Let’s have a little chat about breaking hearts.
If you are going to hurt someone emotionally in any way, there is a way it needs to be handled. Whether you were in a serious relationship, just talking, having a casual relationship, etc. You need to man or woman up and handle it respectfully. From my experience, I’ve come up with a few guidelines to go by if you’re in the position to break someone’s heart or hurt them emotionally. I’ll refrain from using any vulgar language although some of these points might be better made to some people if I did.
- Be a man or woman about it and tell them yourself. Face to face if possible. If not, then a serious conversation via phone or text if necessary. Do not let them find out via Facebook or Instagram. Do not let them hear it through the grapevine. It needs to come from you. Don’t be stupid about it and hide like a little baby. You made this decision so you need to own up to it and let them know. It hurts worse finding out via social media or another source and not from you, trust me.
- Do NOT ghost them. Disappearing with no real explanation is awful. And what’s even more awful about ghosting someone is that it makes them feel like they were never worth your time or energy and you’re just throwing them out like used garbage. Like I said, man or woman up and deal with the mess you made. Otherwise, you’re just a coward.
- If they have questions, ANSWER THEM. Don’t be rude and just cut it off. If you were talking to this person and claiming to care about them or if you were in a relationship – you owe them your time and answers. Closure is important to most people.
- Listen to what they have to say. They may be angry, they may be hurt, or maybe they’ll be hurt but understand. Maybe they’ll want to be friends or maybe they won’t. Maybe they put so much time in caring about you that they just need to know they weren’t a total failure and that’s why you’re walking away.
So just keep these things in mind if you’re ever in a position to hold someone’s heart in your hand or even just their emotions. Respect them, own up to your decisions and be kind. It makes it a lot easier on everyone.
