The movie Wedding Crashers infamously coined the term Stage Five Clinger, and, from that single event, millions of loving-but-needy individuals witnessed the screeching halt of their dating lives. The kind of people who would say things like You kissed me on our first date, does that not mean we’re getting married? or I know we only slept together once, but where do you think we should vacation when we have a family? types. The ones who would think nothing of calling you 173 times a day, confirming your plan to confirm your plan for dinner and reminding you to take your calcium pill because, “babe, bone density loss prevention starts now.” Read More »

After spending a portion of my day listening to a friend detail a particularly painful break-up she’s currently going through, giving her the best advice I could while recognizing her little painful moments all too well, I started thinking about the process of breaking up itself.

Not the actual nuts and bolts of the deed, those always vary, but the way we react afterward.

No matter who we are, our pain tends to mirror each other during these times. We make the same decisions, fall into the same bad habits, give ourselves the same pep talks, and feel the general sh*ttiness so strongly that most of us, by our mid-twenties, have experienced some kind of life really can’t go on moment.

When a girlfriend goes through a break-up, we give advice, comfort her, but most of all, completely understand what she’s feeling. We completely understand, and never really want to go there again (although most of us will, according to the numbers. Damn you statistics! I knew I got a B- in your class for a reason!).

So certain that we all share the same brain when devastated, author Sandra Ann Miller has written a book, A Girlfriend’s Guide to Getting Over Him, in which she lists “10 essential ground rules to prevent the recently jilted from making the most common breakup mistakes”. The rules are listed here. Read More »