Springtime is upon us, and that means the cuffs might be coming off for some of us. A breakup is never pleasant, but it’s college, and unfortunately sometimes they are necessary.
Pause
Make sure you are breaking up for the right reasons. When you are immersed in a party culture the way many Bobcats are, there is temptation to cheat. If you feel like cheating, it’s time to sit down and think about the needs of yours that are not being met by your partner. Make sure you are in the relationship for the right reasons.
If your partner refuses to break up, there are ways out. Talk to a friend you trust, or reach out to the Survivor Advocacy Program for help. You cannot be forced to be in any relationship you do not want to be a part of — even platonic ones. This could even be a time to cut off toxic friendships.
Don’t fight too hard
It can be excruciating to date in a world where Find My Friends and read receipts control the way you interact with others. If a person asks for space, you need to give it to them. You cannot force a significant other to stay with you. Avoid bombarding your loved ones’ messages and social media with promises of changed behavior or threats.
When someone wants to break up, there needs to be some sort of introspection. Analyze the behaviors that you have that are toxic. Then look at the things that you are relieved to be free of now that you are single. It is natural to have strong emotions after a breakup, but the best thing you can possibly do to save your relationship is relax. To have any chance of saving and repairing a relationship on the rocks, you must give the person time.
Did someone say self-care?
When you focus most of your energy on a partner, many good friends get pushed to the sidelines. This might be the time to reconnect with those you don’t normally get the chance to hang out with. We’ve all had the friend that your significant other didn’t care to spend time with.
Fest season is the best time for you to rekindle with squads from Mill Fests past and make new memories. Time to take some pictures to post passive-aggressively with a Juice Wrld lyric as the caption. Sad tweets and wine nights with the boys (or girls, or nonbinary friends) are a necessary form of post-breakup self-care. Give yourself a break. Freedom can be better than it seems.
Everything really does happen for a reason
I thought this was the cheesiest thing anyone could say until I realized that it’s true. The things that I thought were the end of the world were really doors to the greatest experiences. If you are nearing the end of a relationship or you are going through an unexpected breakup it can be tempting to hold on to what is comfortable, but you will be OK.
The sooner you see the silver lining, the sooner you can thrive. If nothing else, show them you don’t need them. They just might realize they need you. If you are not happy in your current relationship it might be time to make like Jordan Peele — and get out.
Abbie Zehentbauer is a junior studying English at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What do you think? Let Abbie know by emailing her at az455315@ohio.edu.
