When you know it’s time to let go

Breaking an attachment is hard because your life has started to include this person even when they aren’t physically there.

You get used to their presence in your head. Something happens and they’re the person you want to tell. You wonder what they’re doing, whether they’re thinking about you, if things could have gone differently. After a while, that connection becomes part of how you move through your day.

Getting out of it takes more than deciding you’re done.

There’s a point where you have to stop giving every feeling somewhere to go. Missing them doesn’t need to turn into checking on them or finding a reason to talk. Sometimes you just miss someone. It feels bad for a while, and then the feeling passes.

You’ll probably have days where you think you’re over it and then suddenly you’re right back in it. That’s normal. It takes time for your mind to stop expecting someone who used to take up so much space.

Eventually, you start having more of your own life back. They cross your mind without taking over the rest of your day. You stop wondering what everything means.

And somewhere along the way, you realize you’re not waiting anymore.