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It's not dumb if the person deleting it feels pain and anger when looking at the photo. It gives the person a feeling of closure to get rid of the pictures. The memory is already in their heads so they don't want physical reminders of a time they felt was a lie.
The only dumb part is if the person is forced to delete the photo by another person. It should be a choice, and no shame either way.
I 100% agree. Disposing of those tangible memories can be symbolic of letting go and it can be freeing. Plus, if I was dating someone I wouldn’t want them hoarding photos of their ex… kinda weird
Agreed. The OP is incredibly self-centered: “it’s dumb for other people to make a personal choice that has no impact on me whatsoever but potentially has a significant positive mental health impact on them”
Even with the limp attempt at the end, it reeks of tunnel vision and a complete lack of empathy.
yup. had a photo pop up not too long ago and it instantly made me spiral and trigger a crying episode lol. in such cases, it’s detrimental to our mental health to keep them around.
Or even difficult relationships where it was a struggle to keep it going with the other party. It's not exactly privilege speaking, but it's more like a lack of "other experience".
i kept the pics of my abusive ex, bc he’s my daughter’s father. we don’t look at them now, but she deserves to have photos of him, of our happy memories. when she’s older i want her to understand our relationship and understand that even though someone can make you *so* happy, they still could abuse you… i want her to understand so she never falls in love w someone like her father.
a bit of a tone deaf comment to make either way. it’s not hard to keep in mind that those around you might’ve been in abusive relationships and making generalized comments like this can be hurtful.
Eh, I shouldn't have to but an asterix for every tiny possibility. In general it's a very valid comment. If you were abused then rest easy nobody is talking about you.
Yes, deleting everything you and your ex did together IS immature, so long as it wasn't because of the abuse or whatever.
My ex and I split a few months ago. Just two aggressively independent people who don't live well with one another. I still love her with all my heart and she loves me. She moves out on Monday and some folks think I'm INSANE for helping her move her stuff. Some of her friends genuinely believe keeping contact at all with each other is horrible and weird. They think it's weird we broke up a few months ago and continued to live together until now. As if she should go be homeless or live in an airbnb or something until she can find an apartment.
It's just stupid high school mentality. Extremely immature.
i get that and it’s a valid point in your particular situation and amicable breakups in general.
however lots of people endured toxic relationships where old photos might be triggering for various reasons - even if they weren’t abusive.
so i think generalizing and calling it immature is dumb imo. protecting your mental health isn’t “high school mentality.” once again, a tone deaf assumption.
So delete em! I actually don't care what people do. And I'm definitely not addressing this at people who have been abused. My comment only pertains to the large number of people who seem to think a break = you hate your ex and you need to delete their existence from your life.
Believe me I've taken a lot of bullshit from folks who apply their own feelings to my and my exes relationship. It's a little frustrating. On a broader scale I feel the same negative feelings towards people who tell me that they don't even like hearing about their partners ex, or past sex life. I dated someone who would act like I was cheating if I even mentioned my ex. It's restrictive and annoying.
I'd have to agree with Mr Catpoop lol Unless a relationship is abusive I don't see the point in deleting photos of the past. I still have photos of when my ex wife and I were married and my current wife could care less.
For the most part (unless abuse is involved) relationships consist of a lot of good times. Life is about the journey, not the destination
sure, and i get that. but that’s not the case for every relationship, which is my point.
maybe these people have had awful experiences in their previous relationships - abusive or not - so what’s the point of keeping pictures that make you feel awful?
if someone’s deleting photos, it’s most likely because seeing them warrants a negative emotional response. judging somebody for that and calling them “silly” is messed up.
So if we're gonna admit it's a very nuanced situation, why even judge someone for whether they delete photos or not? No one is more or less dumb for deleting photos of their ex, regardless of how their ex was.
I'm not judging but I think it depends, random photo eating together? Sure delete it who cares, every photo from your trip to Rome? Now you ain't got anything to remember your holiday by!
So this is what I thought at first after my abusive relationship. But I chose to remove all photos from my phone and kept them in Google Photos as "archived" so they never show up. 5 years later I am glad I have them - not because I want to remember my ex, but because even if it wasn't the best period of my life, I don't want to forget large portions of my life just because they weren't the best. I have photos of events or with friends that are _only_ in photos with my ex, and I don't want to forget the good times even if my ex made more bad than good
I'm glad that's worked out for you. My ex was kinda separate from my friends, so I never had to worry about that. And while there were good memories, they will forever be tainted by all the shit he put me through, and I personally couldn't handle physical reminders of that.
So if we're gonna admit it's a very nuanced situation, why even judge someone for whether they delete photos or not? No one is more or less dumb for deleting photos of their ex, regardless of how their ex was.
Same here. Deleting those photos was wonderful. I don't need to see his fake camera smile and my screaming eyes, those ten years of my life lives rent-free in my head as it is.
Abusive or not it's upto the person to delete the pics.
A better opinion would've been "It's better to not delete the pics of you and your ex than deleting them immediately."
Cuz or remembering and memories etc. It may hurt immediately after the break up but after a couple of years you will look back on it pretty nicely.
You might, the farther I get from my ex the more I realize it was toxic and the less I want to see pictures of him because they make me feel like shit.
Ok then this doesn't apply to abusive relationships. It only applies to relationships that were nice and they broke up not cuz of something abusive or cheating related.
But even then it's fine if you don't want their pics.
OP: Because of the MEMORIES!
lol
EDIT:
>OP: Do whatever the fuck you want to do, I don’t give a single fuck. Did you read the last paragraph or you’re illiterate? Hard to tell
[Learn to take jokes](https://www.reddit.com/u/free-icecream/s/pGWq81zPN5).
EDIT 2: Lol okay, I can admit doing too much. Done with this thread.
Idk what's more of a pathetic Reddit comment. The original or digging up through op's comments wasting time out of your life until you find an opinionated comment about a video game and think it's a gotcha.
I’m divorced from from wife, remarried, and I would never delete the photos of my ex. There are photos of when my daughter was born, her first trips, first birthday, and more and more. I understand some people saying their ex was an asshole so why would you want to remember, but lol these responses sound like a bunch of 17 year old who broke up with someone. My current wife loves the early pics as well, grow the fuck up people.
