19 signs your ex is miserable (and still cares for you)

Break-ups suck. No matter how bad or toxic the relationship was at the end, there’s no getting around the fact that officially breaking up with someone you once loved more than life itself is a severely painful endeavor.

But sooner or later, we all eventually get over even the worst breakups.

But what about your ex?

You might still care about him, and you don’t want him to be drowning in misery, mourning the end of the relationship.

How can you tell if your ex is miserable or not, and whether or not he still has feelings for you?

Here we discuss 19 clear and obvious signs that your ex is miserable, and still obviously has feelings for you.

1) He says he’s miserable

There’s no doubt about it: your ex is miserable simply because he openly talks about it. It seems like the only thing he can talk about is your breakup.

He tells his friends and family, and if he’s really miserable, he might even openly tell you.

He’s stuck at the bottom of a pit where nothing really matters anymore, not even his own pride.

He doesn’t really care if people know how miserable he is. He’s wrapped up in his bubble of hurt and vulnerability to even care.

He’s like a black hole that is constantly trying to let people know just how unhappy he is with his current situation.

In some ways, this openness might be his way of trying to get back to you.

By being open and honest about his feelings, he might be trying to get you to sympathize with him and give him another shot.

2) He contacts you when he’s drunk

Does your ex text you in the middle of the night or leave you a dozen voicemails telling you how much he misses you?

Whether it’s a simple “hey, thinking of you” or a full-blown confession of his love through voicemails, your ex not only misses you but is obviously using alcohol and whatever other substance to get over you.

This momentary lapse in judgment when he’s too drunk or high to care is all the proof you need to show that he’s still not over you. In his most vulnerable state, his subconscious betrays him and tries to express how he truly feels.

And as if that isn’t revealing enough, the fact that he repeatedly does this means that you’re constantly on his mind.

He’s clearly not over you, and even if he says he does and insists that the drunken texts are calls are nothing, the fact that he does it at all is enough proof that he’s obviously still trying to get over the breakup.

3) Want advice specific to your situation?

While this article explores the main signs your ex is miserable, it can be helpful to speak to a relationship coach about your situation.

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Relationship Hero is a site where highly trained relationship coaches help people through complicated and difficult love situations, like dealing with a miserable ex. They’re a very popular resource for people facing this sort of challenge.

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4) He’s gained or lost weight

People’s weight fluctuates normally — that’s just part of growing old and being human.

But if your ex has gained or lost a significant amount of weight following your breakup, with no other external circumstances that could have contributed to this very obvious change, there’s a good chance that the breakup is the reason why his weight has changed.

You notice that your ex has lost or gained weight, and not in a good way.

He might be using food as a coping mechanism or might be too depressed to even think about eating.

In either case, it’s obvious he’s developed unhealthy habits: he might be skipping meals altogether or binge eating to satisfy that dose of serotonin from the body.

5) He’s always getting into fights

Breakups can turn us into a shadow of our former selves. Even the most gentle people can become rash and antagonistic when dealing with loss and pain.

His head is so fixated on his emotions and inner turmoil that he doesn’t really process things the same way. Even the slightest nudge is enough to rile him up and get him going.

The sad part is that your ex might not even be aware of this shift in behavior.

Masked as a plain annoyance, his brute behavior could be his subconscious’ way of processing his emotions and letting go of tension.

He’s constantly on edge about you (even if he doesn’t know it) and he ends up taking it out on friends and maybe even complete strangers.

Even his friends don’t recognize who he’s become.

He’s so caught up in his own head that he’s become callous and uncaring towards others, even those who are closest to him. You don’t have to be a genius to see that your ex is obviously lashing out, whether he knows it or not.

6) He’s usually drunk or high

People get drunk when they want to forget — this isn’t really news.

A couple of beers here and there might just be what your ex needs to get over a difficult patch, loosen up, and move on with their life again.

There’s drinking every now and then, and then there’s being drunk or high every single minute of every day.

If you constantly hear stories about him doing crazy things or see his seemingly endless posts on social media about his sudden proclivity for the party life, it could be the biggest sign that he’s still not over you.

Not only is he not over you but he also needs to be under the influence of something all the time to even feel the slightest bit normal.

He’s clinging on to the high or the drunkenness to get through his day.

Instead of facing his feelings and processing his emotions in a healthy way, he’s hiding behind bottles of alcohol and drugs to dampen whatever inner turmoil he’s experiencing.

7) He’s jealous when you’re with other guys

He can’t stand it whenever he knows you’re out with another guy.

Whether you’re on a one-on-one date with a new potential boyfriend, or even just out partying or chilling with a group of friends, if your ex knows about it, there’s sure to be some fallout in one way or another.

If you’re feeling a little adventurous, try this “Jealousy” text

— “I think it was a great idea that we decided to start dating other people. I do just want to be friends right now!” —

By saying this, you’re telling your ex that you’re actually dating other people right now… which will in turn make them jealous.

This is a good thing.

