You open Instagram for something completely unrelated. Thirty seconds later you are on their profile. Then their followers. Then somebody else's story. Suddenly you know more and feel worse.
Be specific about what you hope to find.
Proof they miss you? Proof they are miserable? Proof they have moved on? A clue that the breakup was a mistake?
Most of those outcomes hurt. Even the one you think you want can restart the urge to contact them.
Remove the shortcuts before you test your discipline.
Mute them. Unfollow if you need to. Remove searches. Stop using mutual friends as a second version of their profile. If blocking is what stops the cycle, blocking can be a boundary rather than a dramatic statement.
If boundaries are the bit you repeatedly struggle to hold, Set Boundaries, Find Peace (affiliate link) on Amazon is a useful read because it moves the question away from "am I allowed to do this?" and toward what access is actually healthy for you.
Replace the check with a two-minute action.
When the urge arrives, do something small enough that you will actually do it: write one sentence, stand outside for two minutes, message a friend about something unrelated, put the phone in another room.
If writing helps, a prompt-led option such as Burn After Writing (affiliate link) on Amazon can redirect the urge into something private instead of turning it into another search.
Expect your brain to ask for one last look.
There is always a reason it can invent. Their birthday. The weekend. A mutual friend's post. "I am over it now, so it will not affect me." You do not need to prove you are healed by exposing yourself to information you do not need.