By Venus Star
Reunions with the ex-fling
You’re excited about school starting again. You’ll see all your old friends, get to take advantage of all the free food events in the Red Barn and, more importantly, you get to be clued in on the hottest parties on campus. You walk into your first class and over in the corner sits your ex. What to do?
No matter how the relationship ended, the most important thing to remember here is maturity. Be the bigger person! You’ll have to see this person every other day for the next four months, so it’s better to get over it and accept it.
Your first reaction is to ignore him/her. You’ll occasionally glance over at them to see what changes have occurred since April, careful not to let them catch you looking. Then, after class is over, you remain calm and continue ignoring them until you’re all the way out of the building. This routine gets old. Not to mention the fact that he/she will be on your mind now before, after and during class than they would have been if hadn’t ignored them. What he/she is doing will become your focus of attention for the next semester and that is not healthy.
Instead, be the first to say hello. Ask them how their summer was and try not to bring up anything that centers around the two of you and your past relationship. Even if the breakup was heinous and you never want to speak to this person again, it’s better to be their friend than to make them your enemy. Once the first conversation is over the rest is cake. You won’t even have to speak to them again, because you made them aware that you know they are there and despite the recent events in both of your lives, you’re cool with them being within 50 feet of you.
Be aware, however, if the breakup was confusing and left room for questions and future possibilities. You don’t want to fall into a trap and wind up back at their place watching movies till all hours of the night. You lived that part of your life once; it’s time to move on. Don’t let yourself fall into that old routine again. Be a friend, but don’t allow yourself to get too close this time around.
Seeing an ex again is a startling experience and can disrupt your entire day. The best advice I can give you is to remember to stay in control of the situation and think of how to maturely handle it. You can’t change the situation, so it’s better to keep in mind that you can be in control of your own feelings and can influence the situation in a positive way.