You’re communicating to your ex that you’re actually wanted by others. We’re all attracted to people wanted by others. By saying that you’re dating around already, you’re pretty much saying that “it’s your loss, mister!”

After sending this text he;’ll begin to feel attraction for you again because of the “fear of loss”.

I learned this from Brad Browning, hands down my favorite “get your ex back” online coach.

Watch his excellent free online video here. He gives a number of useful tips that you can apply immediately to get your ex back.

8) He talks badly about your new romances

Bitterness is a clear sign that your ex is miserable over losing you. Exes that are over you typically wouldn’t care or even be happy about you finding new love.

They might even get together and ask you about it just to be friendly and keep things on good terms.

But if your ex seems hellbent on talking about how bad your new relationship is or gossiping behind your back and convincing people that it won’t work out, it’s a clear sign that he’s projecting his own feelings onto the relationship.

He’s obviously still hung up with the relationship so he can’t help but make fun of your new partner or belittle your newfound happiness.

There’s no point reconciling with this kind of ex. Until he learns to let go, every single interaction you have with him will be colored by bitterness.

If you think he might be bitter, then you identify with the signs presented in this video:

9) He talks badly about you

Another painfully obvious sign is if he’s bad-mouthing you to literally everyone you know.

It’s not just your new relationships that he disapproves of: he makes sure that you and everyone you know is aware of just how much he doesn’t like you.

Badmouthing might mean that you’re on his mind, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s looking to get back to you.

If anything, you’re living in his head rent-free and he has a personal agenda to make you look bad in front of everyone you know.

From trash talk behind your back to subtle posts that are obviously pointed towards you on social media, your ex will stop at nothing to let the world know how miserable you made him feel.

He can’t get over you and he also can’t get back at you so he’s resorted to acting like a victim and making everyone think you were the bad guy in the relationship.

10) He’s become a hermit

No one really knows what your ex has been up to because he has disappeared from the face of the earth.

He doesn’t go out, he doesn’t talk to anyone, he doesn’t do anything at all.

There’s no other way around it: your ex has become a hermit.

Your ex might be the suffer in silence type but there’s no denying that he’s totally withdrawn from the world around him.

It’s likely that he’s feeling vulnerable and too overwhelmed to possibly deal with anything else in his life so he’s holed up in his cave.

No one knows how he’s doing or what he’s been up to — the only information you can get from his friends is that he hasn’t been outside much.

The fact that your ex has completely isolated himself from the world is a pretty clear sign that he’s hurting from the relationship.

He’s in a complete state of self-preservation where he likely doesn’t want to deal with anything that might remind him of you

11) He’s picturing a future with you

Scientists have recently made an interesting discovery about humans.

When relaxed, 80% of the time our mind is imagining the future. We spend a little bit of time contemplating the past and focusing on the present — but most of the time we’re actually thinking about the future.

Is your ex talking about your future together? Telling you how different things could be?

He’s clearly picturing you in his life again and is miserable you’re not currently in it. And if you want to get back with him, this is a very good sign.

According to relationship expert James Bauer, the key to getting back with an ex is getting them to picture a whole new life together.

Forget about convincing him to give things another try. When someone tries to convince you of something, it’s human nature to always come up with a counterargument. Focus instead on changing the way he feels about you.

In his excellent short video, James Bauer gives you a step-by-step method for doing this. He reveals the texts you can send and things you can say that will force him to want to give things another try.

Because once you paint a new picture about what your life together could be like, his emotional walls won’t stand a chance.

Watch his simple and genuine video here.

12) He stopped trying for himself

There might be no one more familiar with your ex’s intimate dreams and life goals than you.

These were things you two talked about and shared, with the idea perhaps that you would achieve those goals together.

But now your ex has stopped working towards any grander goals, and it seems like everything he does is meant to please himself in the here and now.

He parties all the time, drinks and smokes and does drugs, and doesn’t care about his career, his education, or anything else.

Your ex might think he’s living the best life he can, but you know that he’s drowning himself in immediate gratification because deep inside, he’s more miserable than he’s ever been.

And the worst part? A path like this can only end in disaster. If he doesn’t pick himself up and retake control of his life, he might never be “himself” again.

13) He stalks you on social media

Is your ex a constant presence on your social media? If so, then he’s almost guaranteed to be having a bad time.

He’s always one of the first people to view your updates and stories, and he might even be constantly engaging you on social media with likes and witty comments. If this is the case, it’s likely that you two ended amicably, agreeing to stay as friends even after the break-up.

But the problem? He’s clearly not over you. He only agreed to “stay as friends” so he could try to win your heart back, no matter how clear you tried to make it that you’re over him.

And if you block him, he might end up involving your mutual friends, asking them about you and screenshotting your latest posts.

You’re living rent-free in his head, but the last thing he wants to do is evict you.

14) He’s making excuses to see you

Breaking up with a partner isn’t the easiest thing to do, especially if you were together for a long while.

