Nothing intensifies fear like receiving a "?" from your ex on the morning after the night before. A memory of deciding it was a great idea to text your ex slowly floats to the surface. You think it had the words "forever" and "penis" in it. You may feel like your only options are to a) bury your head under the covers for eternity, b) leave the country c) remove all mirrors from your house so as to never have to look at yourself again. However, dating expert James Reece tells Cosmopolitan that you DO have other options, and can bounce back from this. Avoidance. Therapists will tell you that this is a bad word, but here, it's key. Your head is sore, your mouth is dry and your insides feel like rotten wood. Don't read it until you've had a dominos - you're not able. Own it.  When you've gathered yourself and approached the message, the temptation can be to deny it was you or say it was for someone else. Nope. James says own it: " Whatever you do, don't blame someone else for doing it.  They just won't believe your friend grabbed your phone for a laugh. It's better to be gracious and admit the truth, with a little humour.  Try texting them something light hearted, like: 'I just realised the little wine monkeys made me send you that. I've made sure they've been tied up and punished.'". Delete. Now it's time to go back into denial. James recommends deleting the message AND his number to avoid a reoccurence. " If you've really gone overboard, apologise and hope they see the funny side.  However, if it's someone really inappropriate it  can be easier just to delete the number to avoid a repeat performance! " There you go - damage control tips from the pros. We just hope our ex has a sense of humour.