING ON.
Because that's what you should actually be doing.
And listen, I'm not saying you shouldn't hurt. Breakups fucking suck. You're going to miss them. You're going to have moments where a song comes on or you drive past somewhere you used to go together and suddenly your stomach drops.
That's normal. Process that shit. Cry if you need to. Be angry. Be sad. Whatever. To be honest you should probably block them or remove them from your socials if you haven't done so already, trust me you'll just be sitting around waiting for them to post something getting upset when you see them with somebody else, having fun without you, or seeming like they're just fine after the breakup. people handled breakups very differently for me it's best to just not see it at all for my own mental health.
But don't build a fucking shrine to your misery and start marking days off on a calendar.
You know what actually helps?
GO OUTSIDE.
Seriously. Go for a walk. Get some fresh air. Put on some music. Call a friend. Reach out to somebody you haven't talked to in a while.
One thing I've noticed is how many people unintentionally neglect friendships when they get into relationships. Then when the relationship ends, they feel like they've lost their entire world.
Rebuild that world.
And speaking from personal experience, after my most recent breakup I started going out with friends again, socializing more, just genuinely enjoying myself. And guess what? I started getting some female attention! š
I've even been talking to a woman who I honestly think might be more compatible with me than my ex. Am I ready to jump headfirst into another relationship? Not necessarily. But holy shit, it's nice to be reminded that I'm not some fundamentally flawed person, that my ex wasn't the only woman who could ever love me, make me laugh, or share inside jokes with me.
There's a whole fucking world out there, guys. And you're missing it because you're staring at a closed door.
Find hobbies. Try something you've always wanted to do. Reconnect with people. Make new friends. Do things that make you feel like an actual human being again instead of somebody's abandoned boyfriend or girlfriend.
Your friendships, your hobbies, your experiences, your own identity. THAT is the bedrock of healing.
But there's another thing I keep seeing that I think some of you have completely backwards.
All this advice about going to the gym, improving yourself, getting your money right, becoming a better person. That's fantastic! Seriously, do all of that.
But WHO are you doing it for?
Because some of you are out here imagining this whole movie scene where six months from now you bump into your ex and they're standing there thinking "Oh my God, look how much he's changed! He's doing so well! I made the biggest mistake of my life!"
That's a fantasy you're making up in your head, big dog. š
Stop writing fucking fanfiction about your ex's future reactions to your personal growth.
Your emotions don't dictate somebody else's. Just because YOU think you've become the perfect partner doesn't mean they're suddenly going to want you again.
And if the entire motivation behind your self-improvement is getting somebody else's attention, you're still letting that person control your life. You're just doing it with better abs and a new haircut.
Improve yourself because YOU deserve a better life. Not because you're hoping somebody who walked away will eventually notice.
Every time your ex pops into your head and you start wondering what they're doing, whether they're thinking about you, whether they're going to come back...
Tell yourself "fuck that" and keep marching forward.
I'm not saying you can magically turn your feelings off. You can't. But you absolutely can decide what you're going to do with those feelings.
And here's the other thing. Even if your ex DOES eventually come back, what good is it if you've spent the entire time sitting around waiting?
If there's ever going to be a healthy reconciliation, both people need time to grow, change and actually address whatever caused the relationship to fall apart in the first place. Thirty days of strategically ignoring each other doesn't magically fix shit.
And sometimes they're simply not coming back. That's a possibility you need to make peace with.
So stop asking how to improve your chances of getting them back.
Start asking how to improve your life without them.
Because six months from now you can either be the person posting "Day 180 of no contact and I still think about them constantly" or you can be somebody who spent those six months actually living.
And maybe part of the reason you're STILL thinking about them constantly is because you've created this imaginary timer in your head. Every single day you're reminding yourself how long it's been since they left. You're literally keeping your breakup alive by counting how long it's been dead.
That timer doesn't exist. There's no prize at the end of it. No magical day when they come running back.
The breakup already happened. Don't spend the next year breaking your own heart over and over again.
Stop counting the days.
Make the fucking days count.
Sorry I know this is a long post and definitely a bit of tough love but I love reading all your guys's stories and I genuinely feel for you guys but some of you need to hear this.