Why would your ex unblock you on Instagram?

It’s been a while since your breakup and things didn’t end on a good note. Your ex blocked you on all social media and you gave up all hope of ever talking again. However, out of the blue, your ex unblocked you but hasn’t reached out. Now, you’re left feeling confused and searching for reasons as to why they changed their mind.

If your ex unblocked you but hasn’t reached out, it usually means that they no longer hate you or feel the need to completely cut you out of their life. It could also indicate that they have worked through their feelings after the breakup and they’re open to the idea of possibly communicating with you again.

In general, it’s usually a good sign when an ex unblocks you.

They wouldn’t do it if they felt extremely hateful about you or if they wanted absolutely nothing to do with you.

Understandably, you’re excited and nervous at the same time. You’re hoping that this is a sign that there’s a chance for reconciliation.

It’s definitely not impossible at this point.

If you were implementing no contact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have been waiting for your ex to unblock and reach out to you.

But, given that they haven’t as yet, I can understand why you’re uncertain of what this means and whether or not they ever will reach out.

Be that as it may, in this article, we’ll discuss the reasons why your ex unblocked you but hasn’t reached out. We’ll also touch on whether it appropriate for you to contact them. 

Related post: Why is my ex ignoring me?

Reasons why your ex unblocked you

There are a number of reasons why your ex has probably unblocked you on social networking apps.

I’ll discuss the most popular reasons below because I think it’s important for us to understand the circumstances at play before making any decisions on how to deal with the situation.

1. Your ex no longer hates you

Hate is such a strong emotion. It can influence anyone to act in extremes. 

Avoiding communication is one of the most common ways an ex may vent their frustration and hate. 

If your ex has had some time to work through their emotions, process the breakup, make peace with what has happened and forgave you, I wouldn’t be surprised that they unblock you even though they don’t reach out.

We can deduce this to be the case if it was highly apparent that he or she hated you at the time of breaking up and ended all communication on that note.

If, since then, they have unblocked you, it’s quite likely that their hate has subsided and they are left feeling indifferent about you.

Keep this in mind – the opposite of hate is not love, it’s indifference. 

2. Your ex misses you

It’s not only the dumpee who pursues no contact, the dumper can do the same if their goal is to move on or to avoid the aftermath of their decision to split. 

I’ve seen people who wanted a clean break use the no-contact rule on their ex who they dumped only to change their mind down the road.

The same could be said for the dumpee. 

Whenever no contact is used and an ex resorts to blocking you on social media, there’s a high chance that when they start to miss you, their curiosity and desire will influence their decision to unblock you.

Whether they reach out is a different situation altogether.

But, unblocking you to view your updates or to give themselves the option to reach out in the future is the most common reaction to missing an ex. 

I remember a time when my ex blocked me on Instagram for over a year. 

We didn’t really have bad blood when that happened but about a year later, I saw her profile pop up on my suggestions and that surprised me.

The only conclusion I came to was that she either missed me or was checking up on me.

I never bothered to find out because I moved on but it was interesting to note. 

Related post: 12 telltale signs someone is missing you

3. Your ex is going through something painful

Usually in life, when we experience pain from a loss, a setback, a breakup or whatever, we tend to look back at the past.

In doing so, we try to remember a time when we were last happy and fulfilled.

A time when this heartache did not exist.

If it just so happens that your ex is going through something painful and one of his or her sources of happiness was their relationship with you, they’ll probably unblock you. 

I would go so far as to say that they would reach out to you eventually. 

This is extremely common when an ex got rejected by someone or dumped and now they’re looking for a source of comfort.

Usually, that source happens to be an old flame or an ex.

Most people look back at the past with rose tinted glasses when they move beyond the pain or issues that affected them.

This is why your ex is now unblocking you when they are going through a difficult time.

They’re thinking about the good experiences they had with you.

4. Your ex wants to make amends

Sometimes, an ex who messes up or ends a relationship may flee because they cannot handle the consequences of their actions.

It’s not a brave or courageous thing to do but I don’t want to judge anyone because we all deal with tough situations differently.

