I received a phone call from a friend this weekend that recently went through a breakup.

He called to ask about my dating theories regarding breakups and rebounds. I had never really been asked this question before, but after exploring my personal feelings on the matter, I came up with a few important points. Just as I told him, you too should soak in these post-dating recommendations to avoid regretting your next rebound.

My definition of a rebound
A rebound is a purely physical attraction to another person that happens within a short time after a breakup in which physical manifestations of lust cause the heartbroken party to deflect their emotions onto a different focus. After heartbreak, it is very easy to mask your feelings by engaging in physical attraction with another person and not actually engaging in the necessary therapy your broken heart might need. For tips on how to properly recover, see "Springing Back and Moving On."

Despite popular opinion, to rebound is not always the best option when trying to get over someone. When you are used to an emotional connection with a lover, the purely physical connection with a rebound mate may come as quite a shock, especially to a woman. This can sometimes derail the healing process or lead to a reanalysis of the breakup.

Most importantly, the coinage of the term "rebound" is derived from basketball, not paddle ball. This means, if you do pursue this breakup route, you usually get one rebound, or one get out of jail free card - not two, three or ten.

As a DiscoverSD Insider, dating in San Diego is made simple.