Breakups are hard enough, but what happens when you break up while living together? It can be hard to lose a partner and a house in one day, but you have to do whatever you can to achieve happiness. Here are some tips on how to move on and move out.
1. Don’t Discuss the House and the Breakup at Once
Although both the discussion of the home and the relationship are important, you owe it to your partner to tackle them individually. Have one conversation about your relationship. After the conversation is over, a few hours or even a day later you can bring up the discussion of moving.
2. Try to Leave Emotions Out of It
Trying to claim the house based on the fact that your partner was worse/more distant/etc. in your relationship won’t help anyone. This is a tough decision for both of you, so don’t start pointing fingers.
3. Don’t Keep Living Together
Living on a friend’s couch will be a much better idea down the line. You need to be away from your ex for your own mental health. Otherwise, you’ll both be confused, and you might end up in a hostile situation.
4. Get Storage Space
You probably won’t have a new place lined up for some time. Instead of leaving everything at your ex-house with your ex-partner, you should pack your belongings and rent a storage unit. This way, you’ll get a clean break, and you won’t have to coordinate schedules in the future to reclaim your stuff.
5. Seriously Consider Leaving
If this is an emotional breakup, do you really want to live in the place where you two used to be happy together? Everything comes with a memory attached, which will make the breakup harder. Having separation from the relationship and the house is simpler and less painful.
6. Don’t Take the Bed
It will be painful when you constantly think about all the memories. It will be awkward when you’re no longer single. It’s probably best to get a new one, but if you’re really attached to it—if you have the best night sleep ever on it and can’t imagine another mattress being as good—you can store it for a while until the emotions are weaker.
7. Stay Positive
You know this process will be difficult. It will probably end with a few fights, a few more tears, and you’ll be frustrated and angry. But you have to remember that this is all leading up to something good: your happiness. You won’t have to deal with the negatives of a relationship you don’t want to be in, and you’ll find a new place that you love and is all yours. And now you can decorate it the way you want, too. So keep that in mind, and smile through the pain. It’ll be over quickly, and then you can get back to the rest of an amazing life.