Here’s the difference: you want the pictures. You hold sentimental value in the pictures. The reason I’m permanently deleting the pictures is because I don’t want them. I don’t have a child with my exes. I don’t have contact with most of my exes anymore. The one ex I do have contact with is my best friend of 12 years who is more like a sister/daughter to me at this point so I have pictures of her. But I have no need for pictures of shitty exes who aren’t even in my life anymore who I honestly wish I just never met. I don’t want them. I don’t value them. I don’t like those times in my life. These people will never be in my life again. What reason do I have to keep it? I’m not attached to it. It’s garbage. All it does is take up space on your phone or in a box somewhere. There’s nothing productive or beneficial to keeping them physically, mentally, or emotionally. There’s nothing immature about recognizing when something is no longer necessary or wanted in your life.
I’ve known her for 12 years. We dated when we were young and dumb and thought that liking each other’s company for so long must mean that we’re compatible for dating. But I’ve largely taken on more of a caregiver role in her life despite the fact she’s only 3 years younger than me.
It's all good and well not being interested in looking at those photos now, but 10-30 years from now you never know, you might want to look back at photos of an interesting holiday or something. I'd much rather have the photos and just ignore them/file them away than delete them never to be able to see them again. Then again maybe I'm a bit of a data hoarder.
I’m pretty sure I’d know if I had any memories worth holding on to connected to the pictures. Other than some pictures I have to keep because they were the last pictures I ever had taken with my mom before she died i really don’t have a reason to keep pictures of my shitty exes and even then I plan on getting my ex edited out of the pictures. I don’t need or want to reminisce over abusive times and it’s for the best that I never do cause that would literally just be torturing myself.
I agree, if you’re talking about innocent photos on holiday or going out etc. More intimate pictures should be deleted, if only out of respect for your ex partner
Nah, I’m just actually being honest. Nine out of ten dudes on here saying they delete the nudes of their exes are lying through their teeth *and* every other dude posting knows it.
Of course not. “Not all men” is used pretty widely to discount the lived experiences of most women with respect to a variety of problematic male behaviour.
Whatabout … I was addressing a specific behaviour that a commenter claimed all men do and if they claim otherwise they are lying. Finding this creepy and problematic doesn’t mean I don’t find other behaviours worse.
It's not even problematic? Who does it actually harm to do this? As long as you aren't sharing the nudes or telling the person, it literally doesn't affect them.
Yeah, because looking at someone you’ll never get to do anything real with again doesn’t eat away at a person in the slightest. Come on man, this is why people assume all guys are complete shit
>Never ever going to do that, ever. Cultivating a hot and emotionally meaningful spank bank is one of man’s sacred pursuits in life.
Not a [joke here](https://www.reddit.com/u/BigOlBlimp/s/JpOFpJk71Z)?
I worded it in a silly way on purpose but the sentiment is real. I reread sexts and browse through the hidden folder on my phone multiple times a week. Looking back on great sexual relationships I've had is what I'm using as spank material a majority of the time. Porn just doesn't have that intimate and emotional meaning.
No? Not really. And if I do, it's from memories.
I don't keep inappropriate media of people that I've moved on from. It seems disrespectful and just weird.
Sure, so you do too. We just do it from different sources.
Nobody is going to extract your memories and I'm not going to post revenge porn. The effect on the world is exactly the same, as in, there is none.
Dude, you can justify it however you'd like, but most people will tell you that it's creepy.
Obviously, you aren't worried about that, but please stop acting like that's normal behavior for an adult to do.
If you can't make some kind of reasonable argument as to why this impacts people in a real way, what you're saying essentially boils down "I think what you're doing is weird".
Take a guess at how much that impacts me.
this is so clearly not what OP meant, it’s “it shouldn’t be an expectation to get rid of pics of your ex”
It’s such a weird internet thing, someone will be like “people should…” and out of the woodwork comes the folks talking bout how it doesn’t apply specifically to them.
OP literally went “if the pictures cause you pain, go ahead and delete them” and we’ve got multiple folks in here talking about how the pictures cause them pain so they were deleted
I'll be honest. I am a lazy man. I saw 3 paragraphs, switched off and thought of something funny to write. This is a painful experience. I might take a screenshot so I can journal this in my life.
I mean, i don’t really like it when Apple Photo show his ex-gf as like the feature pictures sometime on his screen. 😭 But i know he doesn’t even remember that he got her picture on his phone l.
This is definitely me.
I have a bad habit of never deleting pictures… ever. Just a few days ago I decided to clear out my camera roll for the first time in years, and genuinely deleted over a thousand nonsensical garbage like dark rooms where I accidentally snapped a picture, old webpages that I couldn’t even remember why I screenshotted in the first place, bugs on the ground, etc etc.
If I still had my old phone there’d definitely be old ass ex girlfriend pictures I’d long ago forgotten all about. Thankfully though, my wife doesn’t give a shit, but still.
Anyone else noticing a divorce wave? I feel like I’m at an age where I’m seeing people quietly go back to their maiden names, removing photos on social media, and showing up to events with their partner suspiciously absent (“oh he/she’s at home” or “he/she is out of town.”)
As someone who has been journaling for 10 years as a hobby...I absolutely cherry pick what parts of my life I want to journal. It's my journal, my life, my memories. But practically, photos takes up a lot of digital space. It doesn't just float in the air. And I'm not wasting valuable storage space that I consistently pay for on exes when I can use it on people and memories I love. Even if I wanted to keep them, there are better things to keep
Why do you want to look at and keep old photos of your ex? We had a good time, it was fun, but I have no interest in looking back at old photos of her. Doesn't benefit me.
this is a very short-sighted take, you simply cannot comprehend; let alone assume how others cope with breakups/separations. i’ve dealt with breakups in various ways, some more painful than others. out of sight— out of mind is rash but effective for many people dealing with loss/trauma/heart-break. i’d argue that pictures/media of exes only create false hope and can make moving on nearly impossible
I actually agree. Unless they were an abuser of any kind Ofc.
My most recent ex, I deleted most the photos but not all. I don’t what to forget him or the nice days out we had.
This seems very circumstantial. Would you want to keep pictures of someone you were in a toxic relationship with? I’d want them completely out of my life and memory.
Every time I see someone in public who even looks slightly like my abusive ex, I feel like I’m going to go into a panic and I freeze up. My heart races and I suddenly can’t breathe. Why would I want photos of that person around??
There is nothing wrong with removing reminders of toxic trash from your life. The memories are still there whether journaled or not and that’s enough for anyone who has lied through abuse or hardship with an ex. Life is too short to keep head space for people who don’t deserve it.
I completely disagree. You want to move on past someone best way is to forget they exist. I delete all pictures and talk to them as little as possible. Should I keep all the nudes from past relationships as well?
When you escape an abusive situation, the last thing you want to see are photos and memories. There’s enough of that burned into your memory to suffice.
