1. You stopped clicking on articles like these.
When you know, you know. That means no more BuzzFeed quizzes, no more Cosmo articles that'll help you figure out if they were "the one that got away." If you've genuinely moved on from your former flame, you don't need anyone else to tell you so (except for me, please keep reading this).
2. You don't creep on their social media.
"But what if I just want to see how they're doing?" Shut it down. If they post anything, it'll find its way onto your timeline. There's no need to type their name into the search bar, and you know it. Scrolling through their latest Instagram posts, sliding into their DMs on twitter, or checking to see if you're still friends on Snapchat isn't going to speed up your heart's healing process, don't go there.
3. You don't go out of your way to drive by their house anymore.
Unless you live in the south and you're hoping to see them on a rocking chair on their front porch, why would you drive by their house in the first place? This isn't like picking petals off a flower. It's not like if their car is in the driveway, they still love you, but if their car is parked on the street, they love you not. Get out of there! What if they see you? You both know that their house is not on your way to any location you would normally go to. You better just drive over to Dairy Queen and get yourself a blizzard because you really need to chill.
4. You don't show up to places you think they'll be at so you can "accidentally" run into them.
"Oh my gosh, *insert Ex's name here* is that you? I totally didn't expect to see you at your place of work during the same shift you've had for 6 months every Sunday! Wow, what a coincidence!" There's pretty much no coming back from this one, so let's both just agree that was the last time.
5. You don't post on social media just so they'll see it.
There's no shame in a selfie, but posting a selfie or a tweet with the sole purpose of your ex seeing it isn't going to help you "win the breakup." The possibility of your ex thinking you look hot for a minute shouldn't determine whether or not you share that bikini picture or those gym gains. Post what you want to post, but leave your ex out of it. If them liking your photo or favoriting your tweet is all it would take to get back together, you wouldn't have broken up in the first place.
6. You don't get angry or sad when you hear their name or see them in person.
You might always have some kind of feelings for your ex, but they shouldn't have any power over you once you've moved on. It might've been this way in the past, but your self-worth isn't determined by their perception of you anymore. Your value isn't lessened if they don't wave when you see each other on campus. The only opinion that matters anymore is the one you have for yourself, and you're perfect (obviously).
7. You don't avoid new people or opportunities.
Moving on doesn't have to mean that you move on with someone. Move on to a new TV show that you can binge-watch. Move on to a new pizza topping. Move on to a more positive perspective. If you do end up meeting someone that you start having feelings for, the hurt you felt from your past break up might start to come back. You're scared to start over, you don't want to retell all of your old stories that your ex already knows, and you'll have to knock down the walls that you built during the break up. These things can either be terrifying, or the start of something new and special--it's up to you. Pain is just a reminder that you're going to heal eventually, and it's okay if some of these steps don't apply to you yet. Moving forward is a process, not a switch you can turn on or off. Take your time, love yourself, and one day you'll wake up, and it won't hurt anymore.
