Why does my ex keep texting me after I broke up with him?

Start by separating what the message says from what it is for. A line like "saw your story and thought of you" is usually about them, not about a plan. It is a way to feel connected again without asking for anything directly. When there is a real question, like whether you are ok or whether you want to talk, that is more open, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a vague one.

Pay attention to the pattern more than any single text. One message on a random Tuesday is different from a run of them after every hard day. Late-night texts, references to shared things, and messages that come after you have gone quiet all tend to mean the person is lonely or still processing, and less often that they are planning to reconcile. Their timing tells you a lot about what is driving it, even if the wording looks innocent.

There are roughly three kinds of reply that fit this situation. The first is a brief, kind acknowledgement that does not invite a follow-up, something that says you received their message and wish them well. The second is a direct, calm statement of where things are, which is useful if they keep returning and you need the boundary to be explicit. The third is a single answer to a real question they asked, with no added invitation at the end.

You can tell a draft is working when it is short, neither warm enough to restart a conversation nor cold enough to start a fight, and it does not end on a question that asks them to keep talking. Leave out the history of why you split, any hint that you miss them unless that is true and you are prepared for the consequences, and any reference to what they might do next. The reply should stand on its own and not require a response to feel complete.

Timing does a lot of the work here. Replying the moment a text arrives tells them you are waiting by your phone, which keeps the loop going. Waiting several hours, or until the next day, lets the message land as a message rather than an event. If the text came late at night, leave it until morning. You are allowed to not answer at all, and not answering is often the clearest signal.

If they keep texting after you have replied clearly, you do not need to answer every one. Reply once more, if at all, with the same short position, and then go quiet. If it continues and it is affecting you, it is reasonable to mute the thread or tell them directly that you will not respond to messages about the relationship. Stopping is a valid outcome, and you do not owe a longer explanation to keep the peace.