Unless you have been incredibly lucky or are perpetually single, it’s likely that at some point you’ve been in a relationship/situationship/romantic entanglement that wasn’t good for you. The painful clarity you receive when you finally break it off is almost more excruciating than the dumping itself, and if you don’t start asking ‘What was I thinking?’ your friends certainly will. 

The secret to avoiding this predicament is oh so simple, yet so complicated at the same time: you have simply got to learn to dodge the red flags. If they’re mean to the server on your first date, or they start a conversation by trying to neg you? Yeah, that’s a big old rag to a bull they’re waving there. It’s easy to act oblivious if you’re into them, but believe me, you’ll pay for it later. At least the trauma of such an experience translates into funny memes.