50 Of The Most Petty And Entitled Things People Have Ever Texted Their Exes

We were curious about what someone should keep in mind when breaking up with their partner in order to end things as civilly as possible. Dan, the founder of The Modern Man project, was kind enough to share his take.

"Say something positive about the person (e.g. you're loyal, supportive, can be a lot of fun to be around) and then add in that you don't believe the relationship will work in the long run and as a result, you don't want to lead them on any more," he told Bored Panda.

"For you, the feelings you really wanted to experience in the relationship just weren't there. Then, wish them the best and say that you're sure they will find the right person for them."

The dating expert noted that the person being broken up with will usually end up saying something to the tune of, "But, you are the right person for me. Please just give me a chance."

"You can then say, 'I understand that you feel that way, but I don’t want to give you the impression that I will change my mind about this. It's over between us and I'm going to move on now because the feelings I really wanted to experience never happened in the relationship. I hope you can respect my decision to move on and then begin to move on when you are ready."

Meanwhile, we were curious about what someone might do if their ex continues to badger them after the breakup, expecting preferential treatment or simply having a hard time letting go.

"After a breakup, it's important to politely set and maintain boundaries to ensure that you're not sending mixed messages, or giving false hope," the expert said.

"For example: If an ex is asking you to give them a ride somewhere, or come as a plus one to a wedding, a polite response like this will usually help send the right message, 'You know I would have happily done that for you if we were a couple. Yet, we are broken up now, so it's no longer something I am available for. Thanks for understanding. All the best,'" the founder of The Modern Man told Bored Panda.

Rebecca Hendrix, a psychotherapist in New York City, told Glamour magazine that one thing that you should do is talk to your partner about the doubts you’re having about the relationship before you actually break up with them.

“I've seen people do ‘surprise breakups' where you think everything is amazing and then the person is like, I'm leaving today,” Hendrix explained that this sort of situation can be traumatizing and very hard to get over. Instead, by sharing your concerns and being honest about the situation, the break-up can be ‘cleaner’ or the relationship can actually end up being saved.

Meanwhile, New York Times bestselling author Mark Manson notes that you should always try to break up in person. “Yeah, it’s harder. But suck it up. And if possible, don’t do it in public. Being in public makes people feel limited in what they can express, whether it be final words they’d like to say to you, or dishes they’d like to break,” he writes.

According to Manson, the person who broke up with their partner shouldn’t try to make them feel better. “Once the relationship is severed, the other person’s emotions are no longer your responsibility. And not only is it no longer your responsibility to help them cope, but comforting them will likely make them feel worse. It can also backfire in that it will just make them resent you more for being so nice (while dumping them),” he explains.

There’s a huge range of reasons why someone might break up, even if the relationship seems picture-perfect from an outsider’s perspective. The couple might have very different goals in life, for instance. If one partner wants to move halfway across the world to pursue a career in art while the other wants to stay and take over the family business, things are bound to get rocky. Long-distance isn’t something that works for everyone.

And you need to be realistic and practical about whether or not you can make it work. Do you have the time and finances to travel and visit your partner? Are you going to be able to handle the loneliness? How are you going to juggle your calls when you live in radically different time zones?

Or the couple might disagree about some of the more important questions in life, like whether or not they want to get married and have kids. If you’re not on the same page regarding these things, odds are that there’s not much of a future for the two of you. At some point, you'll have to choose either your principles or the person you love.

You might have amazing chemistry, but unless one of you radically changes your values, it’s going to be tough moving forward. People can and do change their minds about building a family, but neither partner should feel like they have to pressure the other to conform to their choices. That’ll only lead to frustration and resentment.