Main image courtesy of Awareness Act.
Everyone reacts differently to breakups, and some of us definitely move on faster than others. You may be eager to move forward with your life, taking things in stride-- or you might find yourself keeping tabs on an ex or obsessing over the past, trying to figure out what went wrong.
Many people find that their Zodiac sign explains how they handle the process of moving on-- whether they keep moving forward or going back to old relationships. Out of the twelve signs, the water signs-- Scorpio, Cancer, and Pisces-- take the longest time to heal. But how do the rest measure up?
We’ve arranged all twelve signs of the Zodiac in order from the fastest to the slowest to move on from an ex. Read on to see where you fall!
Sagittarius is associated with curiosity, and people born under this sign tend to be optimistic and love their freedom. That optimism helps a lot when trying to move on from a previous relationship, as it turns out.
Sagittarians are often good at moving forward with their lives and rationalizing breakups as just a part of living-- given enough perspective, they can even see the humor in their situation. Sometimes, impulse leads Sagittarians to try to recover lost relationships and reunite with exes, but this is usually out of impulse rather than an inability to move on.
Gemini generally have great communication skills-- which makes it obvious when their relationships start to go bad, because they simply stop communicating. After a breakup, their skill with words can be a double-edged sword-- some Gemini are prone to talking themselves into remembering old relationships in a much more positive light than they merit.
However, Gemini are also very good at making sense of breakups, sometimes even trivializing them like Sagittarians. As soon as a Gemini comes to terms with the fact that a breakup has occurred and why, they move on pretty easily. This doesn’t mean that they are bitter toward their exes, though-- Gemini tend to remain remarkably friendly with former partners.
Capricorns are often considered unemotive, but this is largely due to their pragmatic way of looking at life. As an earth sign, Capricorns don’t like change, and they generally want stable, long-term relationships. This means that they will fight as long as they can to preserve those relationships and make them work.
When things don’t work, though, Capricorns can be remarkably quick to move on. They won’t waste time pursuing someone whose needs and values no longer line up with theirs, or whose goals interfere with theirs, and they won’t waste time begging an ex to come back.
Aries’ response to a breakup is a little more difficult to define. This sign likes to have a sense of control, and tends to be competitive in all things-- including relationships. When a breakup is coming, they usually try to initiate it. If they don’t initiate the split, they often feel blindsided, and the response is usually strong and emotional. In the midst of this emotional reaction, Aries is one of the most likely signs to get back together with an ex.
However, once the initial emotional response to being broken up with has passed, Aries moves on pretty quickly and avoids living in the past. Especially when they initiate a breakup, they maintain a sense of control and are able to move forward.
Aquarius, like Sagittarius, is a curious sign, and people born under this sign tend to be deep thinkers and problem solvers. This makes it pretty easy for them to rationalize their breakups and accept that their relationship wasn’t working.
However, their method of doing this is a little dubious and isn’t always healthy. Aquarius tends to avoid confrontation and doesn’t want to dwell on negative emotions, so they just bottle all of that up. This means that they don’t always work through their emotions after a breakup, and that can be a roadblock in truly moving past an ex.
Libras appreciate balance and harmony-- which makes sense, considering their sign is a set of scales. They tend to thrive in relationships, as long as those relationships are healthy and balanced.
This can make breakups painful for them. Although some Libras have an easier time moving on from their significant others, most are at a high risk of spiraling in their thoughts-- they dwell on the past too much, and it can take a lot of time to heal enough to move forward.
Virgos approach life with an analytical eye, and this carries over to their relationships. When faced with a breakup, they try to analyze what went wrong.
This allows them to grow in the long term from previous relationships, but it also means that they can take a very long time to move on. Especially when they are blindsided by a relationship ending, they have a tendency to obsess over figuring out what was wrong-- and this, combined with their tendency to blame themselves for things, can keep them stuck in the past for a long time. Virgos can have trouble breaking out of the cycle of searching for their own faults-- especially when the fault was not their own.
Tauruses are definitely romantics, and like most earth signs, they hate change. They like to take time to build their relationships up, and ending those relationships takes just as much deliberation.
However, that deliberation goes right out the window if they feel they have been wronged in a breakup-- usually, if they are the one being broken up with. Tauruses will have a strong emotional response, and it generally takes them a long time to fully heal and move on from their exes.
Leos, like Tauruses, are romantics, and as the leaders of the Zodiac, they enjoy having attention on them-- especially from their significant others. Although they can manage pretty well if they initiate a breakup, things look very different when they are the ones being left.
When they are broken up with, Leos find themselves stuck on their exes for a long time. They may try to win their ex partner back if they can-- they hate the idea of someone losing interest in them. If that fails, they will be deeply hurt for a long time, feeling inadequate and blaming themselves for all of their faults. This cycle of self-reproach is certainly not ideal for moving past an ex, and it can have long-term effects on Leos’ self-confidence.
Cancers take a long time to trust others in the first place, so they take their time to develop strong relationships. Once they have a relationship they feel comfortable in, they do not want them to end.
This, of course, makes it extremely painful for Cancers to move on from previous relationships. Since they thrive on reassurance, breakups can feel like a major betrayal, and it leaves them feeling vulnerable and exposed. Because Cancers tend to be so attached to their significant others, they often romanticize the past, even if their relationship ended for a good reason, and it’s not unusual to find them trying to find a way to reunite with their ex. Even if they don’t try to get back together, Cancers are prone to letting their thoughts spiral out of control, blaming themselves for the end of their relationships.
Despite the fact that Scorpios are associated with regeneration and transformation, they really struggle to move on and regenerate after their relationships end. Even if Scorpios can admit that a relationship was not working out, their intrinsic need for a sense of control means that they almost always feel wronged after a breakup.
That sense of being wronged leads Scorpios to act in ways that make it impossible for them to move on quickly. People born under this sign can hold grudges for a long time, and they’ll often keep tabs on their exes for quite a while, obsessing over what their former partner is doing.
Pisces are extremely empathetic, so they generally take the longest to move on from their exes and previous relationships. They feel their emotions very deeply, like Cancers, and are excellent at overthinking.
After breakups, this leaves them dwelling on the past for a long time, trying to think through what happened and what they did wrong. Although it’s always good to learn from past experiences, Pisces can inflict a lot of pain on themselves by obsessing over their previous relationships and partners-- so it takes considerable time and lots of tears for them to move on from an ex.
Everyone deals with breakups differently, and there’s plenty of room for variation even within each Zodiac sign. But sometimes, knowing more about your Zodiac sign might help you make sense of your reactions when your relationships end!
