Unless you marry the first girl/guy you go out with, chances are you’ll go through more than one break-ups in your life. It is never easy and often doesn’t go smoothly. You may feel awkward, unfair, and even cruel. But if you do it the right way, both you and your ex-partner will walk out of the relationship with more dignity and fewer bad feelings.

I’ve been in more relationships than I wish to remember. I’ve felt sad about some break-ups, but most have gone just fine because I have acted in accordance with the situation.

There are four major “situations:”

1)       Being dumped without expecting it;

2)       Dumping someone who doesn’t expect it;

3)       Dumping someone who expects it;

4)       Being dumped when you expect it.

I was not in charge whenever #1 happened, so I could do little about how I felt. I avoided the awkwardness of #2 by reducing the situation to #3 or #4. I was a coward! It wasn’t until my late 20s that I decided I didn’t have time for such slow though painless break-ups. I learned how to deal with these situations differently. To learn how, visit my article.