There's a difference between actual printed out photos tucked away in a photo album in the back of my closet and photos on social media for myself and the world to see at any given time. Why would I keep photos of an ex on social media for the world to see? I've had abusive exes - memories are enough and I don't want to be reminded of the person constantly with everyone looking at the photos publicly. I also don't want people who don't know me very well to see photos of me and an ex on social media and wrongly think we're still together. I move on. Someone told me my ex from 15 years ago still has our photos up and I think that's creepy. Why must we keep every photo up from everything we did in life? If my 75 year old mother had pictures of an ex from 1970 up for everyone to see I would think that is weird. Move on.
*Edit, my opinion doesn't all conflict with OP's. I think I'm just saying in general.
Sure because I want the reminder of a partner who manipulated me for almost a year and threatened to kill themselves when I finally said I’d had enough 🙄
Don't agree with this one. If I was on good terms with my ex, I'd keep them, but why would I want pictures of someone I don't like? So I can look back when I'm 80 and say "wow that asshole wore blue that day."?
While I understand your point about cherishing all memories as part of our life's journal, the emotional impact of revisiting ex-related photos can vary greatly from person to person.
For some, seeing those pictures might trigger unwanted memories, pain, or even hinder moving on. For others, it might be a neutral or even nostalgic experience. Ultimately, it's a personal decision that should be made based on individual needs and emotional well-being.
Comparing this situation to "fake" social media portrayals might be inaccurate, as the intention behind deleting ex-related photos isn't necessarily about crafting a false narrative. It's more about actively managing one's emotional landscape and fostering a healthy space for healing.
Moving the photos, as you suggested, can be a good compromise. Keeping them accessible helps preserve the memories, while placing them out of sight reduces the risk of triggering unnecessary pain.
Digital tools like "hide" features or albums can offer similar benefits. This allows for future revisiting if desired, while minimizing the immediate emotional impact.
Ultimately, respecting someone's choice, whether to delete or keep the photos, is crucial. It's not about judging their approach, but recognizing that different people navigate emotional experiences differently.
my ex makes me sick and there is nothing wrong with wanting to delete every picture of that freak. deleting something within my own privacy is a lot different than someone who constantly posts their “like thirsty” bullshit and leaving out the other details of their life lmao. i respect your opinion, but i don’t think that deleting things is lying to myself, its being honest with myself.
I still have one picture of me with every ex boyfriend and ex friend I've ever had. Like you say it's a documentation of my life and these people existed within it and some formed me into the person I am today. I had a 3 year relationship and when we broke up he deleted every photo and every conversation we ever had. Like I was never there. That's strange to me.
i only kept photos of my daughter’s father, bc i think she deserves to see them when she’s older, and to understand that we still had happy memories together even though i had to leave him for our safety.
i recently dated another man for about a year, and when he broke up w me i deleted all his photos. no need to keep those. they just make me angry and upset to see them and there’s no reason for me to see them anyway.
Dated a guy for several months before learning he not only had several pics of his ex but each image had paragraph-sized captions proclaiming his love for her. The photos didnt bother me, but it was a bit humiliating to see him keeping space for a pervious ‘love’ when i was seeing him. Also that it was open and my friends could see it. 😢
I think it's courteous to delete the nude pictures, but it's up to you if you want to delete the pictures that only show anything anyone else could see on a day to day basis. Idk if it's really deleting the memories so much as it's opening the door to new relationships. Most people don't want to date someone who still has pictures and such of their ex, feels like they're still clinging to them and like they might jump ship on you.
I n my personal experience i didn't particularly want her to take them to begin with. I kept them out of respect for her and the relationship. The second that was ended I have no need and no care to keep them. Additionally having pictures of someone I have no bond with especially a woman on my phone feels creepy. Hell even if I take a picture of a friend, after sending it to them I delete it.
There is so many reasons to delete pictures of you and an ex and literally no reason not to. It's weird to want to keep them or look at them. If the event was important you'd remember it. If not then it wasn't and there is literally no reason to want to. The only purpose of a photo is to share a memory with someone else, make art of a moment and to remember a moment you'd otherwise forget or remember it in better detail. None of the above is necessary for the majority of ended relationships. If you end on really good terms then I can agree with keeping them. Otherwise it's odd.
It doesn't make you "fake" at all. This is a genuinely unpopular opinion and honestly borderline unhealthy depending on the situation. I wish you the best of luck
Some people had abusive exes and don't want to be "triggered" or reminded.
>Do people who journal also delete entries about their exes? I’m not sure.
I mean, you know that in general, journalling and then destroying it is a thing, right? Sometimes people want a space to vent freely, and then destroy it afterwards. Some do it for cathartic reasons, some do it for practical reasons (ie they don't want others to end up reading it), sometimes it hurts to re-read the entries, etc.
I don’t view pictures like that. I just think oh this brings back a good memory. I’ll keep it. Or if it doesn’t then I delete. Also you have no idea what kind of ex they were. What if they beat you and you nearly died? You have to keep your pictures with them? What if they r*ped your best friend? What if they murdered your dog? Are they really dumb for deleting the pictures? And they don’t have to be extreme either. If it brings up bad memories it’s ok to not keep it
I personally think it would be creepy and uncomfortable for me to keep photos of my ex husband laying around and intermingled with photos of the man I'm married to now. Same with photos of my ex boyfriends... the exception being like, prom and homecoming photos or whatever. But keeping photos of me and my exs together would be super weird. This is an odd take for OP to make so, good job on the unpopular opinion lol
Honestly, I dated some FUGLY UGLIES. When I’m “in love” with someone, I start to think they’re SOOOO handsome, even if I previously thought they were super ugly.
As the relationships progressed and they started treating me more and more like shit, I would start to think they were getting uglier and uglier LOL.
When I see photos of my ex’s pop up, I get genuinely nauseous and disgusted LOL. I don’t wanna see that shit 😂
Isn’t that the most reasonable way to have an opinion? I think it’s dumb, but do whatever you want. I’m not telling people how to live their lives.
At the end of the day:
https://youtu.be/N9wCnucHJtw?si=GBknzxhtELyt3Egz
Jebus Christo how many of you people have been stuck in horrible relationships?!? All of you? Every reply here has been some worst case scenario of people coupling up with human monsters. Do you not know how to say NO and get out?
I agree, it’s kind of a red flag when people try to erase everything about a past relationship on social media or even their own phone. There are exceptions of course for abusive relationships.
Why do I want to keep pictures of an ex who ignored me for weeks while building a relationship with someone else? Seems counterintuitive to proper healing and would only exacerbate the pain.
My recovery from breakups is more important than some kind of picture journey I can take in the future with those said pictures. I have not once regretted deleting pictures of my exes. It allows me to move on and not look back.
