How To Break Up — Dignity Intact

Breaking up is hard to do. But, it doesn't have to be a hot mess. Yes, there will be hard feelings, but if you can just refrain from throwing things, you might just come out of this a better person. There's usually no need to act like a screaming toddler (except when there is). We're firm believers that an amicable, calm breakup is a sign of both true maturity and, in a funny way, love and respect for your former partner.

We dug deep into our own collective experience, pulling from both the best breakups and the really, really bad ones. You know, the ones that pull your heart out, drag it around a dirty floor, and then try to haphazardly stick it back into your chest with some old masking tape that definitely isn't sticky anymore. All our suffering was not in vain, though. The result? An easy-access, eight-step guide to ending it, the classy way. If you feel a split coming on, you might just want to print this one out.