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1. You put your ex on a pedestal
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After a breakup, we tend to look at our exes as perfect. We look past the issues that caused the breakup and remember only the good parts of a relationship. Even worse, we don’t see our own contributions to how the relationship failed. This rose-colored glasses viewpoint can have a detrimental effect on future relationships for a number of reasons:

  • You think, “No one will ever be like him.” You compare future romantic interests to the good parts of your past relationship. As a result, you search for and find all the flaws in the new guy, and talk yourself out of discovering someone new.
  • No self-reflection or transition past the relationship. By mentally staying in a past relationship, you limit yourself for the future. You subconsciously stay stagnant in the hopes that he might return and you’ll be back together.
  • You think, “Nothing like my first love.” Even established relationships can be affected by an ex long past. If you still hold a candle for a first love, instead of investing in your present with a current partner, you can sabotage your relationship. You’ll struggle with unnecessary arguments, tension and disconnection because you’ll keep your current partner at arm’s length emotionally.