You should never give an ex-partner access to your social networking profile. Here’s why...

UNFRIEND YOUR EX!

You should never give an ex-partner access to your social networking profile. Here’s why...

    It may be fashionably cool to include an ex in your friends’ list, but experts warn against the idea. A survey by Dr Tara Marshall and her team found that those who remained ‘friends’ with an ex on social networking websites were more distressed and took longer to move on, compared to those who immediately clicked ‘unfriend’.
    She explained: “Our findings suggest that exposure to an ex-partner through social networking websites may obstruct the process of healing after a relationship ends.” Here’s why you should hit delete as soon as you break up.
It’s emotionally taxing: Your relationship may be over, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve gotten over your feelings. Nishita Shah, a banker, said, “I thought it would be okay to have my ex among my online friends. But I couldn’t bear to see him partying with his friends after we broke up. One day, there was a photograph of him with some girls. That’s when I decided to sever all ties.”
Doesn’t let you move on: Experts say by remaining friends online, you are clinging on to the hope that your ex still wants to be in a relationship with you. Priyesh Desai recalled his experience, “My ex-girlfriend, who was in my friends’ list, would post messages saying she missed me. Later, she started uploading pictures and tagging me. I found it difficult to move on, because she kept reminding me of the good times we shared. My friends then insisted that I delete her from my friends’ list. She must have been upset, but I had to do it.”
It gives an ex access to your life: By not ‘unfriending’ your ex, you give him/her access to your life. Whether you are holidaying, working, partying or in a new relationship, your ex gets to know everything about you. It also tempts you to keep a tab on your partner’s life.
    Dilshad K, a BPO employee, said, “My relationship didn’t end amica bly. I realised that my ex was constantly visiting my profile to check where I was. I found that very unhealthy and decided to unfriend her.”
It can disrupt your new relationship: The biggest repercussion of having your ex among your online friends is that it can have an adverse effect on your present relationship. Deepak Shanbag learnt it the hard way. He said, “I was in touch with my ex online, but my current girlfriend didn’t like it. She gave me an ultimatum, because she felt insecure. So, I had to delete my ex.”

Exposure to an ex-partner on social networking websites may obstruct the process of healing after break-up