On the very day that you split up with your boyfriend, gratitude might be the last word that comes into your mind, when you think about him. But, in time, and however it ended, you will find that you did benefit from the relationship. That can be very helpful to realise, in the first few weeks after a breakup, so read these ten reasons that you should be grateful for your ex.
1. It probably wasn’t all bad
While it may not seem like it straight away, when you look back at the relationship later on, you will see that there were good times, as well as the bad. Try and remember those, rather than just the fights or the bitterness, and the relationship will have seemed a whole lot more worthwhile.
2. You will be able to spot the signs quicker next time
The experience of a breakup can teach us many lessons and one of those is not to ignore the signs next time. Relationships rarely end completely out of the blue and, even if you chose to ignore them, the signs were probably there. Learn from this and, the next time, you will be able see these signs earlier, take control, faster and end the relationship, without wasting any time.
3. It will make you a stronger person
A split really does make you stronger. It will not only give you the emotional strength to handle relationships better, it will also help in your dealings with other people too.
4. It teaches you more about who you really want
Look closely at what you didn’t like about this guy and learn from the experience. You can be grateful to your ex for teaching you more about what this type of man is really like to spend time with and, from that, you will gain a better idea of the type of man that you are really looking for.
5. Be grateful that it ended when it did
However the relationship ended, there must have been reasons, and you can be grateful it ended when it did. How much worse would it have been if the relationship had continued for another five years and then the inevitable still happened?
6. He probably introduced you to new experiences
Think about the things that you wouldn’t have even tried if you had never met this guy. Most people introduce their partners to new things like music, food or hobbies, and some of them might stick with you for life.
7. He taught you more about people
We rarely get as close to another person as we do to a lover and, through our ex’s we gain a far better understanding of people. This will help us to choose our partners more wisely in the future and it teaches us who we can and cannot trust.
8. He taught you to be more realistic
Sometimes we think that love is perfect, but it never really is and a breakup can help us to set more realistic expectations in the future. Things just don’t always work out the way we would like and an ex is the perfect person to teach us that lesson.
9. He taught you to accept change better
A breakup also teaches that you are far better at coping with change, than you thought you were. Everyone fears change, but an ex teaches you that you can deal with it and that life really does go on.
10. He helped you grow
The biggest thing of all to be grateful for is that your ex has helped you to become a more mature person and a better person. A split is painful and there is no denying that, but, we all need a few breakups under our belt to help us understand the world around us just a little bit better.
Stay happy!