Self preservation is a natural instinct in all of us.

When someone feels like they’re in danger, they can choose between fight or flight. 

If they choose flight, their reaction will be to end communication and block you.

But, that feeling of danger will subside and if their conscience starts to eat at them, it’s only a matter of time before they try to make amends.

One of the very first steps to making amends is to unblock an ex.

They’ll unblock you to gage exactly how you are and whether it’s safe or appropriate to reach out.

Trust me, they would not unblock you unless they were considering apologizing or checking up on you.

Related post: Do guys regret losing a good girl?

5. Your ex wanted to check up on you

When you share any significant amount of time with someone only to cut ties indefinitely, it’s not unreasonable to wonder about them from time to time.

At the time of blocking you, your ex probably felt like it was imminent and had to be done. 

Now, however, since time has elapsed, they probably feel like it’s okay to unblock and check up on you.

This does not mean that your ex has any intention of reaching out.

They’re just curious about what you’re up to in life, who you may be dating, how you look and how you are dealing with the split. 

Why hasn’t my ex reached out after unblocking me?

More often than not, your ex  will unblock you without the intention of reaching out.

They just want to check up on you and leave the door open for possibly being connected on any of these social media platforms.

Don’t expect them to reach out because they may never do so.

Another reason why your ex unblocked you but hasn’t reached out is because they’re uncertain.

They are toying with the idea of reaching out but they’re faced with a lot of doubt and uncertainty.

Until they figure out whether it’s something they want to do, you’ll just have to wait and see.

Your ex could be waiting for you to make the first move.

I know it’s weird, given that they were the ones who blocked you, but their pride might be stopping them from reaching out. 

So, by unblocking you, they’re taking a passive step towards being in contact by hoping that you’ll eventually friend them or reach out. 

Should you break no contact and reach out to your ex who unblocked you?

If you are actively doing no contact, then I suggest that you avoid reaching out to your ex.

Just because they unblocked you doesn’t mean they’re ready to talk or to reconcile.

It’s just the first step towards a possible reconciliation.

I always advise my coaching clients to avoid reading into this situation too much.

You’ll end up stalking or obsessing over your ex online and this will undo all the work you’ve done to move on.

No contact should be done indefinitely. 

The only time you ought to break no contact is if your ex reaches out or you were the one to end the relationship.

Otherwise, it’s not a good idea to do anything.

My advice to you would be as follows – focus on yourself.

Don’t look at this event as an excuse to fall backtrack on all the progress you have made.

Continue on with your life as if you’re still blocked by your ex.

Focus all your energy towards moving on from them.

This will help you to avoid disappointment or further rejection and heartbreak if nothing comes from this.

The worst thing would be for you to reach out to them only to get blocked again.

I’ve seen this take place with a lot of guys and even girls who mistake being unblocked by an ex as an opening to reestablish communication.

Related post: Should you reach out to an ex years later?

In conclusion

I think at this point we know with certainty that your ex unblocked you but hasn’t reached out because they’re uncertain or experiencing doubt at the most. In some cases, they just unblocked you to check up on what you’ve been up to without any intention of speaking to you again.

My advice to you would be this – don’t waste your time obsessing on why your ex unblocked you or hasn’t reached out.

Your focus should remain on moving on with your life.

Stalking your ex online or waiting for him or her to reach out is a complete waste of time. Just because you want them to doesn’t mean that they will.

If anything, this behavior will leave you feeling extremely unsettled and frustrated.

Even waiting for your ex to reach out is a form of investment in them that should not take place.

It is far more productive to pretend like you didn’t notice anything and carry on with your life and no contact. If they reach out, great! If they don’t, great!

The only thing you can control is yourself so I encourage you to do what’s smart and right for you rather than get sucked into a waiting game that will encourage you to do things that ruin all your progress at moving on.

With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this article on why my ex unblocked me but hasn’t reached out. Feel free to leave your thoughts or questions about this topic in the comment section below and I’ll share more of my honest thoughts with you.