Is Your Ex Really Over You? 12 Signs They're Actually Pretending (2024)

Just because two people have broken up doesn't mean they've both made their peace with it and moved on. Is your ex sending you mixed messages? Or perhaps their behavior just seems off? If you suspect your ex is merely pretending to be over you, here are a few ways to know for sure.

Do exes really pretend to be over someone?

People deal with breakups in a myriad of ways, and if someone is looking to save face, then yes, they certainly may act like everything is fine and dandy. They may hold feelings of bitterness, want to get back together, or simply want to maintain their pride. And that goes for the person who was broken up with, and also for the person who did the breaking up. After all, ending a relationship isn't necessarily easy, and it still takes time to bounce back.

As therapist and relationship expertKen Page, LCSW, tells mbg, there are different ways people pretend to be over someone, whether they're lying to themselves, their ex, or other people in their lives. "And we do that because we want to be resilient and because it hurts so terribly to go through a breakup," he explains, adding it's not uncommon to try to move on quickly to a place of being over someone. Almost universally in the early stages, he says, we are not as "over" the person as we act like or rationalize we are.

Psychologist and relationship expert Margaret Paul, Ph.D., notes that pretending to oneself is the most common pretending of all. "I have worked with people who kid themselves into thinking they are over an ex when they really aren't," she says. "Many people don't want to do the inner work to really be over an ex" and simply pretend to have moved on.

Now, it's important to note that while people may be pretending or kidding themselves, this isn't always the case: It's possible that they have truly moved on. But to be sure, the following signs likely indicate your ex hasn't actually moved on and is at least partially pretending.

Signs to look out for:

Maybe they outright say they're doing well or give indications that they're happy, but their behavior says otherwise. If there are mixed signals, Page says that means there is not completion. "They are not happy because they haven't actually let go," Paul adds, "and they mightfind themselves ruminating about their ex, even though they claim to be over the person."

In most cases, breakups aren't only one person's fault, despite that being easy to believe. They might be blaming you entirely for the breakup, Paul notes, "which is a sign they have not come to terms with their part of thesystem that led tothe breakup."

Similar to blaming, Paul says anger is a sign that they have not moved on, which tracks with the grief stage of a breakup. Anger is part of the journey to acceptance and moving on, so if they're still holding anger, resentment, or bitterness, they haven't totally healed.

Is your ex persistently reaching out, asking for help, or just generally trying to maintain contact? According to Page, this is a good indicator that they're not over you. "They may be over you in terms of the romantic relationship," he adds, "but still need and want all the things you can give them."

Flirting should count as a major sign. Are they complimenting you or flirting with you the way they used to? Page says this is a likely sign their feelings are still there, and they are not over you.

As with flirting, Page says bringing up old memories you shared together in discussion is another sign they're not over you, even if they say they are. They're reminiscing, and even ruminating, and are simultaneously trying to draw you back in with memories of the good old days.

Do you still have some of their things? If they haven't asked for their stuff back or made time to give you your things back, they could be holding on to them sentimentally or pushing it off because they're in denial.

A truly wounded ex may go so far as to sabotage any new potential relationships you have. "I've heard this countless times where someone says they finally ended it with an ex who was unavailable, and the minute they start falling in love with someone else, their ex pops up again," Page tells mbg.

As you date someone, you get a sense of their social media presence (or lack thereof). Are they suddenly posting a lot more, and particularly posting things that make them seem like they're thriving without you? These posts could very well be targeted at you, Page says, to create the illusion that they're doing well.

And speaking of social media, you've probably witnessed the silent acknowledgment of a breakup on Facebook or Instagram. Without explanation, someone's Facebook suddenly says they're single, or all of their Instagram pictures with their significant other are gone. If your ex still has your pictures up, they may be struggling to let go.

If you don't see your ex regularly, this will often come through on social media. If they're posting things shortly after breaking up that indicate they're with someone else, Page says, it could be in an attempt to get your attention or make you jealous.

And of course, are they acting like life has never been better? Sure, some people can cope with a breakup faster than others, but "if they're seemingly as happy as a clam, it could be a way of expressing their ambivalence" toward the breakup, Page says.

What to do about it.

If it seems like your ex is indeed pretending to be over you, you might be wondering what to do. And this greatly depends on what you want, as well. But firstly, Page says it's important not to look so deeply into the signs that their true behavior becomes blurry to you.

"Listen to what your partner says," he notes, "because even if underneath there are still a lot of feelings for you, they're going to act as if that's not true. So take that really seriously—take their words really seriously because there's a deep tendency to hope for something different, but their words and behaviors are mostly all you have to work with."

At the end of the day, whether you want closure, to get back together, or for them to stop reaching out, a conversation should probably be had. "Maybe you ask your ex [if they're pretending to be over you] directly, or you be brave and vulnerable enough to express what it is that you are feeling," Page notes.

Ask yourself what you need, and be open and honest with them. "Ask them any question you have. That's a really important thing for people to know. In a breakup you have a right to ask yourself, What do I need for resolution?" Page says.

How to move on.

Firstly, if you're struggling to get over your ex and hoping they're only just pretending to be over you, "that's the degree to which you're not keeping the focus on yourself, and your ex is becoming more important than your own well-being," Page explains.

But according to him, "the biggest tip for moving on from a relationship is being able to ask for clarity and truth and to ask for clarity and truth in a kind and caring way." When you get the closure you wanted, and know it's time to step away, set any boundaries you may need.

After that, there's virtually always inner work to be done in order to fully move on. Focus on loving yourself after a breakup, both for the sake of honoring your authentic self, but also knowing it will only help you attract someone better suited to you next time around, Paul says. When we don't do this necessary inner work, she adds, we likely either "won't move on or will choose a similar relationship next time around."

If you think you might want to get back together—and your ex does, too—it's important to get very clear on what went wrong the first time around and how things will be different going forward. (Check out our full guide on how to know whether you should get back together.)

The bottom line.

At the end of the day, no one can read minds. Even if your ex is pretending to be over you, you don't necessarily know the exact motivation. So, the only way to truly get to the bottom of it is to communicate about it, ask for whatever it is you need, and stay true to yourself.