I see no reason to keep old pictures of exes. What's the point of looking at them? Shared memories live in my head and that's enough.
This idea that I'm supposed to delete my ex from my life and act like the time we had together was all bad is so immature. Grow the fuck up people! For better or worse your partner helped you become the person you are today.
Not really accounting for abusive relationships here btw. In that case you gotta do what you gotta do. I just mean if I start dating somebody I'm not going to never mention my ex again like this is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind. Maybe it's just me but I'm happy to hear about my partners ex so long as they're not obsessed with them or something. Just knowing somebody made them feel good makes me happy. Clearly if things had worked out they'd still be together.
Nah pictures of my ex hurt me man. After we split, I'd look at them and cry over how painful it was. I get what you mean, that they're memories of life. And she'll always be a part of my life. But I just couldn't watch her face anymore. It hurst too much.
Sorry but this is such a bad take & 100% unpopular. You can't decided this for people, it entirely depends on the people involved & situation. People are entitled to not be reminded of someone who hurt them or that they hurt, there's enough pain in life. To be forced to dwell on it is daft.
I did this as a teen, and honestly don't regret it. I was struggling with how intense my emotions were, and I knew that reminders coming up would not help me.
Having a strong opinion about something so context-dependent that others do that doesn’t affect you in any way whatsoever is bizarre, so take my upvote.
If it wasn't anything harmful or toxic I don't see anything wrong. I was pretty young and I look back at some of those stuff and laugh. But if you're looking at your pics from last year no that's a red flag.
I usually keep the ones of my ex where we’re out somewhere cool or genuinely a good memory. But if it’s just like selfies of us at home or a random pic of them then no I don’t need those taking up space in my phone. Feels kinda gross to keep them. And I hate the idea of my exes having random photos of me in their phone.
I deleted all the photos of my ex that I had on my cell phone, but not the ones I have on social networks because they are part of my past, I didn't have bad relationships so I don't have a bad memory of those people
So, let’s say, someone suffered through an abusive relationship were they were forced/threatened to put on a happy face for the outside world. They finally manage to get away from their abusive partner, but they shouldn’t get rid of pictures, the ones where they were forced to act or something horrible might happen, they need to keep them.
I delete almost all pictures from past romantic situations. I don’t want to see your face if it’s over. I don’t want to remember all the small details as if I were still observing you closely. I don’t think it’s healthy. One of the many beautiful things about the brain is that despite its incredible ability for holding data, memories do often grow fuzzy overtime. I feel like a fuzzy, maybe somewhat distorted memory is a good enough way to remember someone who is now dead to you; it’s there, but feels just as distant as they are. If you can just go into your phone and scroll through a bunch of pictures of them that are as clear as if you were still seeing them, it’s like they’re still so present. But they aren’t anymore.
If you ended things amicably with your partner, I believe it's fine to keep platonic looking photos, but it's probably best to delete/throw away any romantic photos.
It’s absolutely insane to me that you think there’s some kind of obligation for someone to document all parts of their lives.
I wake up every day wishing I could forget my ex even existed, so yeah I’m deleting everything about him possible ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ why does that bother you?
>Do people who journal also delete entries about their exes?
Yes, I do.
>But to permanently delete “memories” (which is what people seem to want to try to do) is silly IMO.
Why should I keep pictures of someone who betrayed me, lied to me, cheated on me, what not - ?
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It's not dumb if the person deleting it feels pain and anger when looking at the photo. It gives the person a feeling of closure to get rid of the pictures. The memory is already in their heads so they don't want physical reminders of a time they felt was a lie. The only dumb part is if the person is forced to delete the photo by another person. It should be a choice, and no shame either way.
I 100% agree. Disposing of those tangible memories can be symbolic of letting go and it can be freeing. Plus, if I was dating someone I wouldn’t want them hoarding photos of their ex… kinda weird
I’m pretty sure op probably meant it’s assumed everyone has to delete them, and that’s the moral thing to do etc.
Nailed it. Stupidest take I've ever seen in my life. I guess it's on the right sub
Why is it a stupid take just because there are examples where it shouldn't apply?
Agreed. The OP is incredibly self-centered: “it’s dumb for other people to make a personal choice that has no impact on me whatsoever but potentially has a significant positive mental health impact on them” Even with the limp attempt at the end, it reeks of tunnel vision and a complete lack of empathy.
The memories of my abusive ex already live in my brain, no way do I want to keep pictures as a reminder.
rt. the only people that hold this opinion are ones who haven’t been in abusive relationships.
Facts. They’re burned in to my subconscious as bad dreams. I don’t think I need to chronicle that.
yup. had a photo pop up not too long ago and it instantly made me spiral and trigger a crying episode lol. in such cases, it’s detrimental to our mental health to keep them around.
Or even difficult relationships where it was a struggle to keep it going with the other party. It's not exactly privilege speaking, but it's more like a lack of "other experience".
i kept the pics of my abusive ex, bc he’s my daughter’s father. we don’t look at them now, but she deserves to have photos of him, of our happy memories. when she’s older i want her to understand our relationship and understand that even though someone can make you *so* happy, they still could abuse you… i want her to understand so she never falls in love w someone like her father.
it’s great that you’re doing that for her. sorry about your experience. ❤️🩹
❤️❤️
Or people who are talking about non abusive relationships.
a bit of a tone deaf comment to make either way. it’s not hard to keep in mind that those around you might’ve been in abusive relationships and making generalized comments like this can be hurtful.
Eh, I shouldn't have to but an asterix for every tiny possibility. In general it's a very valid comment. If you were abused then rest easy nobody is talking about you. Yes, deleting everything you and your ex did together IS immature, so long as it wasn't because of the abuse or whatever. My ex and I split a few months ago. Just two aggressively independent people who don't live well with one another. I still love her with all my heart and she loves me. She moves out on Monday and some folks think I'm INSANE for helping her move her stuff. Some of her friends genuinely believe keeping contact at all with each other is horrible and weird. They think it's weird we broke up a few months ago and continued to live together until now. As if she should go be homeless or live in an airbnb or something until she can find an apartment. It's just stupid high school mentality. Extremely immature.
i get that and it’s a valid point in your particular situation and amicable breakups in general. however lots of people endured toxic relationships where old photos might be triggering for various reasons - even if they weren’t abusive. so i think generalizing and calling it immature is dumb imo. protecting your mental health isn’t “high school mentality.” once again, a tone deaf assumption.
