[finishedpartying]

What are the signs that you are in a rebound relationship or that you are being used as a rebound? How long do rebounds usually last?

[LucreziaBorgia]

The rebound relationships tend to be in overdrive on all levels. Its a frantic effort to convince yourself and everyone around you that you are over the previous relationship, and every part of the rebound seems to be faster, more intense. At least for me its been like that. You get the sense that its 'too good to be true' and in almost every case it is. Once the initial infatuation and delusions wear off, you realize that you really didn't choose this person: you chose what you thought they represented. When you don't need that anymore, you realize that you don't really need the person either - since it wasn't really them you needed in the first place. Then you are left with sorting out those feelings and the unresolved feelings from the first relationship.

Sometimes, they do work though - it depends on the motives for the relationship, I suppose.

The signs are wholly dependent on what the previous relationship was like. If there was cheating involved, you are likely to see an inordinate amount of jealousy and mistrust. If the relationship was lacking in passion, you are likely to see a lot of passion... and so on. If anything seems overdone or in overdrive, you have to wonder if the person is really like that, or if they are overcompensating for mistakes in the last relationship. You can always ask the person, if you are concerned about their past relationship and how/when it ended.