Dating Life

Does the thought of your ex pop up over and over again in your mind? Do you find yourself grabbing for the mobile phone whenever you've had a few drinks, frantically typing in the words "Wanna hook up?" at 3am? Do you tear up old photos of you two together (only to piece them back together when you're feeling sad), constantly compare them to your new beau (especially in the bedroom), and are unable to push them out of your mind no matter how many blind dates, hook-ups and hallucinogens you might have had? Then you could be suffering from the dreaded Syndrome Ex.

Truth be told, I don't know anyone (aside from one friend who married their high school sweetheart), who doesn't suffer from the dreaded symptoms of Syndrome Ex.

There's the waking up in a sweat after having a nightmare (which involved the two of you getting back together); the shaking and tensing up whenever you pass the old favourite haunt where the two of you hung out, and the incessant driving by their place in the hope of not catching them ensconced in a passionate kiss with someone else (otherwise known as stalking). After all, it's only been a mere two/five/ten years since you broke up. Yikes.

Of course they say that after a break-up you should never return to the scene of the crime. As 19th century writer Charles Caleb Colton famously put it: "Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship - never." Yet these days, with people racking up more exes on their belts than skeletons (and shoes) in Paris Hilton's closet, it seems these old-fangled ex-rules might no longer apply. I mean seriously, if we shunned all our exes, would there be anyone left for us to hang out with?

The problem is that even if we tried deleting them from our mental inboxes, it's almost an impossible task. Even if they snored, made passes at our friends, or were a complete and utter nutcase, somehow they still manage to linger on (and on and on) in our psyches and smiling at us from our Facebook page. So is it ever possible to truly let go?

A male friend of mine believes not.
"The only way I was ever going to get over my ex was to move, or move back in together."
And so he did.

Which brings us to sex with the ex. To do it, or not to do it? Now that is the question! Some say it should be avoided at all costs. Others admit that sometimes (especially on special holidays), rekindling an old flame might just be the thing to combat your single woes. Just ensure you don't expect a proposal afterwards...

If you are still hung up on your ex, check out Samantha Brett's 30-Day Ex Detox Diet in her new book 'The Chase' (published by Allen and Unwin). Buy the book at www.allenandunwin.com.