Here is a situation most of us have been in. You meet a guy and feel the proverbial spark. Numbers are exchanged, flirty texting ensues, and eventually you go on a date … and it’s amazing!
The chemistry is strong, you connect, you have fun. You go out again and it’s another ace in the hole. Now you start to get really excited — could this be it? Maybe you hang out a few more times, but then something changes. Either you notice that he starts to pull away and seems less engaged (commonly known as "the fade away") or he just vanishes (a phenomenon known as "ghosting"). You feel completely blindsided and shell-shocked.
What went wrong?
Here is why this situation is so confusing for most of us. When a girl loses interest in a guy after a few dates, she can usually pinpoint the reason. Maybe he was too desperate, not intellectually stimulating, too quiet, too loud, too boring, too boisterous. She usually knows exactly what it is that turned her off and can give a reason as to why she doesn’t want to continue dating him if asked.
It’s not always like this for guys. A guy can go on a few amazing dates with a girl and find himself suddenly and inexplicably put off by her. Whereas he was previously texting her throughout the day and feeling a strong desire to see her, he now has no interest in contacting her whatsoever. This can be as baffling for men as it is for women. When asked, many guys will say they don’t know why they were suddenly turned off, they just were.
So why does this happen? Is it really out of the blue without cause or provocation? No, there is a reason. But it's hard to pinpoint and articulate because it’s extremely subtle.
During the first few dates with a new guy, your vibe is typically pretty laid-back and easygoing. You want to explore the possibilities with him and see what he’s all about. It starts out light and fun, it’s about connecting and enjoying each other’s company. After a few great dates with a seemingly great guy, most women can’t help but get excited about the possibilities. They think of where the relationship might go and they start to invest in a fantasy future.
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When this happens, you are no longer in the here and now, seeing the situation for what it is. Instead, your mind is focusing on what it could be, and that’s when it becomes a problem. You become attached to this fantasy future and then you can’t help but stress over it and worry about losing it (even though it’s not something you ever really had!). Then your fears and insecurities rise to the surface and seep into your interactions with him.
You begin having a relationship with the thoughts in your head rather than the person in front of you. Rather than trying to learn who he is and what he’s about, you look at his behavior and the things he says as a means to measure how he feels about you, and whether you’re getting closer or further away from your goal of having something real with him.
Most guys can intuitively sense when a woman is reacting to them as a fantasy rather than as a real, live person, when she is using him as a means to fill a void within herself.
Guys typically don’t operate this way in relationships, so he can’t fully understand what happened to turn this seemingly happy, cool girl into an unpleasant, emotionally-reactive, reassurance-seeking mess.
Why do we do this? All anyone really wants is to feel okay, and most of us don’t. When a woman worries and needs constant reassurance, it comes from not feeling "okay" — and underneath that is fear. What makes it so destructive is that it’s not an overwhelming, gripping fear; it’s a vague feeling of unease. It’s so quiet and subtle, you may not even realize it’s there.
It’s tough to nail down the source of feeling "not okay," but women going through that unconsciously latch onto things that will get rid of that anxiety, usually through reassurance or trying to make situations come about that will make them happy and finally grant them relief. This inevitably impacts your vibe, you become a parasite of sorts, and everyone you come into contact with is simply a means to an end.
When you meet a guy who makes you feel okay, your need to hold onto that becomes overwhelming, so you hold on forcefully. You may not even realize you’re doing it; it’s not something you can express outright. But it’s there and it comes across, even in the slightest ways. It changes your vibe and your energy, and men can sense it.
At this point, instead of him feeling like he’s connecting with you, he feels like you’re trying to get something out of him. Maybe it’s reassurance or validation, or maybe just more of the feeling of being okay.
Guys don’t know exactly what it is, but suddenly their instincts are telling them to get away. This usually occurs at the point where the woman can no longer keep the act up. Maybe she’s trying to appear cool and go-with-the-flow, but in her mind she’s already thinking of ways to turn a relationship that’s really nothing at this point into something. From that point forward, it’s not easy-going and natural, it’s her measuring if she is getting closer or farther from her goal.
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You can't force love. When you take a relationship that is brand new and start thinking that it’s something, or forcing it to be more than it is, it’s game over. Your vibe will become man repelling, and before long, he’ll be gone and you will be left baffled, analyzing what exactly you did to drive him away. But you won’t ever find the answer, because it isn’t concrete and measurable.
This is one of the main differences between men and women when it comes to relationships. Men are more in the moment and are able to comfortably enjoy a situation for what it is as it is. Women are always looking for ways to improve the relationship and push it forward. It’s not that one gender has it right and the other has it wrong. There needs to be a balance between enjoying the present and comfortably laying the foundation for a future.
For more on this, head over to A New Mode!
Have you experienced a situation like this?
Written by Sabrina Alexis on A New Mode.
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10 Things Confident People Do Differently in Dating & Relationships
5 Things Every Girl Needs to Know About Men
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