Emotional Anesthesia

Dating soon after a breakup is not automatically doomed. Research on rebound relationships is more mixed than the cliché suggests. The real risk is using someone new only to avoid feeling anything old. That is not connection — it is emotional anesthesia.

The tell-tale sign of a rebound: you talk about your ex more than your date. You compare constantly. You feel euphoric when they're interested, panicked when they're not. These are symptoms of withdrawal, not attraction. Real readiness feels calmer than that.