Hello, hello, hello. This is a Between the Sessions minisode. In this series, I'm revisiting

some of the most popular posts from the 20-year baggage reclaim blog archive, sharing timeless

lessons on love, care, trust and respect, and recognising when you're in unavailable or shady

territory. Today's post, Overlappers, when they start a new relationship

just before your breakup, which I wrote 15 years ago in 2012, remains one of Baggage Reclaims's

top 10 most read articles. Like so much of what I've written, it was in response to hearing

so many painful stories and confusion. I wanted to give a name

to a very specific experience people give themselves a hard time over. And it attracted almost 300

comments, which you can read via the link in the show notes, which are wherever you're listening to

this minisode. Okay, let's get into it. Going through a breakup can be

tough. It can leave you feeling restless and struggling to fill the white space left behind by the

relationship. You've experienced a myriad of emotions and sometimes you feel guilty or even blame yourself for why the relationship ended.

This is all the more reason it feels like a big fat kick in the teeth to discover that your ex is an overlapper.

They'd already begun a new relationship before breaking up with you.

You're grieving the breakup and even missing them. Meanwhile, they're already on a new adventure with someone else. You can't help but feel

replaced in these situations and that hurts. You'll feel duped if discussions and or sex took

place during their overlapping.

It makes you wonder what was real and what was fake.

There you were thinking that your relationship still had a chance, and they already knew it didn't.

It's painful and unfortunate, but sometimes we meet our next partner before our current

relationship ends.

It doesn't necessarily mean that something happens, but yes, sometimes our heads get turned.

...