The first thing you have to remember when a girl dumps you is to not take it personally. You just weren't right for her, but you are right for plenty of other girls. If there's one thing we've learned from countless Internet surveys, it's that men's tastes in women tend to cluster around four or five metrics, whereas women are as different as snowflakes when it comes to what they like in a man. Except tall; all women want a taller man. Anyway, let's talk about what to do when she dumped you.

If you want her back, you should first realistically judge how receptive she will be to your attempt to get back together. Did she file a restraining order? Does she have a new man already? Was your last view of her from behind the vase she chucked at your head as you ducked out the door? When you left, did you have to pick up all your stuff off the lawn? It's very seldom that women do these things to a man they'll want to see again.

OK, what about if she dropped you because of some specific habit of yours? Drinking and other substance abuse fall under this category, in which case you should worry less about relationships and more about getting yourself fixed up first. Other addictions, such as gambling and sports, fall under this category as well. Getting dumped for religious beliefs or because her parents didn't like you - well, these are black-and-white issues and either you know whether they'll change or not. And finally if it was because of some kink, like she came home and caught you wearing her clothes... well, maybe some relationships can't be saved.

Now the rest of what to do when she dumped you falls into hazier territory. We get into the realm of really weird break-up lines, like "You're just too intellectual for me," "I think we're falling in love too fast," or "You're more of a friend to me than a boyfriend." These lines are thin, mumbled excuses for hiding the real issues, or are spoken by couples too young to know what they are doing. The odds of fixing up a relationship that has only been split by one of these are very good. More likely than not, you are already at least on friendly phone-call terms, and you can hash out what's going on over a few weeks.