What To Do If Ex-Girlfriend Wants To Be Friends

You've gone through the pain of breaking up, and now you are uncertain what to do if your ex-girlfriend wants to be friends. You may find the idea of being friends repugnant, especially if you broke up with her for whatever reason. It may also be too painful for you to be friends with your ex-girlfriend, especially if she broke your heart.

1. Decide whether or not you want to be friends with her. She can't be friends with you unless you show some interest in doing so as well. You may need to weigh the pros and cons in order to make your decision. For instance, if you find yourself still incredibly attracted to her, your friendship may not work out. But, if you were able to end the relationship with no hard feelings and no attraction remaining, you may do all right.
2. Hang out together with a group. If you and your ex-girlfriend decide to be friends, don't go out on "dates" alone. The situation can be just too awkward for either of you to handle or one of you may forget that you're just friends and try to push things back into the relationship zone.
3. Establish boundaries with your ex. Some ex-girlfriends want to be friends while some want to be friends with benefits. Make sure your ex-girlfriend is clear on what she wants. You may find a friends with benefits situation makes it more difficult to get over her and move on and will be further complicated should you ever meet a new woman.
4. Tell her no and move on. If you try being friends and it just doesn't work, either because you still have feelings or really don't like her anymore, find a polite way to duck out of it. Say you're busy when she calls and asks if you want to hang out. If she doesn't get the hint, stop returning her calls or answering when you know it's her. Sometimes, you need to cut someone out completely in order to  move on.