To put it simply, we were together for about a year and a half, started great as most relationships do, but then by about 14 months became very argumentative and distant. We’d hang out at least once a week, and it sometimes felt like a chore or a box to check off each week. Tonight I came to the decision to end it rather than string her along as I started feeling like I was hanging out with a friend as opposed to a girlfriend. (There’s way more to it than this, this is just the abridged version.)

We agreed it was probably best, but that didn’t stop us from sobbing in each other’s arms when we exchanged our stuff back to each other. I know breakups hurt, and I know it’s normal to want to go back, but how do I know if I made the right choice or not? As soon as my hand left hers, I wanted her back. I could only think of the good things. I could only think “we can make this work” despite failing to make it work for the last 3.5 months. At what point does it go from typical heartbreak separation sadness to “I made the wrong choice” separation sadness?

TL;DR: We broke up, I’m sad, but that’s normal. So how do I know if it was the right choice?