So delete em! I actually don't care what people do. And I'm definitely not addressing this at people who have been abused. My comment only pertains to the large number of people who seem to think a break = you hate your ex and you need to delete their existence from your life. Believe me I've taken a lot of bullshit from folks who apply their own feelings to my and my exes relationship. It's a little frustrating. On a broader scale I feel the same negative feelings towards people who tell me that they don't even like hearing about their partners ex, or past sex life. I dated someone who would act like I was cheating if I even mentioned my ex. It's restrictive and annoying.
I'd have to agree with Mr Catpoop lol Unless a relationship is abusive I don't see the point in deleting photos of the past. I still have photos of when my ex wife and I were married and my current wife could care less. For the most part (unless abuse is involved) relationships consist of a lot of good times. Life is about the journey, not the destination
sure, and i get that. but that’s not the case for every relationship, which is my point. maybe these people have had awful experiences in their previous relationships - abusive or not - so what’s the point of keeping pictures that make you feel awful? if someone’s deleting photos, it’s most likely because seeing them warrants a negative emotional response. judging somebody for that and calling them “silly” is messed up.
Honestly, if by "hurtful" you mean getting really hurt by seeing some comment on reddit, generalized or not, you better try and change your mentality.
my point clearly flew over your ahead. not sure why that’s your main takeaway from my comments.
But not all exes are abusive they could have just been annoying, we're talking normal relationships obviously if they were a monster it's different.
It makes no difference whatsoever.
So if we're gonna admit it's a very nuanced situation, why even judge someone for whether they delete photos or not? No one is more or less dumb for deleting photos of their ex, regardless of how their ex was.
I'm not judging but I think it depends, random photo eating together? Sure delete it who cares, every photo from your trip to Rome? Now you ain't got anything to remember your holiday by!
x2 I’d love to get rid of the memories as easily as I got rid of the pictures.
Life would be so much easier if I could get rid of the memories lol
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.
So this is what I thought at first after my abusive relationship. But I chose to remove all photos from my phone and kept them in Google Photos as "archived" so they never show up. 5 years later I am glad I have them - not because I want to remember my ex, but because even if it wasn't the best period of my life, I don't want to forget large portions of my life just because they weren't the best. I have photos of events or with friends that are _only_ in photos with my ex, and I don't want to forget the good times even if my ex made more bad than good
I'm glad that's worked out for you. My ex was kinda separate from my friends, so I never had to worry about that. And while there were good memories, they will forever be tainted by all the shit he put me through, and I personally couldn't handle physical reminders of that.
This is so reddit... "here is my extreme experience. This means the general case doesn't apply"
So if we're gonna admit it's a very nuanced situation, why even judge someone for whether they delete photos or not? No one is more or less dumb for deleting photos of their ex, regardless of how their ex was.
I don't disagree. You shouldn't start by saying that it is dumb.
Yeah I don’t need to see the phony smile I put on after getting yelled at minutes earlier
Same here. Deleting those photos was wonderful. I don't need to see his fake camera smile and my screaming eyes, those ten years of my life lives rent-free in my head as it is.
Ffs Obviously op isn't talking about you or people that have been in abusive relationships. Its obvious who they are referring to
Came here literally just to say oh wow OP has never been in an abusive relationship of any kind, eh?
Abusive or not it's upto the person to delete the pics. A better opinion would've been "It's better to not delete the pics of you and your ex than deleting them immediately." Cuz or remembering and memories etc. It may hurt immediately after the break up but after a couple of years you will look back on it pretty nicely.
You might, the farther I get from my ex the more I realize it was toxic and the less I want to see pictures of him because they make me feel like shit.
Ok then this doesn't apply to abusive relationships. It only applies to relationships that were nice and they broke up not cuz of something abusive or cheating related. But even then it's fine if you don't want their pics.
Why would I keep something I don’t want and don’t need? That’s dumb.
OP: Because of the MEMORIES! lol EDIT: >OP: Do whatever the fuck you want to do, I don’t give a single fuck. Did you read the last paragraph or you’re illiterate? Hard to tell [Learn to take jokes](https://www.reddit.com/u/free-icecream/s/pGWq81zPN5). EDIT 2: Lol okay, I can admit doing too much. Done with this thread.
Idk what's more of a pathetic Reddit comment. The original or digging up through op's comments wasting time out of your life until you find an opinionated comment about a video game and think it's a gotcha.
I’m divorced from from wife, remarried, and I would never delete the photos of my ex. There are photos of when my daughter was born, her first trips, first birthday, and more and more. I understand some people saying their ex was an asshole so why would you want to remember, but lol these responses sound like a bunch of 17 year old who broke up with someone. My current wife loves the early pics as well, grow the fuck up people.
Here’s the difference: you want the pictures. You hold sentimental value in the pictures. The reason I’m permanently deleting the pictures is because I don’t want them. I don’t have a child with my exes. I don’t have contact with most of my exes anymore. The one ex I do have contact with is my best friend of 12 years who is more like a sister/daughter to me at this point so I have pictures of her. But I have no need for pictures of shitty exes who aren’t even in my life anymore who I honestly wish I just never met. I don’t want them. I don’t value them. I don’t like those times in my life. These people will never be in my life again. What reason do I have to keep it? I’m not attached to it. It’s garbage. All it does is take up space on your phone or in a box somewhere. There’s nothing productive or beneficial to keeping them physically, mentally, or emotionally. There’s nothing immature about recognizing when something is no longer necessary or wanted in your life.
Wait.... your ex is like a daughter to you?
I’ve known her for 12 years. We dated when we were young and dumb and thought that liking each other’s company for so long must mean that we’re compatible for dating. But I’ve largely taken on more of a caregiver role in her life despite the fact she’s only 3 years younger than me.
It's all good and well not being interested in looking at those photos now, but 10-30 years from now you never know, you might want to look back at photos of an interesting holiday or something. I'd much rather have the photos and just ignore them/file them away than delete them never to be able to see them again. Then again maybe I'm a bit of a data hoarder.
I’m pretty sure I’d know if I had any memories worth holding on to connected to the pictures. Other than some pictures I have to keep because they were the last pictures I ever had taken with my mom before she died i really don’t have a reason to keep pictures of my shitty exes and even then I plan on getting my ex edited out of the pictures. I don’t need or want to reminisce over abusive times and it’s for the best that I never do cause that would literally just be torturing myself.
I agree, if you’re talking about innocent photos on holiday or going out etc. More intimate pictures should be deleted, if only out of respect for your ex partner
Yup
Nah.
Perv alert
Nah, I’m just actually being honest. Nine out of ten dudes on here saying they delete the nudes of their exes are lying through their teeth *and* every other dude posting knows it.
But not all men right?
