Rebound Facts
After a divorce or split from a long-term relationship, many people feel anxious, sad, needy, vulnerable and emotionally raw. They often feel lonely and miss the physical closeness and affection of their previous relationship and try to cope with their loss by rushing straight into a new relationship.
If you're in this situation, it can be very tempting to literally fall into the arms of someone else who will catch you, hold you, and tell you that you're okay, you're attractive, you're worthwhile, you're lovable and you're desirable. Not only will this repress any feelings of self-doubt and loneliness, but the dizzying mix of lust and infatuation offers an instant distraction and relief from your pain.
It can be just as appealing if you're the one who's doing the rescuing. Getting together with someone who is in an acute state of vulnerability and openness, who is willing to share their feelings may make it seem like you have truly found someone to 'connect' with; perhaps even a soul mate. You may feel that by being there for them and listening to them you can help to 'fix' them and make them whole again. However, one of the biggest risks you face when dating someone on the rebound is that once they have healed they may simply move on, leaving your heart in tatters.
Rebounds can often start off as whirlwind romances, where offers of moving in together can happen after a few days, and even marriage proposals may be made within a few short weeks.
What makes rebound relationships so unstable is that they're usually rushed into for the wrong reasons; as a distraction of being with someone rather than alone, for the sheer comfort of intimacy or to prove that you are still lovable after a failed relationship. Rather than a move toward something healthy, they are a flight from something undesirable.
