The Femme Files

Confessions of a Serial Rebounder

How long is ‘long enough’ between relationships?

I was once told after a breakup, “The best way to get over a guy is to get under a new one.” This got me thinking about breakups and rebounds…is it appropriate to rebound? From experience, it certainly does help to get over a breakup. However, at the expense of mending your own heart you could seemingly be breaking another.

This proved to be the situation for me.

Truth be told, “All’s fair in love and war” came to my rescue by helping me justify my impetuous behaviour. I was in emotional turmoil and needed an escape. So when that cute guy caught my eye from across the grocery store, I leaped at the chance for him to fill the hole in my existence. (If your brain works like mine, no sexual pun was intended).

Unfortunately, the romance was short lived. I suppose, we’ll call him Bob, was my Band-Aid and once my wound had healed I moved on. But I must stress, this all happened unintentionally. Of course, my victim then found his own to rebound from. Uh-oh, are we all just rebounding off each other spreading our broken hearts like a contagious plague? It’s quite possible. After all, we’re only human. 

In saying that, every single human has an innate need for intimacy. However, given the superficial level that “rebound intimacy” tends to occur on, inevitably, heartache for the “reboundee” follows close behind. 

But there is always an exception to the rule. Sometimes, rebounds can lead to real love! Take my Band-Aid, Bob, for example. He found his own Band-Aid to help heal his wounds that I inflicted…. Wouldn’t you know, two years later, the two are engaged!

So to make myself feel better about the situation and prove a point that rebounds can be beneficial, let’s recap my situation: Because I had been heartbroken and turned to Bob as a Band-Aid, I was able to move on. Unfortunately, I broke Bob’s heart in the process, who fortunately took comfort in his own rebound, which, by the work of fate, turned out to be true love! 

Looks like rebounds can lead to happy endings for everybody!

Femme Files readers, have you had any fortune or misfortunes from a rebound situation?

Please share!