If you’ve come here directly from my article, Anxious Hearts: Why You Keep Texting Your Ex at 2am — And How to Stop, you’ve peeled back a little bit of why we behave the way we do, but now we’re on the way to doing something about it. Understanding is only a fraction of the work we need to do to overcome. The first step to healing attachment is self-awareness with compassion. That’s learning to see yourself honestly, realistically, and without guilt or shame.