Running into your ex can be a daunting, strange and awkward experience. Everyone dreads it, but everyone is looking out for him or her, right? Whether it’s on the small ecosystem that is the campus of your college (you could run into them all the time) or on Facebook, running into the ex is inevitable. The real question is how to run into them with grace and poise.

Running into them alone can be by far the hardest way to run into the ex. One on one can be the weirdest, especially if it’ a recent breakup. If it’s a recent break you could run into two problems. The first one is that they have a new person in their life – or persons.  This could be devastating, because the jealousy could cripple you or make you really angry. The second is that they still like you and you still like them and you run into the problem of going back to their place or yours and sleeping with them. This is a huge mistake because you will immediately regret it afterward. The best thing to do in this situation is to realize that you broke up with them for a reason and if they are with someone else be happy for them.

Another difficult way to run into the ex is if they are walking with the new person in their life. You could just walk by them and make casual, discreet eye contact with a little nod as a sign of mutual respect or you could go up and say hello. Going up and saying hello can be a sign that you are secure and confident. At the end of the day, you want to feel confident. Conquering jealousy and awkwardness will give you a new sense of power and increase your self-esteem. You have to realize that you have yourself and everything happens for a reason.

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