I remember watching an episode of The Bill where PC Nick Kline (Rene Zagger) went to a club and he met PC Kerrie Young (Beth Cordingly) and he asked her, the next morning, when it turned out that they were not a pilot and a hairdresser but two police officers, if he could see her again. Not only was she engaged to a snooty lawyer at that time, but Kerrie said to Nick, "I don't want to do it, again. It was just Cass this and Cass that." (Okay, Cass Rickman (Suzanna Maddock) and Nick Kline were just friends). But nobody wants to go out on a first date to hear their date go on and on about their ex.

Depending upon how long you were together, you need to take time out and take time for yourself and here's why. When you date somebody, you give up a bit of yourself. As a single person, you're free to go out whenever you like for as long as you like, but when you're part of a couple, it can involve compromise and negotiation. So, you might have enjoyed reading, but since you got into your last relationship, you might not have read a single book. You need to get back to who you were before you were in a relationship and have that person out of your system.

Some people might want another relationship to go to before they leave the one that they're in, but here's what they forget. They say a person is more employable if they already have a job, so if you're working for one company and you want out, you're more employable if you still have a job, and you'll have something to go to, but you're not more dateable if you're already dating someone else. And a relationship is not a safety net.