Breaking up is the antithesis of a relationship and one of the things we’ll have to face up to doing at least once in our lives.

As a result, most of us dread doing it or having someone else break up with us.

If you’re on the giving end and have never broken up with someone before, you may be wondering what, if any, rules attached to breakups you should know about.

1. Choose the Right Time to Break Up

Everything in life has time.

Timing will make it possible for you to make sure that the person on the receiving end has time to react as well as give them an opportunity to preserve their self-respect and dignity.

Choose days when you know the individual has time to react in an appropriate manner.

Weekends can be a good choice because the person will be able to take some time out to deal with the fallout.

At the same time, do not choose special occasions such as holidays and birthdays since this is considered to be tactless and harsh.

2. Pick the Right Place

The second piece of breaking up advice is this: breaking up can lead to unexpected reactions as well as outbursts from the affected party.

Because of this, you really want to pick a place where you know the other person will be able to react without embarrassing yourself or the both of you.

In such cases, you may want to go and see the person at their home or ask them to meet you at your place so you can have the conversation that needs to be had.

3. Be Clear and Direct

The third tip on how to break up with someone involves communication.

In order to avoid confusion or leave open doors, it’s important to make sure that you tell the individual that you need to break up with that you would like to break up and list reasons, if you have any.

Don’t leave room for ambiguity or multiple interpretations since this will make it look like you still want to be with them.

Being clear will help communicate the message in a clear manner so that your partner can decide how to respond and move forward with their life.

4. Be Sensitive

Just because you’re breaking up with someone doesn’t give you the green light to be insensitive.

Even though the person you’re looking to break up with won’t be part of your life any more, exercise some control and don’t be vengeful or harsh when breaking up with them.

Choose your words carefully and make sure that you don’t intentionally or accidentally say something hurtful, further compounding the situation.

5. Do It In Person

Our modern world gives us access to different gadgets that can make life convenient.

However, don’t be tempted to use gadgets such as cellphones and laptops and things like social media to break up with someone.

Give them the needed respect by breaking up with them in person since this shows that you care and value their output.

At the end of the day, knowing how to break up with someone can be hard on both parties, and a bit of tact and sensitivity can go a long way in ensuring that the process goes smoothly.