{"id":132390,"date":"2018-07-16T13:47:21","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T12:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.society19.com\/uk\/?p=132390"},"modified":"2018-12-11T17:23:23","modified_gmt":"2018-12-11T17:23:23","slug":"is-it-okay-to-be-friends-with-an-ex-while-in-a-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.society19.com\/uk\/is-it-okay-to-be-friends-with-an-ex-while-in-a-relationship\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Okay To Be Friends With An Ex While In A Relationship?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every relationship is different, and ex\u2019s are even trickier, especially if they\u2019re sticking around. There\u2019s no catch-all yes or no answer about whether it\u2019s \u2018okay\u2019 to stay friends with an ex, but here are some quick tips so you can assess the situation and weigh it up yourself. Is it okay to be friends with an ex while in a relationship? Let see…<\/p>\n

Not all relationships end badly.<\/h2>\n

Just because it doesn\u2019t work out romantically doesn\u2019t mean that platonic love can\u2019t hang around. Sometimes you realise you\u2019re better as friends, it\u2019s a matter of circumstance, or you\u2019re just growing in different directions. There doesn\u2019t have to be big betrayal or screaming fight to end things. \u00a0\u00a0Your ex was a massive part of your life. Even if your relationship changes your history doesn\u2019t go away. \u00a0It\u2019s okay to still care about them.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/h6>\n

Even if it did end badly.<\/h2>\n

It can actually reflect pretty well on you if you can still act like an adult and get one, even care, for someone who hurt you, because that doesn\u2019t mean caring goes away. It\u2019s important to make sure any toxicity that caused the relationship to end doesn\u2019t seep into the friendship though- if it does, its absolutely okay to cut it off.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Treat them like a friend<\/h2>\n

Yes, you were once in a relationship and they mattered the most to you, but you need to renegotiate the nature of your relationship if you\u2019re trying to move on to a new one. Set new boundaries and stick to them even if it takes some time to readjust, be strict with yourself.<\/p>\n

\n<\/h6>\n

Have some distance.<\/h2>\n

You can\u2019t get over someone and reform to a friendship without first having some time to grieve the romantic relationship- even if you were the dump-er and not the dump-ee ,and had been over the relationship for longer than you\u2019d like to admit.\u00a0 Even if you\u2019ve decided you want to be friends right away, tell them you need space so that they\u2019re not left in the dark, mute (no need to block) them on social media, and take three weeks for yourself to process your feelings and start getting used to life without them. This will let you not fall into the trap of treating your new friendship like a relationship without the labels.<\/p>\n

\n<\/h6>\n

Be honest<\/h2>\n

With your new partner, be open and reassure them that you\u2019re not hung up on your ex and that they\u2019re not a rebound (and make sure they\u2019re not!). Of course, your partner can\u2019t tell you who to be friends with- it\u2019s a warning sign of a controlling relationship. But it\u2019s okay for them to be a bit anxious about your relationship with your ex. Nobody wants to be the inbetween, no one wants to feel like they\u2019re standing in the way of something else and no one likes feeling anxious and insecure. It\u2019s important to be open with them about the nature of your relationship with your ex and reassure them that extra bit more than you think they need. And be honest with yourself. Are you sure you\u2019re over them? Are you harbouring any feelings? Make sure to check in with yourself, honestly. After reflecting on your feelings, what do you think,\u00a0is it okay to be friends with an ex while in a relationship?<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch your priorities<\/h2>\n

Whose feelings are you more conscious of- your partners or your exs? If your relationship with your ex causing tension? Who is your go to person? Are you completely honest with your partner? \u00a0Open communication is always key. When you ask yourself,\u00a0is it okay to be friends with an ex while in a relationship, what comes to your mind first?<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t really go wrong with honesty, caring and consideration. As long as you\u2019re checking in with yourself and your partner in a way that works for you both then of course you can absolutely remain friends with your ex whilst in a new relationship. It\u2019s tricky and you have to watch yourself from slipping into old, easy feelings and patterns but it absolutely can be done.<\/p>\n

What do you think,\u00a0is it okay to be friends with an ex while in a relationship? Let us know in the comments!<\/h2>\n

Featured Image Source: weheartit<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every relationship is different, and ex\u2019s are even trickier, especially if they\u2019re sticking around. There\u2019s no catch-all yes or no answer about whether it\u2019s \u2018okay\u2019 to stay friends with an ex, but here are some quick tips so you can assess the situation and weigh it up yourself. Is it okay to be friends with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22412,"featured_media":132391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1805],"tags":[12252,10535,14531,14018,8775,14222],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-132390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships","tag-bad-relationship","tag-cheating","tag-couple","tag-healthy-relationship","tag-love","tag-past-relationship"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs It Okay To Be Friends With An Ex While In A Relationship?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it okay to be friends with an ex while in a relationship? 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