Some breakups cut clean. Others keep a grip on you long after they end. You wake up and reach for your phone, hoping maybe he messaged. You replay the highlight reel in your mind: the kisses, the laughter, the way his hand found yours. Even when you know the relationship was not good for you, the want lingers.
Wanting him back can feel like a secret craving you are ashamed to admit. Everyone says, “Just move on,” as if it were that simple. But healing is not a straight line. It is layered with contradictions, longing, resistance, and the ache of what if.
This is where the Reclaim. Piece x Peace Journal becomes your ally. Writing does not erase the want, but it exposes it. It transforms longing into clarity and helps you see the difference between desiring him and desiring what you thought you had.
Journal Prompts for When You Still Want Him Back
Here are prompts to use in your Reclaim. Piece x Peace Journal when your heart is still holding on:
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Write the reasons you want him back.
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Write the reasons the relationship ended.
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Write a list of what has not changed about him.
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Write about the ways you betrayed yourself to keep him.
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Write what you would tell a best friend in your situation.
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Write the version of love you actually deserve.
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Write a goodbye letter you will never send.
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Write what freedom feels like without him.
1. Write the Reasons You Want Him Back
Start with honesty. What exactly do you miss? His attention, his presence, the way he made you feel wanted? List them all. Do not judge yourself. Writing down the reasons strips them of their power and helps you see patterns.
2. Write the Reasons the Relationship Ended
Balance your list. What caused the end? Lies, disrespect, neglect, incompatibility? Often the pain of the breakup erases the pain of the relationship. This list brings it back into focus.
3. Write a List of What Has Not Changed About Him
When longing grows, you imagine he has changed. Write the truth: he is the same man who hurt you, avoided accountability, or left without explanation. This list reminds you that you are longing for a version of him that does not exist today.
4. Write About the Ways You Betrayed Yourself to Keep Him
Think of the times you silenced your needs, lowered your standards, or accepted less than you deserved. Write those moments. They are not about shame, they are about clarity. Seeing them helps you decide never to betray yourself again.
5. Write What You Would Tell a Best Friend in Your Situation
Flip perspectives. If your best friend wanted her ex back, what would you say? Would you remind her of her worth? Would you tell her she deserves more? Write that advice to yourself. Sometimes the voice you need is the one you use to protect others.
6. Write the Version of Love You Actually Deserve
Describe it clearly. Respect, consistency, tenderness, reciprocity. Write how love should look and feel. This becomes your standard moving forward. You cannot want him back while also demanding more for yourself.
7. Write a Goodbye Letter You Will Never Send
Pour it out. Tell him everything—what you miss, what you regret, what you refuse to accept. End the letter with goodbye. You do not need to send it. The act of writing is enough.
8. Write What Freedom Feels Like Without Him
Imagine your life released from this attachment. How would you feel waking up without the ache? What possibilities open up? What joy comes back? Write it in detail. Freedom is not abstract—it is the daily peace of not needing him.
Deepening the Prompts
To extend these prompts in your Reclaim. Piece x Peace Journal, try these:
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Truth vs. Want Pages: Dedicate one page to why you want him back and one page to why you should not. Read them side by side.
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Attachment Tracker: Each day, rate how strong your longing feels from 1–10. Track the decline. Seeing progress helps when emotions feel endless.
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Future Self Letters: Write a letter from your future self who has moved on. Let her remind you of the joy you reclaimed.
“You do not actually want him back. You want back the version of yourself who still believed he was worthy of you.”
81% of people admit they have wanted an ex back at some point, and 99% also admit they did not want him after they got a second chance.
Wanting him back does not mean you are weak. It means you are human. But longing is not the same as loving. And wanting does not mean you need to return. Every page you write in your Reclaim. Piece x Peace Journal brings you closer to yourself, and further from a man who no longer deserves you.
