Is your ex twisting something you say into something gross and evil? Accusing you of the most despicable, callous lies? Or worse, actually told you he/she is sorry that he/she ever had a relationship with you because you’re unworthy of his/her love?

How did it come to this? Why is he/she making everything sound or look worse than what it is? Your ex must surely know this is ridiculous. Is he/she doing this just to be intentionally cruel? Maybe he/she just used that as a way to end the relationship.

The “shock” from these accusations and lies even though they are vague and non-specific can hurt to the core. But probably the most hurtful part is being told that he/she is sorry that he/she ever met you or had a relationship with you because you’re unworthy of his/her love or that she/she is angry at him/herself for thinking you were better than you really are. It can hit hard at your self-confidence and self-esteem and cause your emotions to fluctuate from one moment loving your ex and the next hating him/her.

If this has ever happened to you or is happening to you right now, first things first.

1) It doesn’t matter if he/she dumped you or if you dumped him/her, be the bigger person.

It’s tempting to take this opportunity to let out everything you’ve been keeping inside or try to force your ex to somehow admit that he/she is wrong. It doesn’t work. When you’re dealing with a hurt or angry ex, you’re not dealing with reason or logic, you’re dealing with emotions – and emotion is a very powerful force. The best thing to do is let it play out. If you have the emotional fortitude of the Dalai Lama or some other “enlightened soul” then just sit it out and let him/her talk, rave, cry and curse – whatever.  Say nothing.

Alternatively just distance yourself from the “emotions” for a while. Leave the room or tell him or her you’re not in position to talk and would prefer to talk about it later, then excuse yourself.

Bottom line: don’t return hurt with hurt or anger with anger, it gets you nowhere really fast.

2) Return to the scene of the crime and take charge of the situation

This is probably the hardest part especially if you love your ex and are hoping to get back together at some point. Pretending like “nothing happened” is only postponing the problem and may get to a point where things are “beyond repair”.

So again, be the bigger person and take the bull by the horns. This does not mean “confront” your ex, which is most people’s mindset. In fact get rid of the word “confront” from your vocabulary because “confrontation” only means one thing: “there is a winner and a loser” – and in this case, the “loser” is most likely going to be you. You may win the “confrontation” but lose your ex – forever.

If winning (and hopefully redeeming your ego) is most important to you, then by all means unleash the power of reason. But if getting back your ex (and your own happiness) is more important to you than “being right”, then it’s vital that you change your attitude, words and behavior from adversarial to cooperative. In other words, don’t adopt the other person’s hurt, anger and hostility, try to understand their behaviour, and treat them like a partner and not an enemy or opponent.

1) Communicate assertively whether by text, email, phone call or face to face.  Assertively is not the same thing as aggressively or domineeringly (I explain the difference in another article). If possible, face to face communication works best because you’re more believable and will be taken more seriously when someone is looking at you. If you find yourself wanting to hide behind your phone or computer because it’s “easier” to say things on text and email that you would never say in person, then you’re not communicating assertively. Your lack of self confidence often plays to your disadvantage.

2) Acknowledge the problem (whatever it is) as a joint problem and take responsibility for your part in making it a problem.

3) Emphasize the positive and extend forgiveness whether an apology is offered or not.

4) Seek common ground and offer constructive resolutions that satisfy both of your concerns.

Bottom line: more effective communication, open and friendly attitude, a sense of mutuality and a willingness to see things from the other’s point of view (right or wrong) gets you far anytime.

With a simple change in attitude and perspective, your experience with a difficult, hostile or angry or emotionally hurt ex can change from a situation that is happening to you to a possibly enriching learning experience.  But of course if you’re afraid that your ex will take advantage of your “good heart” or conciliatory attitude, then you have bigger problems than just the lies, accusations and exaggerations. It may just be that the two of you shouldn’t be together at all. Sometimes you just “know” in your gut when something isn’t right but like most of us, we don’t want to accept it and just keep creating our own misery.

Related Articles:

Your Ex Boyfriend/Girlfriend Lied to You – How to Confront Your Ex About His/Her Lies?
Why Does Your Ex Girlfriend Hate You So Much?
18 Hot Words and Phrases You Should Never Say To Your Ex Boyfriend/Girlfriend