Rebounds are almost necessary and beneficial for healing after a breakup as far as I’m concerned.

After a breakup, whether you’re the breaker or the break-ee, you start to compare and contrast everything with your ex-partner. Rebounds help reveal what was rare about sacred about a relationship, as well as the downfalls. When rebounding, you start to notice the little things like: “wow, my ex would’ve reacted to this situation so differently,” or, “my ex never made me feel this way.” And within those comparisons, comes clarity. Rebounds help wounded individuals sift through their feelings and sort them out. In fact, sometimes they can teach you more about your previous relationship than you learned while you were in it.

After a break up, sometimes it takes some time to get to the “glow up” stage when you realize you’re better off. That’s where rebounds come into play. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having someone there to point out your progress. Someone to cushion the hard blow, and the lack of good morning texts and good night kisses. A little bit of a confidence can go a long way in this vital stage. First, it can keep your mind off of your ex and from flooding his/her inbox. It can also make for some great insta-revenge pics. But more importantly, it can make you see a side of yourself that might’ve been dimmed by the over-bearing nature of a long-term relationship.

I’m not saying that rebounds should ever turn into something serious. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with watching someone come to life again- in fact, it’s one of the most beautiful things one could ever hope to experience. Sometimes rebounds can be carefree and exhilarating, because after a breakup you want to do everything you never did before. You want to defy all the boundaries you built in your previous relationships, and it’s so necessary to do that. You have to go out of your way to do things you never did, and in doing so, you’ll most likely feel emotions you never knew possible.

Most of the time when you rebound, your rebound knows they’re you’re rebound, and the beauty in that is, you both take it nice and easy. No triple-texting, no Sunday night dinners, no “want to meet my mom?” It’s low-key and that’s what everyone needs post-long-term relationship.

Some people look down on rebounds for the fact that it appears that the individual who is rebounding “can’t stand to be alone.” In reality, that’s not accurate. Rebounds teach you so much about yourself. They teach you about your relationship tendencies, your “type” (especially if he/she ends up being a total a-hole), and your spirit. By setting yourself free and diving into something that’s not binding, your inner-monologues become thick. You start to have epiphanies and realizations that are invaluable, because you’re waking up, and you’re almost getting to know yourself again. You’re realizing you don’t have to put up with bullshit, or the "same old love." You realize your inner-strength and most importantly, you realize the most important relationship of all is the one you have with yourself (even though it’s nice to have a hottie there to help ya get to that point).