Love on the Rebound: Is it a Good Idea?

Rebound love happens all the time, especially if you pay attention to the lives of celebrities. Recently, Johnny Depp broke up with his longtime girlfriend and started dating actress Amber Heard a few weeks later. But he's not the only one.

Break-ups are emotional, and often leave you feeling devastated and lonely. In tough times, it can be easy to reach out to someone new - for sex, companionship, or a number of other reasons. But is this a healthy response?

Rebound relationships are often temporary, and can leave you feeling even worse after they fall apart. Some people then go on to repeat the cycle, avoiding dealing with their own pain in favor of the distraction of a new relationship. The most important question to ask yourself before you enter into a rebound relationship is: what do I really want?

If your answer is that you don't want to be alone or feel lonely, then jumping into a relationship with someone new isn't going to make those feelings go away. If you haven't dealt with your pain, and aren't able to emotionally function on your own without a relationship, then it's not a good idea to mask your pain with a rebound. It's good to know who you are both within and outside a relationship - and after a breakup is usually the best time to discover yourself again. What your interests, feelings, and opinions are now - outside of any relationship.

Some people feel that they want a casual relationship with no strings attached - that they aren't looking for anything serious, so a rebound works well. While this is fine as long as both parties agree, often this is another delaying tactic, and eventually you will have to face your pain and work through what went wrong in your last relationship.

The most important thing to keep in mind after a break-up is: if you spend some time alone to figure out what you really want and what you could do differently, your next relationship will be better. We all need to understand ourselves and our motivations, and sometimes the best way to do this is on our own, apart from a partner, girlfriend, spouse, etc. By asking yourself the tough questions, and figuring out what you could change - whether it's better communication, controlling your anger, or a number of other challenges - you will be on firmer ground with the next person, and you won't repeat the same mistakes with someone else.