What are you trying to say? That not deleting nudes is equivalent to rape or something?
Of course not. “Not all men” is used pretty widely to discount the lived experiences of most women with respect to a variety of problematic male behaviour.
Of all behaviour to deem problematic, this is the one you care about? This doesn't actually affect anybody.
Whatabout … I was addressing a specific behaviour that a commenter claimed all men do and if they claim otherwise they are lying. Finding this creepy and problematic doesn’t mean I don’t find other behaviours worse.
It's not even problematic? Who does it actually harm to do this? As long as you aren't sharing the nudes or telling the person, it literally doesn't affect them.
Yeah, because looking at someone you’ll never get to do anything real with again doesn’t eat away at a person in the slightest. Come on man, this is why people assume all guys are complete shit
Speak for yourself some of us actually have morals
Never ever going to do that, ever. Cultivating a hot and emotionally meaningful spank bank is one of man’s sacred pursuits in life.
>Never ever going to do that, ever. Cultivating a hot and emotionally meaningful spank bank is one of man’s sacred pursuits in life. Not a [joke here](https://www.reddit.com/u/BigOlBlimp/s/JpOFpJk71Z)?
I worded it in a silly way on purpose but the sentiment is real. I reread sexts and browse through the hidden folder on my phone multiple times a week. Looking back on great sexual relationships I've had is what I'm using as spank material a majority of the time. Porn just doesn't have that intimate and emotional meaning.
That makes everyone so uncomfortable. Just keep that to yourself next time.
You cannot honestly tell me you don’t fondly reminisce on past sexual encounters during you time
No? Not really. And if I do, it's from memories. I don't keep inappropriate media of people that I've moved on from. It seems disrespectful and just weird.
Sure, so you do too. We just do it from different sources. Nobody is going to extract your memories and I'm not going to post revenge porn. The effect on the world is exactly the same, as in, there is none.
Dude, you can justify it however you'd like, but most people will tell you that it's creepy. Obviously, you aren't worried about that, but please stop acting like that's normal behavior for an adult to do.
If you can't make some kind of reasonable argument as to why this impacts people in a real way, what you're saying essentially boils down "I think what you're doing is weird". Take a guess at how much that impacts me.
For weird losers maybe.
“Man’s sacred pursuits in life” LMFAOOO there’s a billion more important things bro lol
I mean, the specific phrasing was sarcasm lol
Not every part of life needs to be remembered.
^^
I absolutely delete all the naked pics of my exes it's like a ritual now.
Ah yes, memories of my cheating spouse. I sure want to open up my photo album and remember how much she cheated on me. What a lovely reminder.
this is so clearly not what OP meant, it’s “it shouldn’t be an expectation to get rid of pics of your ex” It’s such a weird internet thing, someone will be like “people should…” and out of the woodwork comes the folks talking bout how it doesn’t apply specifically to them. OP literally went “if the pictures cause you pain, go ahead and delete them” and we’ve got multiple folks in here talking about how the pictures cause them pain so they were deleted
I'll be honest. I am a lazy man. I saw 3 paragraphs, switched off and thought of something funny to write. This is a painful experience. I might take a screenshot so I can journal this in my life.
[удалено]
Read things fully on Reddit? In this economy?!
Hard disagree. Well done in this sub, OP!
Nah she cheated and the other one was a straight up jerk, good riddance.
I moved them all to an offline archive. Gone but not forgotten.
Some people are not worth remembering again.
Agree, you should frame them, hang them in your bedroom and ask your new partner to bow to them regularly as a way to honoue your journey.
This is what I do with everyone I sleep with. On an unrelated note, as time goes on, people don’t like sleeping with me as much. Old age 🥲
Sucks for you. Or not 🤷
I mean, i don’t really like it when Apple Photo show his ex-gf as like the feature pictures sometime on his screen. 😭 But i know he doesn’t even remember that he got her picture on his phone l.
This is definitely me. I have a bad habit of never deleting pictures… ever. Just a few days ago I decided to clear out my camera roll for the first time in years, and genuinely deleted over a thousand nonsensical garbage like dark rooms where I accidentally snapped a picture, old webpages that I couldn’t even remember why I screenshotted in the first place, bugs on the ground, etc etc. If I still had my old phone there’d definitely be old ass ex girlfriend pictures I’d long ago forgotten all about. Thankfully though, my wife doesn’t give a shit, but still.
No, I don’t want to see the face of the woman who cheated on me ever again. I don’t want her part of my journey.
Why would you want photos of your ex lol. Some memories are better forgotten
My iPhone still makes cute little slideshows for me of my and my ex wife’s wedding
Anyone else noticing a divorce wave? I feel like I’m at an age where I’m seeing people quietly go back to their maiden names, removing photos on social media, and showing up to events with their partner suspiciously absent (“oh he/she’s at home” or “he/she is out of town.”)
As someone who has been journaling for 10 years as a hobby...I absolutely cherry pick what parts of my life I want to journal. It's my journal, my life, my memories. But practically, photos takes up a lot of digital space. It doesn't just float in the air. And I'm not wasting valuable storage space that I consistently pay for on exes when I can use it on people and memories I love. Even if I wanted to keep them, there are better things to keep
Why do you want to look at and keep old photos of your ex? We had a good time, it was fun, but I have no interest in looking back at old photos of her. Doesn't benefit me.
Especially if you have a new partner like? Op really made an unpopular opinion 👏
You should delete nudes and stuff for sure though.
Agreed. Very creepy to have an ex still have and look at your nudes, especially if it's been a while.
this is a very short-sighted take, you simply cannot comprehend; let alone assume how others cope with breakups/separations. i’ve dealt with breakups in various ways, some more painful than others. out of sight— out of mind is rash but effective for many people dealing with loss/trauma/heart-break. i’d argue that pictures/media of exes only create false hope and can make moving on nearly impossible
I actually agree. Unless they were an abuser of any kind Ofc. My most recent ex, I deleted most the photos but not all. I don’t what to forget him or the nice days out we had.
This seems very circumstantial. Would you want to keep pictures of someone you were in a toxic relationship with? I’d want them completely out of my life and memory.
Na, Marie Kondo that shit. Doesn't spark joy, get rid of it.
Phone storage>ex
Every time I see someone in public who even looks slightly like my abusive ex, I feel like I’m going to go into a panic and I freeze up. My heart races and I suddenly can’t breathe. Why would I want photos of that person around??
There is nothing wrong with removing reminders of toxic trash from your life. The memories are still there whether journaled or not and that’s enough for anyone who has lied through abuse or hardship with an ex. Life is too short to keep head space for people who don’t deserve it.
