Can You Really Stay Friends With An Ex?

We say a lot of things when breaking up with someone, in order to soften the blow.

“It’s not you, it’s me” is a perennial favorite. As is, “I still love you, I just can’t be with you.” And then, of course, there’s “But we can still be friends.”

But can we? Can we really still be friends with an ex?

The short answer, I think, is no. There are exceptions to this — as there are exceptions to nearly everything — but, generally speaking, trying to maintain a friendship with someone you were in a romantic relationship with is usually a bad idea. Here’s why: