How To Break Up With Someone You Love: 5 Essential Steps

There are few situations in life as disappointing as realizing that the person you're with is just not right for you. It's hard to wrap our heads around, but it's very common to feel emotionally attached to someone, strongly attracted to them, but also be aware, deep in your gut, that the relationship isn't a net positive force in your life. Nobody ever teaches us how to leave someone you love but can't be with. This process is different from how to break up with someone in any other context.

This is the hardest part. In order to break ties with someone to whom you are very attached, you'll need to get uncomfortably honest with yourself. You need to be willing to look clearly at the things in the relationship that aren't working and also at the ways you've been justifying your partner's behavior or the relationship generally.

Have you been lowering your standards and accepting far less than you deserve? Imagine you're helping your best friend gain perspective on their relationship. What would you be pointing out to them about their partner?

Take a heartfelt inventory of how much pain, anxiety, sadness, and disappointment you've been experiencing (or suppressing). Accept that you are no longer willing to have that as part of your daily experience.

When we experience extreme pain in relationships, we tend to make up stories that allow us to stay in the cocoon of the relationship. That way, we can avoid feeling like we are betraying ourselves.

For example, we may think things like, "I've never experienced such intense emotion with someone, so they must be my soul mate. There are always difficulties with your soul mate, right?" Or "If I let go of this relationship, I will never experience this depth of love with anyone again."

The truth is that the attachment and dependency you feel may be intensified because of the "myths" about your partner and/or the relationship that you've had to create unconsciously as a way of dealing with the difficulties. Ask yourself honestly if the "pros" of the relationship you think about are a way of justifying it, despite your pain.

In my coaching work with couples, I've seen firsthand the very destructive power of hanging onto relationships that aren't ultimately right for those involved. When you feel emotionally tied to someone who brings more pain than goodness into your life, you create a vicious cycle: attachment breeding fear of separation, which then fuels further attachment and codependency.

Letting go of someone who's meeting several of your needs is virtually impossible to do unless you identify other essential needs that you have that are not being met or that could be met at a higher level.

To get to a place where this feels easier, you may first want to examine the needs your current partner has been meeting in your life. From there, you can consider healthier alternatives. Is the relationship meeting your needs for security and safety? A sense of adventure and passion? Do you feel validated and unique by the way they treat you (some of the time), or perhaps it's more a sense of connecting with someone so you don't have to be alone?

Life changes in the world of romantic intimacy trigger deep fear and vulnerability in us. Asking someone or a small group of people to have your back and be there for you during this painful transition can be the difference between making it with strength and self-trust, or not.

If and when you realize that you've run out of options to fix your relationship, it's time to make a decision. If you take some time to brainstorm different solutions on paper for the logistical courses of action you need to take, you will feel significantly more empowered.

Do you need to move out? Do you need to hire a lawyer? If finances are involved, what might the transition look like? Oftentimes, we feel like we have to decide between two bad choices. However, there's always a third choice if you're willing to dig deep.

Moving forward doesn't have to wait until you have a perfect plan because—let's face it—there's no perfect plan nor a perfect time to do this. Breathe, move, and connect to the vision of the future that you want. From this emotional space, you can then have a conversation with your partner.