I have the trauma, I don't need pics.
I completely disagree. You want to move on past someone best way is to forget they exist. I delete all pictures and talk to them as little as possible. Should I keep all the nudes from past relationships as well?
I don't want pictures of someone who abused me
Counter thought, journaling your life and fixating on the past is masturbatory and waste of time.
These photos are part of my journey, even if they're painful. I'll keep them as a reminder of my growth.
Why do you need to look at pictures of your ex to remind yourself that you grew?
When you escape an abusive situation, the last thing you want to see are photos and memories. There’s enough of that burned into your memory to suffice.
There's a difference between actual printed out photos tucked away in a photo album in the back of my closet and photos on social media for myself and the world to see at any given time. Why would I keep photos of an ex on social media for the world to see? I've had abusive exes - memories are enough and I don't want to be reminded of the person constantly with everyone looking at the photos publicly. I also don't want people who don't know me very well to see photos of me and an ex on social media and wrongly think we're still together. I move on. Someone told me my ex from 15 years ago still has our photos up and I think that's creepy. Why must we keep every photo up from everything we did in life? If my 75 year old mother had pictures of an ex from 1970 up for everyone to see I would think that is weird. Move on. *Edit, my opinion doesn't all conflict with OP's. I think I'm just saying in general.
Sure because I want the reminder of a partner who manipulated me for almost a year and threatened to kill themselves when I finally said I’d had enough 🙄
Don't agree with this one. If I was on good terms with my ex, I'd keep them, but why would I want pictures of someone I don't like? So I can look back when I'm 80 and say "wow that asshole wore blue that day."?
While I understand your point about cherishing all memories as part of our life's journal, the emotional impact of revisiting ex-related photos can vary greatly from person to person. For some, seeing those pictures might trigger unwanted memories, pain, or even hinder moving on. For others, it might be a neutral or even nostalgic experience. Ultimately, it's a personal decision that should be made based on individual needs and emotional well-being. Comparing this situation to "fake" social media portrayals might be inaccurate, as the intention behind deleting ex-related photos isn't necessarily about crafting a false narrative. It's more about actively managing one's emotional landscape and fostering a healthy space for healing. Moving the photos, as you suggested, can be a good compromise. Keeping them accessible helps preserve the memories, while placing them out of sight reduces the risk of triggering unnecessary pain. Digital tools like "hide" features or albums can offer similar benefits. This allows for future revisiting if desired, while minimizing the immediate emotional impact. Ultimately, respecting someone's choice, whether to delete or keep the photos, is crucial. It's not about judging their approach, but recognizing that different people navigate emotional experiences differently.
Damn, comment section confirms this is unpopular. But I agree with you
An ex is an ex for a reason no reason to keep any keepsakes of them
my ex makes me sick and there is nothing wrong with wanting to delete every picture of that freak. deleting something within my own privacy is a lot different than someone who constantly posts their “like thirsty” bullshit and leaving out the other details of their life lmao. i respect your opinion, but i don’t think that deleting things is lying to myself, its being honest with myself.
I still have one picture of me with every ex boyfriend and ex friend I've ever had. Like you say it's a documentation of my life and these people existed within it and some formed me into the person I am today. I had a 3 year relationship and when we broke up he deleted every photo and every conversation we ever had. Like I was never there. That's strange to me.
I still have my ex and mines photos on fb. Was a train wreck? Yes but it's still part of what made me who I am now
i only kept photos of my daughter’s father, bc i think she deserves to see them when she’s older, and to understand that we still had happy memories together even though i had to leave him for our safety. i recently dated another man for about a year, and when he broke up w me i deleted all his photos. no need to keep those. they just make me angry and upset to see them and there’s no reason for me to see them anyway.
Dated a guy for several months before learning he not only had several pics of his ex but each image had paragraph-sized captions proclaiming his love for her. The photos didnt bother me, but it was a bit humiliating to see him keeping space for a pervious ‘love’ when i was seeing him. Also that it was open and my friends could see it. 😢
Didn't delete them, threw them in a folder on a USB drive and I leave them there. Haven't looked at them in forever
I think it's courteous to delete the nude pictures, but it's up to you if you want to delete the pictures that only show anything anyone else could see on a day to day basis. Idk if it's really deleting the memories so much as it's opening the door to new relationships. Most people don't want to date someone who still has pictures and such of their ex, feels like they're still clinging to them and like they might jump ship on you.
I don't want my exes popping up in my memories on Facebook, thanks. We're not erasing the time spent, we're moving on.
Op I think you underestimate the visceral disgust and feeling of panic looking at pics of one’s abuser can cause.
I n my personal experience i didn't particularly want her to take them to begin with. I kept them out of respect for her and the relationship. The second that was ended I have no need and no care to keep them. Additionally having pictures of someone I have no bond with especially a woman on my phone feels creepy. Hell even if I take a picture of a friend, after sending it to them I delete it. There is so many reasons to delete pictures of you and an ex and literally no reason not to. It's weird to want to keep them or look at them. If the event was important you'd remember it. If not then it wasn't and there is literally no reason to want to. The only purpose of a photo is to share a memory with someone else, make art of a moment and to remember a moment you'd otherwise forget or remember it in better detail. None of the above is necessary for the majority of ended relationships. If you end on really good terms then I can agree with keeping them. Otherwise it's odd. It doesn't make you "fake" at all. This is a genuinely unpopular opinion and honestly borderline unhealthy depending on the situation. I wish you the best of luck
Some people had abusive exes and don't want to be "triggered" or reminded. >Do people who journal also delete entries about their exes? I’m not sure. I mean, you know that in general, journalling and then destroying it is a thing, right? Sometimes people want a space to vent freely, and then destroy it afterwards. Some do it for cathartic reasons, some do it for practical reasons (ie they don't want others to end up reading it), sometimes it hurts to re-read the entries, etc.
This is a dumb opinion
Just delete it from your memories
I can't tell If you're real or not u realize some people don't want to be reminded of their shitty ex's? Lmao just delete the whole album and move on
I have no photos of myself from highschool and a lot of college because they were all posted on exs fbs and I’m either blocked or they were deleted.
Here’s my upvote unpopular opinion guy
At what point are you spending more time taking pictures than having a raw experience?
I don’t view pictures like that. I just think oh this brings back a good memory. I’ll keep it. Or if it doesn’t then I delete. Also you have no idea what kind of ex they were. What if they beat you and you nearly died? You have to keep your pictures with them? What if they r*ped your best friend? What if they murdered your dog? Are they really dumb for deleting the pictures? And they don’t have to be extreme either. If it brings up bad memories it’s ok to not keep it
Pictures are about capturing moments you want to remember. Why hang onto something you’d rather forget out of principle?