Parts of your lives are inevitably now intertwined — you have the same friends, you go to the same gym, maybe you even work in the same place.

There will always be areas where your two circles will come together, forcing you two to meet.

But for some reason, it feels like those unavoidable coincidences are happening more often than they should.

You might be having a night out with your friends, and for some reason, he happens to be there.

Maybe he even forces meetings with you, with excuses like, “I need to come over to wait for a package at your address”, or, “I think I left something at your place”, or even, “I promised to fix your sink; let me come over and do that.”

Your ex still wants you, badly, and you not being his is tearing him apart.

15) He can’t stop rebounding

Your ex has gone on a dating spree, jumping from one girl to the next.

In the span of your breakup, he’s already seen a couple of girls, slept with a bunch of strangers, while you’re still trying to heal from the relationship.

This sign might sound a little ironic at first. After all, why would he start dating people if he’s simply not over you?

The fact that he’s jumping from person to person is a clear indicator that he’s not happy with the single life.

Guys don’t always know when they’re trying to mask their emotions for something else.

Brad Browning taught me this. I mentioned him above. He has helped thousands of men and women get their exes back.

In this free video, he’ll show you exactly what you can do to make your ex want you again.

No matter what your situation is — or how badly you’ve messed up since the two of you broke up — he’ll give you a number of useful tips that you can apply immediately.

Here’s a link to his free video again. If you really want your ex back, this video will help you do this.

16) He keeps asking about you

You hear it through the grapevine constantly. He’s been asking your mutual friends about what you’ve been up to, where you’ve been, or if you’ve been out with anyone.

He asks about your feelings, your general mood, and if you’ve said anything about him.

He still wants to be as involved in your life as he was when you two were together. While some may find this endearing and romantic, it’s more likely to come off as creepy.

It’s a sure sign of long-lasting misery because you’re obviously still one of the most important things in his mind, and he’s making no effort at all to cut you out of it.

17) His friends ask you to check in on him

His friends know you more than you do, especially now that you two are no longer a thing.

Whatever he’s feeling now that you’re gone, there’s no one likelier to know it than his closest buddies.

So if you ever get a text or call from one of them asking you to maybe check in on him and see how he’s been, then that means things are seriously going bad for your ex.

Think about it: his friends want to stay loyal to him, but they also don’t want to see him suffer.

Contacting you would be one of the last things they would want to do because they don’t want to make him feel like they’ve betrayed him behind his back.

But they also know that you’re the only person in the world who could kick him out of his funk, and if you could only give him at least a quick chat, that would make his day (if not his entire week).

18) He’s always trying to prove that he’s over it

Ever since you and your ex broke up, his social media behavior has radically changed. Whereas he might have rarely ever posted on Instagram or Facebook before, he now updates his accounts several times a day.

He’s suddenly become extremely keen on sharing just how much fun he’s having — out with the boys, or out on vacation, or even if he’s just having a blast by himself.

So what’s this all about? Has his personality done a 180 overnight, coincidentally just as soon as you left him? Not likely.

Your ex wants you to know that he’s having a great time without you, but we all know that as soon as the pics and vids have been posted, he’s back to aggressively stalking you, wondering why you aren’t viewing his Stories.

19) He makes sure that you know he’s dating someone else

If your ex has moved on with his life and gotten over his relationship with you, then great, good for him.

But if he’s using every avenue possible to make sure that you’re aware of it — and the fact that he’s having an amazing time — then it’s probably not nearly as good as he’s pretending it is.

Is he constantly posting about his dates on social media?

Has he told all your mutual friends about her, about how amazing and fun and beautiful she is?

Has he said that she’s better than “his ex” (you)? If he had truly moved on, then he wouldn’t be so concerned over your awareness of his new relationship; he’d just be hoping the best for you and getting on with his life.

The simple truth is, regardless of whether or not he has any feelings for his ex, he obviously still has feelings for you, and that alone is enough to keep him in some state of misery.

Your Ex is Miserable: Now What?

In one way or another, you’ve confirmed that your ex is miserable.

So what do you do now? Do you talk to him and try to coax him out of his mystery? Or do you let sleeping dogs lie?

If you think you guys would be happier back together, then you need to be proactive to get him back.

Here are the 3 things to do after a break up:

1. Work out why you broke up in the first place
2. Become a better version of yourself so you don’t end up in a broken relationship again.
3. Formulate a plan of attack to get them back.

If you want some help with number 3 (“the plan”), then you need to watch relationship expert Brad Browning’s excellent free video right now.

This video isn’t for everyone.

In fact, it’s for a very specific person: a man or a woman who has experienced a break up and legitimately believes the breakup was a mistake.

Brad Browning has one goal: to help you win back an ex.

As a certified relationship counselor, and with decades of experience helping to repair broken relationships, Brad will give you a foolproof plan to get them back. He reveals the texts you can send and things you can say to him to make him think, “yep, I made a big mistake!”.

Click here to watch his simple and genuine video.