How do you deal with the temptation to contact your ex?

It's tempting to want to connect with someone we've shared our life with. Even if that person isn't actually the best type or person. Keep in mind they're out of your life for a reason. Maybe they weren't the best to or for you. Don't jeopardize your happiness and sanity only to begin travelling backwards.

To resist from contacting my ex, I deleted their number and called my phone provider to block their number. That way, we can not contact each other. I avoid places that I know he will be.

There are so many ways to reach out to a person nowadays, that it is more difficult to resist spying on an ex online to see what they are up to, especially if you have emotions towards them that you haven't managed to work through yet, be it missing them, anger, jealousy, or something else. If you want to ensure you don't contact them, the first steps I would personally take in that situation would be to remove their info from my phone and block and remove them from social media accounts, in addition to putting away items that may cause me to think of them (photos, mementos, etc.). There is something to be said for "out of sight, out of mind". The less things that cause you to think of that person, the more likely you will be able to avoid dwelling on them to the result that you feel compelled to contact them. Other ways I have dealt with a breakup have been to find solace in my friends and family and keep busy doing things that I love, that I may have stopped doing while in that relationship. I have found these to be really helpful ways to move past a breakup and become happy in my own life again.

Remove all ways of communication with your ex until you are good and ready to communicate once again.

It's difficult, but going No Contact is worth it in the end. Blocking their number, unfollowing them on social media, etc. will help you realize that they are no longer a part of your life. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but you want to make sure that you're not stopping every few steps, getting lost in the dark, because of your ex.

I think about exactly what I would say and how he would respond to it. Then I go and do something like make some toast and saying it out loud and thinking about how they would respond to that. I end up never texting him what I have said out loud after thinking about it for a while, because I know that I dont really need to say it, and that they dont really need to hear it.

Remember what he have done to you, and it's already over.. Some things can not change.. You have to accept this and move on with your life.

I write my ex letters, that I never send. In the form of a journal. Can you imagine what you'd say to your ex if you were still together, the day to day stuff? The big stuff? Can you imagine what you'd say to your ex about the breakup? What questions would you ask your ex? You can fill countless letters with all of this and more, and if you re-read them after time has passed, you might be shocked to find out how loving and kind you are, or how great you are at expressing your anger. Those are skills you can take with you into future relationships.

Looking into the past can sometimes be a dangerous venture, leading to impulsive behavior - sometimes this includes contacting previous partners. If that impulse enters my mind, I do my best to remember that I am thinking of a particular memory or time in which things were going right with that particular person. Triggering a positive memory is a delight, but projecting that positiveness on an ex-partner and shadowing the reasons you broke up is a dangerous road. I try my best to fight the urge to contact previous partners by looking ahead of the conversation - what would I personally benefit from speaking to them? Am I remembering them in their true character, or projecting a better version of them in my mind? After answering some underlying questions, and determining my intentions, the feeling has usually passed and I am back on track to live life on life's terms.