Love

If You Want Your Girlfriend Back, Act Like A Man (Not A Boy)

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confident guy sitting on the carpet in a cozy living room.

If the male lead in the average romantic comedy has taught us anything, it's that breakups involve a lot of heartache, a ton of beer drinking, a couple of strip clubs, and hours wondering how to get her back. I

n fact, the average man doesn't realize just how much he actually loves his partner until she tells him she's leaving.

Then he finds himself staring longingly at the vacant bathroom cabinet, where a makeup bag and box of tampons once sat, missing her.

Then, just like that, he starts asking himself how to get her back. Though he can ask all he wants, it's not the asking but the action that will give him resolution.

RELATED: How To Get Your Ex Back (Without Sleeping With Him)

You must first understand why she left.

The very first step in solving the ‘how to get her back’ riddle has to do with realizing why she actually left. Perhaps she told you why. You might have been too devoted to your work, awful at communication, or maybe she saw you ogling that hot barrister at the downstairs coffee shop one too many times.

There is rarely just one reason why someone leaves. Instead, it's a culmination of many things. Women are like balloons; they can withstand a certain amount of pressure but then something happens to make them pop. Your job is to re-inflate but you can only do this if you know the real reason she left. This is something you must look inside yourself to figure out.

RELATED: How To Get Your Ex Back After Breaking Up (Without Looking Desperate)

You need to focus on yourself.

If ‘How to Get Her Back’ was a talent show airing weeknights on network television, the initial tryouts would be filled with guys acting like chumps. Some would beg for another chance, while others would call them incessantly. The particularly awful tryouts would be full of men stalking or even threatening. This pattern is a common one. When men wonder how to get her back, they focus on her instead of focusing on themselves.

Your girl isn't going to come running back to you unless you can show her you've changed, no matter how many witty emails you send. This isn't to say that the relationship's demise was all your fault. In almost all relationships that end, both parties are at fault. But, because you're the one who wants to reconcile, you're the one who must shoulder the change.

So, whatever role you played in the demise of the relationship— where you smoked and drank too much or spent too much time flirting with other women— must be remedied. Only you can do this.

Telling her how much you've changed is not enough. That's the same as people who profess to others how awesome they are. Rather, you must show that you are new and improved through your actions, meaning you literally show her what she is missing.

RELATED: How To Get Your Ex Back By Doing One Thing And One Thing Only

Give her time.

The last thing to keep in mind when wondering how to get your ex back is that a brand-new relationship isn't going to happen overnight. No, not even if you have Amazon Prime. Relationships take time to heal, and it is to your benefit to allow this time.

Immediately following a breakup, both parties are sad, pissed, and emotional, each needs time to regain their sanity. Giving your ex this time allows you to reunite when anger and hurt have subsided. It also gives her a chance to miss you.

If you bombard your ex immediately after she leaves with phone calls, texts, or even bouquets of flowers sent to her work, you're far more likely to annoy her than impress her. But, if you give her time to cool down — a time where you make no contact at all — she'll begin to miss you, long for you, and wonder if you've moved on. That alone will make her want you back.

RELATED: 6 Sly Ways To Win Back An Ex (And 5 Ways Not To)

The Romance Code is a relationship coach who shows people how to navigate the ups and downs of love.