Some people never look back when a relationship is over. But most people, at least once in their lives, consider giving someone a second chance after a split. Whether it’s a good idea or not depends on a billion different factors. A few things to think about before giving it another go:

Were there concrete reasons you broke up?

If you showed him the door because he persistently broke dates and flirted with other girls, what makes you think things would be different this time around? When the reasons that you split up with someone are because of consistently bad behavior, there is no cause to believe that he or she will have a sudden change of heart and reform. Save yourself the trouble, and skip the second act.

Did you end things in a hasty manner?

Sometimes, couples who have not been seeing each other for very long split up abruptly after what is, upon reflection, a pretty minor incident. If you think you guys may have been too hasty to break things off, there’s no harm in giving it another try.

Are you thinking of going back just because you think you don’t have any better prospects?

I don’t think I even need to tell you the answer to this one. Never take someone back just because you’ve decided to settle. It’s not fair to either one of you for you to be in a relationship if you just aren’t feeling it.

Being alone can suck, and sometimes the dating world sucks even more. But, going back to someone you aren’t happy with means that you rob both of you of the chance to find someone with whom things will really work. Do the tougher thing and get out and meet someone new.