11 Habits Of Every Ex After You Meet Someone New

So you’ve finally gotten over that not-so-special someone and are moving on. But you might as well be sending your ex

an invite, because they’re inevitably going to resurface.

A lot of factors can throw an otherwise calm person into reactionary mode: the finality of the breakup, the seeming need to rebound first, your accessibility via mutual friends or social media. It doesn’t (necessarily) make them a bad person; it doesn’t even (necessarily?) mean they want you to be unhappy.
Just don’t let their reactions be detrimental to your new romance. Knowing what to prepare for, even if you’re unable to control it, can help make the transition into a new relationship easier for everyone involved.

They become very active on social media.
Despite being relatively silent on social media during your relationship, they’re suddenly blowing up Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. If you’ve managed to remain cordial enough to not block, unfollow or unfriend each other, they probably know you’re going to see it — whether it’s overly flattering pictures of themselves, updates flaunting the single life or depressing posts about a life forever alone.All these posts are meant to get your attention, and reacting might make this situation worse. Unless your ex is bothering you directly, ignore them … and they will tire themselves out eventually.
They start working out. Like, a lot.
Working out is a common response to a relationship ending, and some people need a competitive push from a third party (in this case, the new person you’ve been dating). If your ex didn’t exercise much before, all those gym selfies may be meant to entice you back … or meant to intimidate your new suitor. Hopefully their intentions shift away from desperately showing off — and more towards general self-improvement — over time.
They will drunk dial.
Their 2 a.m. phone calls weren’t cute when you were dating them, and they’re definitely not cute now that you’re with someone else. As much as you want to pity someone for doing this (hey, you’ve been there), encouraging this type of contact by answering doesn’t provide closure for anyone involved. It’s best to shut down over-served conversations immediately.
They will find stuff of yours to return/need something back.
You’ve already exchanged breakup boxes, but all that stuff missing from yours has conveniently “turned up.” Whether your ex wants to return your possessions or demand theirs back, what they really want is an excuse to see you. If you’re over the relationship, the odds are you’re over the stuff lost along the way. Try to gauge whether or not seeing each other will help your ex get closure and move on — and if not, there’s always the post office.
They will suddenly need “a favor.”
After going out of their way to show that they don’t need you post-breakup, now all of a sudden you’re the only person they can go to with a problem. Whether it’s an imagined or legitimate crisis, the timing of it all would make anyone feel manipulated. Ask yourself if you’re really the only person they could go to … and if that’s not the case, then exercise caution when getting involved at all.
They will show up in places where you used to show up together.
When the relationship ended, you informally divided custody of your assets — friends and food spots, mostly — to avoid future turf wars. Now your ex is violating this agreement all over the place, and it’s weirding your friends and bartenders out.
They will try to hook up ASAP — maybe even with your friends.
Finding out that an ex is not only having sex, but consistent sex with someone else, can make anyone hyper-competitive. Understand where it’s coming from, and don’t take their jealousy bait — it’s probably not worth sabotaging something new for.
They will try to get back together.
Provoked by the new person of interest in your life, your ex may take a more emotional approach and attempt to reconcile completely. It’s probably too little, too late. Gently remind them (and yourself) that you cared about each other but broke up for a reason, and that reason is still pretty solid.
They will show their crazy side.
Breakups are hard, and we’ve all acted in ways that we’re not proud of after heartbreak. Be cautiously compassionate about it, but do your best not to engage with any insane behavior that comes up. Unless you feel threatened, assume they’re just getting it out of their system.
They will attempt to be “friends.”
Even when we want to be friends with an ex, sometimes that’s not possible until you’re both in other relationships. Maybe you two can be buddies someday, but if they seem a little too emphatic that they have zero romantic feelings anymore, that day probably hasn’t come yet.
They will bring their new person around.
If you have mutual friends and social overlap, then there’s context for this. Your ex may have quietly started a new thing already and didn’t feel it was necessary to alert you (which is a good sign) or was just waiting for you to catch up before showing off. Appreciate the fact that you two can move on like adults and be happy for each other.

If you’re not in the same social circle and there’s no context for this type of run-in, then it is possibly a weird power move. Be happy the person you’re with now is a step up from that nonsense.