5 Painfully Cold Reasons Your Man Is Just Not That Into You Anymore
Why do men pull away when things start to get serious?
No doubt, if you have gone on a date in the last decade, you have experienced something similar to this. You are dating, things feel good, you are having a good time, and you start thinking to yourself that this could be "The One." Then before you know it, you are dateless on a Friday night. He doesn't return your calls or texts with the frequency he used to... if he responds at all. Suddenly you realize you are getting the brush off — rather than approaching the end of the connection directly, you are being phased out, slowly but surely.
You are confused, you are saddened, and you begin agonizing over every detail, large and small, with your girlfriends. Could it be that your actions are doing more harm than good? Entire books have been written on the subject of men pulling away. Dozens of afternoon talk shows have dedicated their program to the topic and coaches like myself have made careers out of helping women understand why men slowly fade out of relationships. By understanding why this phenomenon happens and how you could be promoting his pulling away, you are in a better position to make sure it doesn't happen to you. Here are 5 of the most common reasons men pull away.
Here are 5 painfully cold reasons your man is just not that into you anymore:
1. He is actually busy
Is he pulling away or are you freaking out because he happens to not respond to your text within 30 minutes? He is allowed to have a life and do his own thing and this may mean from time to time that he cannot respond right away. If you have an issue with this, then chances are it's because you are not keeping yourself busy enough and should ask yourself why you need such a fast response from him. Is there something else you could be doing with your time? Maybe he had to work late. Perhaps he helped a buddy move or just caught up with family for a birthday dinner. The point is that you should let him have his own identity and not pressure him to respond immediately as this will only work against your goal of keeping this man in your life.
2. You've lost the "right" chemistry
Notice that I said the "right" chemistry and not chemistry as a whole. Chances are, you two will have great physical chemistry even as he starts his great fade-out. What I am speaking of is the other type of chemistry, the brain's chemistry, which is just as much a part of our falling in love as knowing what to do between the sheets is. You see when we first meet someone and start dating, our brains release a surplus of oxytocin. This makes women bond and attach emotionally and men feel this as well. They also experience a sharp decline in testosterone which then increases their stress levels and makes them feel easily pressured. They go from enjoying themselves to full-fledged freaking out and they run.
3. He feels the pressure
You are at a place where you feel that it's time for things to move forward to the next level. This is a time of great pressure and responsibility for a man. They are not the type to attach themselves unless they feel capable of performing in the role, and make no mistake, no matter how independent you are, they need to feel capable of supporting you and creating a life with you. If you have recently suggested that things move forward and he has gotten rather silent, understand that he knows where you stand and is having his little tantrum. Instead of increasing the pressure — and, yes, those not-so-subtle hints you are dropping need to stop — you should start focusing on nurturing the relationship itself.
Nothing sends a man running more than the horrific stench of desperation and pushiness. Work on creating a healthy relationship and nurturing one another so that he knows how important the relationship is to you, not the destination. If you feel that you are truly ready for movement and he is not, then maybe it's time to begin to pull away a bit yourself. Now, I'm not suggesting you pull away and go on and on about why you are pulling away, but rather I'm suggesting you begin to act with a bit of self-preservation. Focus on you and see what happens.
4. Your support of him has left the building
Make no mistake, men, like women, enjoy feeling appreciated. If you are suddenly doing more nitpicking than encouraging, he is going to find someone else to be his biggest fan. It's not about ego stroking; it's about understanding that we all gravitate towards those things that make us feel good. A man doesn't feel good when there is someone who is looking over their shoulder to point out their every mistake each second of the day and let's be honest ladies, neither would you. Make the effort to foster a very supportive environment in which you are each one another's biggest fans, and he will never want to lose that force in his life.
5. He has found someone else
Yes, it sucks, but it does happen and, to be quite honest, it happens more often than not when the above-mentioned points are ignored. If you have started to nitpick, pressure him for something before he is ready, and fail to take into account his feelings, chances are he could have started looking elsewhere. Even if he has found someone else, understand that it doesn't mean it's over, but it does mean you have your work cut out for you. If your once hot-and-heavy man suddenly goes MIA and cuts you out of his life cold turkey, chances are he is spending his time with someone else.
The bottom line is that men pull away for a variety of reasons, and, yes, some of them are even due to the mistakes that women make. Your intentions could be good and you may be dealing with your bag of drama from past relationships, but it's important to evaluate whether your actions are doing more harm than good. Foster a healthy relationship by ensuring that each of you has a very full and rich life. My motto is that relationships should be an addition to a full life, not what makes a life full. Slow your roll, and do not chase a man whilst in the throes of panic mode. He will only respond with his panic and run — fast — in the other direction.
If you find that you are not promoting his pulling away, then stay calm. You cannot lose what is truly yours, and if someone is fading you out then they were not right for you to begin with. It's not always the most comforting thing to accept, but the fact is that not every connection is meant to go the distance. Use this as a learning experience and harvest what you can so that you can take the valuable information gained from this connection with you as you move towards the next and possibly greatest love.
Laura Brown is a relationship/divorce coach and speaker. She has written for OMTimes Magazine, Wild Sister, Psychic Guidepost, and more.