How To Deal With Instagram Posts Of Your Ex

So your BF wound up fucking with your heart; Your beans-on-toast-on-demand guy has taken his non-cooking talents to some other girl; Your once-promising relationship has been carelessly flung into the bottom of the wheelie bin. That shit ain't easy. But you're doing okay – you've realized this loser's not worth your tears and you're beginning to move on. There's just one remaining issue standing between you and complete closure: the painful Instagram evidence of your failed relationship. WTF to do? There's just three options: keep, delete or archive. But when every picture is a bittersweet memory, making the decision isn't anywhere near as easy as it sounds.

Don't stress. We're here to walk you through all of your options so that you can clear out your clutter (or not) with a much clearer head.

Keep

Maybe your break-up didn't end on such bad terms as the scenario above. Maybe your ex-man just wanted to move on, broke-up with you respectfully and sensitively and still values you as a friend. In this case, you need to put yourself in the shoes of you in a few months time. When the emotional connection you felt has all but faded away, will you still value those memories? That person may not be in your life anymore, but at one time they were an important part of your life – is it worth erasing your past? Plus, you might look really fine in some of those pics – are you willing to sacrifice some of your most bomb pictures for a guy who's no longer around?

Delete

If you're still really emotionally invested in this person, deleting can save a hell of a lot of heartache – especially if the relationship ended in a bad way. In this case, you really don't want to be shedding extra tears over the sharp-cornered square reminders laying in wait within your phone. You need to focus on moving forward without being dragged into an uncomfortable past – the past is done, finished, kaput – what matters is the here and now. And FYI, if you do decide to take this course, the same goes for Facebook – you don't want to be receiving constant updates on his life without you in it, although we'll bet he ain't nearly as happy as he's trying so hard to make out.

Archive

Archiving is the trickiest choice because it requires a cool head and a lot of foresight. Perhaps your relationship has ended badly but deep down you know that months – even years – in the future, you'll find your way to being friends again. You certainly don't need any sickly sweet reminders of your relationship in your face right now, but you don't want to erase good memories. This is also a good temporary solution if you are still horribly undecided between the previous options. If this is the case, archive that shit – chances are when you do eventually remember about the pictures, all of those strong emotions will have faded.

Next up, Is Your Relationship Over? Here's What to Do Next