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The real reason you want to become ‘The one that got away’

Turn the tables on your loss & start owning your worth

Annika Lindberg
7 min readDec 20, 2024

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Photo by Morgan Sessions on Unsplash

Defining ‘The one that got away’

‘The one that got away’ is a term that has gained popularity in the dating dictionary. It is often used as a denomination for someone with whom a relationship was never truly realised. The sense of shortfall usually indicates that the relationship was in some ways not reaching its potential.

Even if balanced and healthy relationships can sometimes end, they tend not to leave people with a need for emotional redemption. If you fantasize about becoming ‘the one that got away’, you likely have been part of a relationship that lacked balance and reciprocity. There is a good chance you felt that the other person did not appreciate you yet when the end came, it felt a bit like an ‘unfair dismissal’. You are now yearning to make them feel how great a loss you were.

Irrespective of who ended the relationship, ‘The one that got away’ is usually remembered as a slightly untouchable, romanticized ex (phantom Ex) to whom future partners will be compared.

Let the thought of becoming unforgettable be your catalyst for self-growth

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Annika Lindberg
Annika Lindberg

Written by Annika Lindberg

Chartered Psychologist | Writer | Blogger| Sharing clinical knowledge & life experience- habits, relationships, addictions and more www.headward.co.uk

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