It’s so much harder to get over your exes when social media exists. Even though you should mute (or delete) their accounts, the temptation to check in on them is overwhelming. You want to see what they’re up to without you. You want to check the background of their pictures to see who they’ve been hanging out with and whether they’ve found a replacement for you. You want to check for signs that they’ve been miserable without you, that they were crying their eyes out before the photo was taken. You want to know whether they’re having as much trouble moving on as you are or whether they’ve already forgotten about the good times you’ve shared.   In the modern world, you can’t escape the memories. Instagram and Facebook will remind you what you were doing at this exact time last year. They will show you evidence of how happy you were back when you were a couple. They will stir up memories that you were trying to forget. When this happens, it’s hard not to compare how different things feel now to how they felt in the past. It’s hard not to miss this person, even if they’re clearly the wrong person, when reminders pop out of nowhere.   And if your ex has been thinking about you too, you’ll know it. You’ll see their face in the corner of your stories. You’ll know that they’re still interested in what you’re up to, and you might start to overthink what it means. Are they watching your stories to see who won the breakup? Are they missing you, thinking about reaching out to you? Or did they tap past your story without even really paying attention? It’s hard not to think about them when social media makes it so easy to connect again, even on such a small level.   Plus, in the modern world, relationships usually aren’t over after the first breakup. This is a time of ghosting and almosts. It’s a time of on-again-off-again. Sometimes, the people you’re trying to put in the past run back to you just as you’re getting over them. They ruin all the progress you’ve made. You can’t keep them in your past when they keep popping up in your present.   In the modern world, it’s such a struggle to get over your exes. You’re never sure when they’re gone for good, so you’re never sure whether you should move on. There’s always a small glimmer of hope that things are going to work out in the long run. There’s always a question of whether things could be better a second time.   However, when you finally do get over this person, at least you’ll know it’s permanent. You’ll know running into them again won’t faze you because you’ve already seen all there is to see online. You’ll know that you can handle watching them live happily ever after with someone else because you’re ready to live happily ever after with someone else.   In the modern world, it’s incredibly hard to get over your exes — but it’s never impossible.