Sometimes, it’s possible to stay friends with an ex. Other times, it’s best for you to never speak again. If you fall into the latter category and are having trouble getting over your ex, here are a few ways to stop missing them so much:

1. Get rid of their photographs. Go through your social media feed and delete every single picture of you together. Go through your phone and do the same. If you want to hold onto the memories for the future, then download them to your computer and hide them away in a folder that you can’t access easily. The point is to get their pictures out of sight. You don’t want their photos to pop up on your social media memories and you don’t want to randomly come across them when you’re scrolling through your camera feed. You want their face far, far away. 

2. Delete them from social media. Block them. Mute them. Delete them. Whatever works. Just make sure you do this on every single social media platform — Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Snapchat, Twitter. Don’t leave any tethers to them. Don’t give yourself the chance to snoop on them when you’re bored or feeling lonely without them. While you’re at it, you should also delete their number from your phone. Take away your ability to contact them. If you keep them out of sight, it will be easier to keep them off your mind.

3. Put away (or give away) everything they’ve given you. Stop wearing the necklace they gave you if you can’t look at it without crying. Stop using the phone case they gave you if it makes you miss them. And stop wearing any outfits that remind you of the perfect dates you’ve had until the clothes are separate from the memory. You can give these things away, throw them in the trash, or put them in a box so you can look at them in the future when you’re over them. Just don’t keep them sitting around your room in plain sight. Hide them for a while.

4. Delete your joint accounts. You shouldn’t be sharing a Netflix or Disney Plus account with an ex you want to stop thinking about. You should change the password or create your own account. Separate yourself from them. Pay the extra few bucks in order to make your own account or share one with your friends.

5. Ask your friends not to mention them. Some friends will want to gossip whenever they see you. However, if you’re struggling to get over someone, give them a head’s up that you aren’t really interested in talking about the breakup anymore. Let them know the conversation is off the table. That way, your fun nights out won’t be ruined when they bring him up out of the blue.

6. Flirt with new people. You don’t have to jump into a new relationship right away but start putting yourself out there again. Harmlessly flirt. Play around. Show yourself that the person you left behind isn’t the only person in the world. You have other options. You haven’t ruined your one chance at love.