Everyone who wants their ex back thinks that they should be able to get their ex back– and they should be. But not everyone gets their ex back.
One will say this is a “stupid” statement coming from someone who has written and is selling a “get your ex back” book, but it’s a fact that not everyone will get their ex back.
Sometimes a relationship is damaged beyond repair and nothing you do will change your ex’s mind. But most of the time — at least from my experience — many people don’t get their ex back because they jump into trying to get their ex back when they are not emotionally ready for what it takes to get one’s ex back.
I’ve said it elsewhere and will say it again, getting your ex back is no child’s play. It’s not something for the weak-hearted and certainly not something for the emotionally immature and emotionally ill prepared.
It takes a lot of personal work to get yourself into a place where you can even begin trying to get your ex back. The work needed to be ready to get one’s ex back depends on each individual and each relationship. However, there are some common signs that one is not remotely ready — and there fore shouldn’t even be trying to actively get their ex back.
1. You don’t think the break-up should have happened — and doing everything you can to “reverse” it or go back to how things used to be. This is a clear sign you have not ‘accepted” your reality and are operating from denial or alternative reality.
2. Your emotions are still erratic — excited and optimistic one moment and depressed and hopeless the next. This is a signal that you need to make peace with yourself first before you can make peace with your ex.
3. You still feel like the “victim” of the break-up and act like it — calling your ex names and talk-trashing him/her to anyone who will listen. You even become instant BFF and feel a strong connection to people who support and encourage your “victim” mentality and attitude.
4. You’re at war in your mind — one part of you says you should move on and the other part says you should try to get your ex back. A mind at war with itself can’t come up with any new or creative ideas. It’s so busy fighting itself.
5. You still haven’t taken responsibility for your role in the demise of the relationship and/or blaming your ex, someone or something else for the break-up.
6. You talk a good game about what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown as a result of the break-up, but haven’t really done anything noticeable to change.
7. You’re still trying to make things happen on your terms and in your time. In other words, you’re still into power-struggle games. Anytime you operate on “my way or no way”, you end up with “NO WAY!”
8. You’re in a rebound relationship because you are upset with your ex, but your heart is not really in it. You want your ex back but using the rebound relationship to make them jealous and want you back.
Until you fix the above, you will never get back together. Trying to get your ex back when you’re not emotionally ready and/or changed nothing that would reassure your ex that things can and will be different will potentially destroy even the chance you had to begin with.
You need to work on becoming emotionally ready and take real action to change in order to increase your chances of getting back together. Working on yourself does not mean you should avoid your ex because you are not “‘ready”, maintain some form of contact, re-establish connection and try rebuilding the emotional bond you had, but do not try to ACTIVELY get him/her back until you have resolved all the 8 things listed above.
It may seem hard. but these are things that are fixable, if you put into them as much effort as you are putting about worrying about how often you contact your ex or if you are doing/saying the right things.
Good luck — it’s not easy, but it’s possible!
Is it still possible to get her back if the reason we broke up is because i as you so accurately put it in your article ‘loved toomuch’ and she started feeling controlled and suffocated which made her unhappy and feel like a bad girlfriend
Yes. BUT only if the behaviours that made her feel controlled and suffocated are completely gone.
“Loved too much” is just a polite way of saying you are needy and clingy.
Yangki, I also want to thank you. A month ago, I wanted to give up on getting my ex back because it seemed everything I tried only made him more angry. I started to read your blog daily and it was the only thing that gave me hope. Slowly I started to change and also change how I approached him. At first he wanted nothing to do with me, then is attitude started changing. I kept things at no pressure and a couple of weeks ago he initiated contact for the first time. I think we are getting closer although it remains to be seen.
Whatever you are doing seems to be working… there is certainly progress there. It takes time and persistence, the important thing is that you can see a change in how he is responding to you.
My mistake was that I let getting him back at all costs consume my whole life. I did all the stuff you say one shouldn’t do, constantly texting and calling, begging, crying, professing my love etc. Then I read advice telling I needed to move on if I wanted to get him back, which I did for 5 months. I had no choice. I was dating and doing things that really mattered to me, but I was just distracting myself. Deep inside I still missed him and longed for him. Then I found your blog and book. I have definitely become a better person as a result of reading your advice. I have started contact with my ex and so far things look good. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but just wanted to let you know you’ve helped me more than you will ever know. Thank you, Yangki.
Thank you for your very kind words. I’m glad to have been of some help.
It’s definitely a day-by-day journey. You’ll be okay… 🙂
I tend to over think things and create problems that are not real. For example, last week I sent my ex a text. He usually responds within three hours but this time I did not hear from him for 5 days. I then sent him a text saying I understand if he does not want contact and wished him well. This morning I got a text from him telling me one of his friends was in a serious car accident and in critical condition. He also said he can not be there for me the way I want and thinks it’s best not to have any more contact. I have apologized but now he does not respond at all. I’m heartbroken all over.