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Breakups are hard no matter how you do them, but for the sake of both parties, try to do it in person.

Everyone has experienced the tough realization that all good things must come to an end. One way people commonly learn this is during a break-up with their significant other.

Sexologist Dr. Lindsey Doe explains in her YouTube video “How to Break Up with Someone the RIGHT Way” the steps you should take before initiating the break-up.

“Ask yourself what you need … do you need space, support, a party, a lawyer?” Doe said. “Put these things in place before so you are prepared to say goodbye and not while you’re in the midst of it.”

There are many different options you can choose from if you decide to end a relationship. It is important to remember that the option you choose may not be the best route for your partner.

The options a person could choose from include:

• Speaking in person

• Using Skype or FaceTime

• Using a telephone

• Text messaging

• Messaging on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat

• Sending an email

• Mailing a letter

When it comes to breaking up in person, Ashley Oreman, a writer for Women’s Health, quotes Dr. Brandy Engler, author of The Men On My Couch, in her article “The Best Way To Break Up With Someone”.

“Meet with your partner face to face. Yes, it will be hard, but it will also be worth it,” Engler said. “By doing it in person, it helps you both process why the breakup is happening and have a direct conversation about why you’re leaving. Make plans with your partner to talk in a private area, like [their] place, where you’re both able to express your emotions freely.”

Skype and FaceTime allow people to have an experience similar to the in person discussion, however, using these services allow the partner to end the call randomly, which would prevent you from getting closure. This option is useful for long-distance relationships.

Using a telephone follows suit with Skype and FaceTime. If you cannot get to the person, this maybe the only option you have to talk with them directly. This situation can occur if a partner suspects a break up and does not want to see their significant other.

When it comes to messaging someone by text, social media, email or by sending them a letter, Oreman quotes Rachel Sussman, relationship therapist LCSW and author of The Breakup Bible: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Healing from a Breakup or Divorce.

“It is a really bad idea to break up via [messaging],” Sussman said. “Besides making you seem really cold and uncaring, a breakup text doesn’t give the other person a chance to ask questions, hear your tone of voice or see how difficult it is for you to dump them.”

Regardless of what you say and how you say it, Engler believes it is important to keep it concrete.

“When it comes to getting down to the nitty gritty, it’s key to be decisive and get to the point,” Engler said. “When you don’t express that you’re serious about ending things, it gives the other person hope that you will change your mind or stay together longer to work on things.”

Once the reasons for the break up have been stated, Sussman recommended keeping the conversation short.

“After you’ve hashed things out, you’re going to need an exit strategy because these conversations tend to go in circles,” Sussman said. “This helps keep you both from getting frustrated and gets the healing process started quicker.”

If you do not think that your partner is the right person for you or that you should not be dating someone at this point in your life, think about your relationship and communicate with your partner.

When a relationship comes to an end, it is important to remember the words of American author Lurlene McDaniel, “With every end comes a new beginning.”