It's okay to admit that breakups can be a rather messy affair. You were dating someone, you loved them dearly and now you no longer are together. Every person deals with a break-up differently. While some people completely block their ex out of their life, others somehow get past their issues and manage to stay friends. Now, if you're one of those people who has broken up but still wants to be friends with their ex, there are certain boundaries you must set. Yes, you're very close to this person but that can actually come back to bite you if you aren’t careful. So, here are some things you should keep in mind. Take a look.

You can't keep referring to your ex as your ex. Yes, you two are no longer together but if you want to be friends with this person then you need to start referring to him as your friend and you even need to make up your mind about it.

You and your ex are no longer together so it's only natural that he may end up with someone else and you need to be okay with it. You can't think about getting hurt and not letting your ex move on.

All that matters is your attitude. If you can stay positive you can get through this without feeling too bad about things. Try to remember that this person is also your friend and not just your ex.

Say you've given the idea of being friends with him some thought and you want to do it but you can't really bring yourself to do it right away. Understand that it's okay to feel that way. You've been through something awful and all those memories of anger, sadness and frustration will be clear in your mind for some time. So, take your time to get past these issues and then you can probably think about the friendship thing again.

Maybe you guys had a routine when you were dating. Maybe you'd go to this one particular movie theatre to watch a film and then go grab a bite at your favourite restaurant and then go get some dessert at that one particular ice-cream parlour. Don't do this when you two have broken up and just want to be friends. It'll leave you both feeling confused and annoyed. Instead, try to do new fun things that friends do. It'll feel easier this way.

Sometimes we want to cling on to the person we've loved for so long but ultimately if you break up with someone it has to be for a reason. If that reason is the fact that this person was too toxic for you to handle then it's just best that you don't stay in touch with him. He is still going to be an awful friend just like he was an awful boyfriend.

Yes, you two have decided that you're going to be friends but that doesn't mean things might not get messy. Your intentions need to be clear from the start. You can't be friends with him hoping that it might get you two back together. Keep a tab on your feelings and make sure that you don't fall for him all over again. The same goes for him too. If he's trying to get you to fall for him, just walk away.