Be Prepared

If the handwriting is on the wall -- you sense it's over though you're not ready to admit it-- how can you prepare yourself? For starters, ask for feedback. Be blunt; ask him if the signals you think you are detecting are the ones that he wants to be sending. If you have to force to the conversation, you probably have your answer right there.

Prepare yourself for being alone by rekindling those friendships that you may have neglected during your relationship. Also make an effort to make new friends that have no connection to the two of you. Protect yourself from constant reminders of your ex. If you and your soon-to-be-former lover have "your" special places, try going there with other friends to establish a new association in your mind. It is too easy to get sentimental about the restaurants, movie houses, and hang-outs where you used to meet. "Detoxify" these places, or after a few relationships you may find yourself without any place to go! If you are handed one of the five lines below, don't beg or plead. Realize he or she wants the relationship over. You can ask for more explanation, but really what you want is to know it was once real, you once were loved, and still can be lovable. Hopefully you'll get some reassurance, but accept the end and move on.