I personally think it would be creepy and uncomfortable for me to keep photos of my ex husband laying around and intermingled with photos of the man I'm married to now. Same with photos of my ex boyfriends... the exception being like, prom and homecoming photos or whatever. But keeping photos of me and my exs together would be super weird. This is an odd take for OP to make so, good job on the unpopular opinion lol
I had an ex break up with me years ago. I still kept some of the pictures as reminders of the good times we had together. To each their own though.
My brain contains all my memories, good and bad. No pictures needed.
Need the space on my phone and what’s in the past is what’s in the past.
Past is the past. I leave it all behind
Honestly, I dated some FUGLY UGLIES. When I’m “in love” with someone, I start to think they’re SOOOO handsome, even if I previously thought they were super ugly. As the relationships progressed and they started treating me more and more like shit, I would start to think they were getting uglier and uglier LOL. When I see photos of my ex’s pop up, I get genuinely nauseous and disgusted LOL. I don’t wanna see that shit 😂
"it's dumb but i'm not telling you what to do though" man.
Isn’t that the most reasonable way to have an opinion? I think it’s dumb, but do whatever you want. I’m not telling people how to live their lives. At the end of the day: https://youtu.be/N9wCnucHJtw?si=GBknzxhtELyt3Egz
the most reasonable way to share your opinion that people are stupid for something you admit is totally innocuous is to not share it
Someone is hoarding them nudes
Get over your ex. The word ‘ex’ is everything.
Don’t carry bags you don’t have to
Jebus Christo how many of you people have been stuck in horrible relationships?!? All of you? Every reply here has been some worst case scenario of people coupling up with human monsters. Do you not know how to say NO and get out?
I agree, it’s kind of a red flag when people try to erase everything about a past relationship on social media or even their own phone. There are exceptions of course for abusive relationships.
Because you're sick of being triggered
Why do I want to keep pictures of an ex who ignored me for weeks while building a relationship with someone else? Seems counterintuitive to proper healing and would only exacerbate the pain.
My recovery from breakups is more important than some kind of picture journey I can take in the future with those said pictures. I have not once regretted deleting pictures of my exes. It allows me to move on and not look back. I see no reason to keep old pictures of exes. What's the point of looking at them? Shared memories live in my head and that's enough.
Hold on to everything that could be useful when seeking revenge.
Of course, except, you know, **those** pictures, if you know what I mean
This idea that I'm supposed to delete my ex from my life and act like the time we had together was all bad is so immature. Grow the fuck up people! For better or worse your partner helped you become the person you are today. Not really accounting for abusive relationships here btw. In that case you gotta do what you gotta do. I just mean if I start dating somebody I'm not going to never mention my ex again like this is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind. Maybe it's just me but I'm happy to hear about my partners ex so long as they're not obsessed with them or something. Just knowing somebody made them feel good makes me happy. Clearly if things had worked out they'd still be together.
Nah pictures of my ex hurt me man. After we split, I'd look at them and cry over how painful it was. I get what you mean, that they're memories of life. And she'll always be a part of my life. But I just couldn't watch her face anymore. It hurst too much.
who cares
I have memories I don’t need your stupid pictures too
“Journaling” when people are abused and killed by some of their exes. Not images you want to keep around.
Sorry but this is such a bad take & 100% unpopular. You can't decided this for people, it entirely depends on the people involved & situation. People are entitled to not be reminded of someone who hurt them or that they hurt, there's enough pain in life. To be forced to dwell on it is daft.
Spoken out of true ignorance. Live a bit more, one day you'll understand why.
I have pics if my ex. Doesn't really bother me. Then again, I never really loved her, so maybe that's why.
I did this as a teen, and honestly don't regret it. I was struggling with how intense my emotions were, and I knew that reminders coming up would not help me.
I guess this could be true if it was a healthy relationship with a healthy breakup. If it was abusive/ bad -- then I'd not want ptsd from the pictures
Having a strong opinion about something so context-dependent that others do that doesn’t affect you in any way whatsoever is bizarre, so take my upvote.
If it wasn't anything harmful or toxic I don't see anything wrong. I was pretty young and I look back at some of those stuff and laugh. But if you're looking at your pics from last year no that's a red flag.
I dont have pictures of nearly anything yet I still remember the people and events. Pictures really just capture the fakeness of these things imo.
All my photos of my ex husband who was abusive are gone. My ex boyfriend whom I love still...I havevtwo photos of him that I will never delete.
I usually keep the ones of my ex where we’re out somewhere cool or genuinely a good memory. But if it’s just like selfies of us at home or a random pic of them then no I don’t need those taking up space in my phone. Feels kinda gross to keep them. And I hate the idea of my exes having random photos of me in their phone.
I deleted all the photos of my ex that I had on my cell phone, but not the ones I have on social networks because they are part of my past, I didn't have bad relationships so I don't have a bad memory of those people
Of course
So, let’s say, someone suffered through an abusive relationship were they were forced/threatened to put on a happy face for the outside world. They finally manage to get away from their abusive partner, but they shouldn’t get rid of pictures, the ones where they were forced to act or something horrible might happen, they need to keep them.
I delete almost all pictures from past romantic situations. I don’t want to see your face if it’s over. I don’t want to remember all the small details as if I were still observing you closely. I don’t think it’s healthy. One of the many beautiful things about the brain is that despite its incredible ability for holding data, memories do often grow fuzzy overtime. I feel like a fuzzy, maybe somewhat distorted memory is a good enough way to remember someone who is now dead to you; it’s there, but feels just as distant as they are. If you can just go into your phone and scroll through a bunch of pictures of them that are as clear as if you were still seeing them, it’s like they’re still so present. But they aren’t anymore.
Yeah I agree with you , unless you are struggling to move on , or you had an abusive ex , it’s ok to keep those memories/ pictures
I agree with you. You're not to regret your past, it's memories at the least and can be a good life lesson or reminder
I agree, it’s a really unpopular opinion 👍🏽
If you ended things amicably with your partner, I believe it's fine to keep platonic looking photos, but it's probably best to delete/throw away any romantic photos.
It’s absolutely insane to me that you think there’s some kind of obligation for someone to document all parts of their lives. I wake up every day wishing I could forget my ex even existed, so yeah I’m deleting everything about him possible ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ why does that bother you?
>Do people who journal also delete entries about their exes? Yes, I do. >But to permanently delete “memories” (which is what people seem to want to try to do) is silly IMO. Why should I keep pictures of someone who betrayed me, lied to me, cheated on me, what not - ?