In the world of dating and hookups, there are a lot of experiences to be had, and bad hookups are sure to be a part of those experiences. Can you take back a bad hookup? No, you can't. You can get past it, though! You can give yourself a few days to wallow, keep busy, break the contact, take precautions, have a better hookup, not make a big deal out of it, and make better choices going forward. Bad hookups aren't the end of the world, but they will happen from time to time, and you're going to want to know how to deal with them effectively. Don't worry! Xpress has got the goods on how you can do this, and move on again with confidence. Keep on reading for more information. You'll be over your bad hookup and back to having fun again in no time.

Can you take back a bad hookup? No, you can't. What's done is done and that's just the way it is. Use it as a learning experience though. Sometimes the bad hookup is there to show us why we need to appreciate the good ones so much. A bad hookup can be a great thing, in the long run. It's never fun to deal with at the time, and there are a lot of steps that you'll need to go through in order to get past it, for sure. In the long run though, if you've faced it the way you need to, then you're sure to be far less likely to make the same kind of mistake again in the future. You can't take it back, but you definitely can get past it, and even though doing it right is a bit of a process, it's absolutely worth it.

Go through each of the motions, once you get to the end of it, you'll be a lot stronger and better off for having dealt with it. Before you know it, you'll be feeling much better again, and you'll be ready to put it behind you for good, and move past it. There is a lot of guilt and regret associated with making such a choice though, so do understand that this may not be a smooth road. It's definitely one worth taking, though.

Do give yourself some time to wallow in this experience. It's probably one of the only ways that you're going to be able to keep yourself from making the same mistake again, in the future. Wallow for a couple of days. Think about what happened, and why you're in the place you are now, filled with regret. It's really important that you do this, because again, you can't take back this bad hookup. You can't make it go away, and you can't make it so that it didn't happen. What you can do, is make sure that you do your very best to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Facing it head on is the first important step towards doing this, so wallow if you need to for a day or two. It's a healthy part of facing your behavior, and helping to make sure that you're owning it, and that you're not going to repeat it again. Don't get stuck in this part of the process, though. You're not at this point to punish yourself. That's not necessary. Which leads us to the next point.

When it comes to getting past really bad choices, it's never as easy as we'd like it to be and we can tend to be really disappointed in ourselves, which is very understandable. Giving yourself the time you've needed to wallow is absolutely fine, just remember not to get stuck in the wallowing stage, and stay there for any longer than you need to. Acknowledge what you've done that's put you in this place, and own it. Once you've done that though, it's time to move on. You need to move past this, and no matter how bad of a choice it might be, you still need to put it behind you. So, yes it's important to give yourself some time to wallow and reflect on what happened. Again, it's perfectly natural and alright to do this. Move on from this stage as quickly as possible though. Once you've owned your mistake, how long to you really need to stew in the aftermath? You don't need to punish yourself, and you really don't need to feel sorry for yourself. You made the choice. Acknowledge it, own it and move on from it. You only get a day or two to wallow.

This feeling isn't going to last for too long, so keep yourself busy, and you'll find that you won't be thinking about it so much. When you end up in any situation where you've made a mistake, or any other kind of regrettable choice, keeping busy and being as productive as possible is always the one of the best ways to help get yourself back on track. The dating game isn't easy, for sure. Whether you're looking for your Mr. or Ms. Right, or you're just looking to enjoy some incredible hookups, none of this is easy and mistakes are sure to happen from time to time. Without fail, every time, when you end up in a regrettable situation, you'll always find that keeping busy and being as productive as possible, is the very best way to ensure that you make a quick trip to recovery. So, definitely be sure to keep busy, and scratching as many things as you can off of your to-do list!

If it was a bad hookup, and you don't intend on repeating the same mistake, then you need to break the contact with this person. It might seem a bit rude, but you know what? We've all been on either side of this equation. No one likes to be on either side, but you can put this all behind you much more quickly if you break all contact with this person asap. Try not to go the straight up ghosting route, because no one likes being on the receiving end of that kind of behavior, but you will likely want to make sure you make it clear that you're not interested in any future hookups with this person, and also that you think it's best that the two of you go your separate ways. It might sound a bit harsh, and maybe it is, but under the circumstances it's necessary. So, break the contact and definitely let yourself use that as another step toward putting this behind you. You'll be glad you did!

This is probably one of the worst feelings associated with a bad hookup. If you haven't been safe, then you need to make sure that you're taking the appropriate precautions after a bad hookup. If you're the female, you're going to want to make sure that you've taken the proper precautions with regards to birth control, and whether you're male or female, you're going to want to make sure that you head to a doctor as soon as possible, and make sure that you get yourself checked out. Again, this is probably one of the worst feelings associated with a bad hookup, but since you can't actually take it back, you need to clean up the potential mess associated with it, and you need to get on it as soon as you possibly can. The longer you wait to take care of these details, the worst the process of putting this situation behind you is going to be. So, if you need to take safety precautions, do so right away. This will help you be able to move forward with confidence, and put everything behind you more quickly.

It's true. The best way to get past a bad hookup, is to have a good one. Unless you've reached a point in life where you're over hookups altogether, the best way to get over a really bad one, is to have a really good one. Maybe there is a reason associated with your recent circumstances that caused you to have a bad hookup. It could be a bad breakup, loss of a job, loss of a friend or loved one, or a number of other things that caused your judgment to lapse - and that's okay. It's probably a good idea to give yourself some time to get your head on straight before deciding to hookup again, and give yourself a chance to make some better choices in that department. Once you're ready though, there's surely no better way to get over a terrible hookup, than to have a better one - and hopefully a much better one! A good hookup can really bring up your confidence level, and with any luck, you can turn it into something that happens more than once. Nothing beats a great hookup!

Seriously, don't. The less people you talk to it about, the sooner it will go away, and will turn into a distant memory. You don't need to have all your friends know about this hookup. It's not necessary. The less of a big deal you make of it, the quicker it will be as though it never happened. You've broken the contact now, and you're moving past everything, so as long as you don't backslide with this bad hookup, the only direction you can possibly move in, is forward. As discussed, it's going to suck for the first few days afterwards, but once a couple of weeks have passed and you haven't talked to your bad hookup, or discussed it with anyone else, you really won't be thinking about it at all anymore. Something like this is always going to be as much of a big deal as you make it out to be, so remember not to make a big deal out of it, and it will be forgotten in no time, probably with most people never knowing that it ever happened to begin with.

The time has passed. It's over, and you can now move on. Because you haven't made a big deal out of it, it's passed as quickly as you might have hoped, and you're ready to keep moving forward. If you've followed a lot of the advice given in this article, you've more than made things up to yourself by now, and you can look back on this bad hookup with a chuckle, and remember a lesson learned. You can - and should - make better choices going forward, which brings us to our final point.

Please do. There is absolutely no point in repeating this kind of a vicious cycle. Frequently needing to walk around, filled with regret, is not worth the minimal amount of pleasure and enjoyment that you may momentarily receive from a bad hookup. Take your time, and give yourself a chance to think things through going forward, before you end up in another situation with a bad hookup that you're going to have to get over. If you were unsafe, be sure that a morning after pill is taken (if you need to), and get yourself checked. It really is a terrible feeling, and it's definitely not a pattern worth repeating, so keep moving forward, and don't make anymore choices you'll end up regretting.

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