How to End a Rebound Relationship

There is hardly a person who has never had a rebound relationship in his or her life. Rebound relationships are very painful and very unfair for the rebound date. There are many ways to get over an ex, as Mary Coussons-Read, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Colorado, Denver tells about, and a rebound relationship is certainly the worst of them. Starting a rebound relationship to forget an ex is not only mean, but it also almost never works. This is why it is almost always best to end a rebound relationship as soon as possible. However, this is not always easy and there are some intricacies to consider.

What Should a Partner Do as a Rebound Date

When a partner is in a relationship he or she feels is a rebound relationship for the other party, the discovery could be a little painful. It is neither pleasant, nor fair for anybody to realize that he or she is in a relationship only because the other partner needs somebody to date in order to forget his or her ex.

One might be rightfully angry to be a rebound date and even though one partner could try to give the other partner some time to adapt, it is not very likely that the rebound relationship will evolve into a relationship of love and understanding. If the rebound date decides to give the other partner a chance, he or she should be prepared that the other partner might never get over his or her ex.

A delicate statement that the other partner needs more time before he or she starts a new relationship is the most graceful way for a rebound date to end the relationship.

How the One Who Started the Rebound Relationship Should Gracefully Quit It

The second case of ending a rebound relationship is when the party who started it wants a way out. One reason for that is a reunion with the ex. Another reason is the feeling that the rebound relationship is so unhappy that it makes no point to pursue further. In any case, it is not the fault of the rebound date that he or she is being dumped. That is why the whole situation should be handled as gracefully as possible.

There is hardly a graceful way to end a rebound relationship when the other party is not at fault, but still one should try to be as tactful as possible. One of the most important messages to communicate to the other partner is that they are a great person and it is my no means their fault that the relationship end. Many people won’t care when a rebound relationship ends, but still it feels unfair to get dumped only because the other partner has managed to get over his or her ex and now doesn’t need a fake relationship anymore.

In any case, no matter on which end of the rebound relationship a lover is, such a relationship is doomed from the beginning and it really makes no sense to keep it artificially alive. A rebound relationship should be ended as quickly as possible – preferably without seriously impacting both parties and before both lovers start making plans for the future they have together.