Rebound sex, if discussed and implemented with the right boundaries, can serve as a distraction and a reminder of other parts of yourself. This can be invaluable when you are mourning a part of yourself that you thought you might never lose.

But it must be done with both caution and consideration of the timing and emotional impact it could have – and only you can make these decisions.

“I think it’s really important to think about whether or not rebound sex can sustain open wounds when you’re fresh out of a relationship,” Katie*, 31, tells Stylist. She describes two very different experiences of rebound sex: one encounter that she believes she went ahead with “too soon” after the breakup; another felt like more of a rush – “super fun, relaxed, with an old work colleague”.

“It was a little bit like when your high school crush fancies you back,” Katie describes. “It reminded me that sex can be carefree and doesn’t always need to be a big deal. It helped me with moving on and remembering there is a whole world out there beyond my ex!”

An important thing to remember when navigating a potential rebound sex encounter is clear communication with your partner(s) about what you want from the arrangement. The last thing you want is wires being crossed and one of you expecting different levels of commitment and investment from the other, adding to your heartbreak tally or weighing on your emotional bandwidth.

Can rebound sex ever work in helping you get over someone?