Letting Them Down Easy

Breaking up is never an easy thing to go through, no matter how amicable it might be. It can be messy, painful and it’s definitely a tough pill to swallow. But it’s the reality and when things aren’t working out, it’s best not to force it. You’ve probably been through heartbreak and a failed relationship so you know how much it can hurt. There are a few things to do, to at least ease the pain of the person you’re trying to break up with.

Be honest

Honesty is always the key. Letting someone down easy, doesn’t mean telling people sweet lies and giving them false hope. It’s always best to be honest about the reasons why you want to break up and tell them that you’re not into them instead of telling them ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ type of excuse. Remember, we’re trying not to bruise a person’s ego, at least not too much, so be honest and wrap it up nicely. You don’t want to string them along and make them wait for your circumstances to change, when you know they won’t.

Be polite

Just because it didn’t work out for one reason or another, that doesn’t mean that you should be an asshole towards them. Try to be polite about the whole situation. After all, this isn’t a random person, it’s someone you’ve shared an emotional connection with and shared intimate moments. Even if it’s someone who approaches you and you’re not interested in them, why not be polite in your rejection? It takes a lot of courage for someone to approach you, so value and respect that.

Be constructive

Constructive criticism should be practiced always. Sometimes people can’t understand what they’re doing is wrong so it’s sometimes good to point it out for them. Constructive criticism should be on things they can change and providing them with a solution on how to change it could truly help them out in the long run. Instead of just criticising rudely, which would essentially hurt their ego, you should offer them a way to change. They might be mad, but in the end you’ll probably get a thanks.

They will still probably be mad

It’s inevitable that some people will be mad, even though you tried to make it easier on them. Because let’s face it, it’s not easy to break up with someone. They will get angry, expletives will be exchanged and they might even lash out but you should try to not agitate the situation any further. Be sympathetic as you’ve probably been through the same and while you can’t make it hurt any less, you can by all means not make it worse. Remember that dating should be fun and while breaking up is painful, you don’t wanna be that person who breaks them beyond repair and makes them fear date again.