No one looks forward to the end of a relationship. Breakups hurt. And today you have to think about your digital ties, too.

We’re increasingly connecting with friends and family online. Connections to a significant other can be especially pervasive. In most cases, they should be broken.

Post-breakup online harassment is hardly uncommon. Just ask one of my listeners. But there are other reasons to break those links, too.

Let’s start with the social networks. You use those accounts to update friends and family on your status. That includes what you’re doing, feeling and thinking. You probably don’t want your ex following your every move.

The reverse is also true. You don’t need to see your ex’s updates. They could raise needless questions. What if he has someone new? What if she expresses relief that it’s over? Are these the things on which you want to focus?

Here are the settings I would change:

Facebook: Log in to your Facebook profile. Under Friends, select All Friends. Find your ex’s name. Click on it to view your ex’s profile. Scroll down the page. Find the “Remove from Friends” link on the left side. Click it. And then confirm that you want to remove this friend.