Being broken up with is hard enough, but having it happen in an impersonal or even hurtful way probably feels even worse. Have you been the victim of any of these terrible ways to break up?

1. Over the phone by texting, calling or leaving a voicemail.

2. In a public place where everyone can see the pained or awkward looks on your faces.

3. Having your friend or someone else do it for you.

4. By changing your Facebook status to “single.”

5. By avoiding your partner and not responding to text messages or phone calls, which is what some might call the “slow fade.”

6. On the sidelines before that big game, right before your partner plays in a concert, on your way to prom or before any big event.

7. On a date.

8.  After sex.

9. By trying to be a bad girlfriend or boyfriend, so your partner will break up with you.

10. Dating someone new or what some people might call cheating on your girlfriend or boyfriend.

You don’t want to be remembered as the obnoxious person who sent a text message to break up with a girlfriend or boyfriend. So if the time has come to end a relationship, sit with your partner privately, and talk with him or her about why you want to break up and what went wrong in the relationship. As scary as sitting down to end a relationship may be, it’s the best way to go about it. Ending a relationship isn’t easy for either person involved, but if you’re going to break up with someone you want to be respectful enough of your partner to have a face-to-face conversation.