Right now

Staring at the photos, not sure whether to delete them?

You don't have to choose between erasing them and looking at them every day. There's a middle way.

Opens the chat with “I keep looking at old photos of me and my ex. Should I delete them?” ready to send - edit it or send it as is. No sign-up to start · Not therapy or emergency care

What's going on

Photos are hard because they hold real moments that were genuinely good. Deleting them can feel like erasing that part of your life; keeping them in your camera roll means stumbling onto them when you least expect it.

Most people don't need to decide forever right now. What helps is getting the photos out of everyday view so they stop ambushing you, while keeping the option to decide later with a calmer mind.

Try this in the next hour

  1. Move them into one hidden album or an archive folder, rather than deleting. Out of sight, not gone.

  2. Turn off 'memories' or 'on this day' features in your photo app for a while.

  3. Don't do it at 2 a.m. in a burst of anger or sadness. Pick a calm afternoon.

  4. Keep one or two that matter to you, if you want - especially ones with friends or family that are part of your story too.

What usually makes it worse

Going through every photo one by one as a 'last look'. It tends to turn into hours of reliving and makes the day much harder.

Talking it through here

A private chat built for breakups. It remembers your story across conversations and won't nudge you toward texting your ex.

Talk through what the photos bring up

Decide what to keep, archive, or let go of - and when

Get through the hard feelings that come with it

Questions people ask in this moment

Is it petty to delete photos of an ex?

No. It's a normal way to protect your peace. Whatever you choose - deleting, archiving, keeping a few - is about you, not a statement to them.

Will I regret deleting them?

Some people do, which is why archiving first is a good middle step. You can always delete later; you can't always get them back.

If you're thinking about hurting yourself or you're not safe, please contact local emergency services or see our crisis resources first.

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Still in the middle of it?

Talk through the moment privately. No sign-up needed to start.