They threw everything out. This group preferred to pitch everything, regardless of whether they ended the relationship, or were sad about the ending. They wanted to disconnect, compartmentalize and put the past behind them. One man called it the “get rid of it all and move on” technique.

They got rid of everything but engaged in a cleansing ritual by dramatically discarding a few items. This group acted out their pain by engaging in a behavior that felt empowering. This strategy was highly correlated to feeling “used/betrayed/abused/ manipulated” in the relationship. People often chose to engage in an experience that purged the negative break-up energy. Some of the women described lighting fires, cutting things up, dropping items off cliffs and buildings, and burning objects and spreading the ashes.

Endings are complicated. It is difficult to deal with why something that once felt so good went south. But when you are faced with this circumstance, you will figure out what is the best way to handle all the mementos that you accumulated during the relationship and decide whether you want to do a box run to a packing company, give your local Goodwill donation center a visit, or create a bonfire and torch a few things. As long as your destruction is reserved solely for inanimate objects and won’t cause any physical harm, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

Curated by Erbe
Original Article