20 Times Beyoncé Helped You Get Through a Breakup

INGLEWOOD, CA – AUGUST 24: Recording artist Beyonce and dance partner, Alvester Martin perform onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/MTV1415/Getty Images for MTV)

4. “Kick Him Out (Next Ex)”

"Today when I woke up You didn’t look the same As last night And it just don’t feel Right anymore I think That we should break up"

There’s not always big drama to the end of a relationship. The older I’ve gotten, the truer I’ve found this to be. More often than not, things just fizzle and fade, and depending on your situation, you might not feel that it’s worth fighting for. In the end, you just don’t want it bad enough. It’s a tight spot to be in. You don’t want to leave because there’s nothing necessarily wrong, but there’s nothing all that right about it, either; it’s just there.

A friend of mine once told me something that has stuck with me in a big way. To paraphrase: The prospect of staying with someone who doesn’t make you feel anything is terrifying. Facing a life where you just go through the motions for the sake of it is grounds for a breakup as much as anything else. I’ve been there, and it sends me into panic mode to think that I’m stuck in something that doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.

I don’t mean that there’s no fireworks or butterflies or furtive looks across the room. That’s the honeymoon stage, and it passes in every relationship. But to be with someone who doesn’t make you feel anything—not comfort or satisfied, not loved or in love, not content or angry, you just fell into this rut and got accustomed to it—isn’t a relationship. It’s resignation, and it has the potential to grow into resentment. No matter the specifics, if it doesn’t feel right on the whole, then it’s not right. You can’t force something where there’s nothing.

Next: I'm Alone Now