If you are taking a ‘relationship break’ as in you are taking a little time off from one another, a trial separation of sorts, to see if you are really interested in working things out or not, it’s commendable. There are a few things you need to do first in order to make sure this will be successful for both of you. Otherwise one of you will be obsessing over “how long does a relationship break last?” instead of the matter(s) at hand.

Taking the time to establish a few ground rules from the start will prevent either of you from needing to wonder “how long does a relationship break last?” or anything else really about the process. More importantly, it will allow you to properly focus your thoughts on the relationship instead of the duration of the relationship break.

So, how long does a relationship break last?

The short answer is that it will be depend on the relationship. One thing is certain, before you commence with the trial separation you need to sit down and talk. Clearing the air before parting ways, even temporarily can make all the difference in the world when it comes to the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Establish a Timetable

Set a time limit for the trial separation. At the end of that period of time you either need to call it quits and move on or get back together. It isn’t fair to either of you to continue on with an undefined relationship or to leave the other party hanging on if you’ve already decided it’s over. Give it somewhere between a month and six weeks. This should be plenty of time to decide if you’d like to give it another chance and will prevent the other party from growing too restless worrying over “how long does a relationship break last?”

Plan Discussions

If you get together once a week or every other week for coffee you can discuss how things are going and decide if adjustments need to be made to the original schedule. You also have the chance to reconnect and avoid becoming strangers during the relationship break. The contact allows you both to touch base and to gauge the temperature of things. Whether you’re cooling off or still simmering it’s a good idea to have a feel for things before the fateful day arrives.

Commit to Making a Decision

The worst thing you can do is drag a trial separation on when one party is unwilling to move forward. This is generally a sign that the other party isn’t interested in continuing the relationship but doesn’t want to be the one to end it. It’s a tough thing to do, especially when you don’t want things to end but you can’t keep going without some sign of interest or willingness to return to the relationship from the other party.