We’ve all been there: You like a guy, it appears that he likes you back, and everything is going perfectly.
Then all of a sudden, it’s like he starts avoiding you without any specific reason.
When a guy ignores you, it doesn’t have to necessarily mean that he’s totally ghosted you.
Maybe he hasn’t disappeared from your life, but you notice that something is off.
He hasn’t dumped you, but he’s not texting you as often as he did either.
He isn’t calling you out on dates and doesn’t show any initiative whatsoever.
Even when you try reaching out to him, he gives you the cold shoulder.
You write him paragraphs and all you get are short responses, such as OK, LOL, or a smiley face.
On one hand, you don’t want to be too pushy. One the other, you also need answers. So, what is the right thing to do?
Well, in order to deal with this situation properly, firstly you have to understand what it means when a guy ignores you.
1. He’s lost interest
The worst thing about a guy ignoring you is the fact that he hasn’t been like this since day one.
In fact, when you met him for the first time and in the beginning of your dating relationship, this man kept on texting and calling you all the time.
One night, everything went smoothly and the next day, he just stopped texting you, stopped responding to your text messages, and even started ignoring you on social media.
Now that he’s suddenly changed, you don’t know what to think.
Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but there is a possibility that he’s simply lost interest.
Maybe he was just trying to get into your pants and when he succeeded in dragging you to bed, you no longer occupy the first place in his life.
Or maybe he’s realized that he’s won you over and got into your heart, so you’ve become instantly boring.
It is also possible that he’s simply stopped liking you, without any real reason. He was so into you at first, but as time went on, he saw that you’re not the one for him.
I know that hearing this hurts. However, you need to remember that he didn’t make any vows and he didn’t guarantee that he’ll love you for the rest of your life.
2. He thinks you’re needy
Another real reason a guy might be giving you the cold shoulder is your clingy behavior. You’re head over heels for this man and you want to spend every second of your free time with him.
Whenever you two aren’t together, you have the need to text him or talk to him over the phone. But there’s a great chance that all of it has become too much for him.
Instead of growing even fonder of you, you chased him away. Now that he’s gotten the impression that you’re too available, he thinks of you as desperate.
This man is also scared that you’re trying to cage him, so he has no other option but to ignore you.
Besides, keep in mind that not everyone has the same standards when it comes to the quantity of communication in a relationship.
For him, it might be enough to talk to you fewer times a week and you’re suffocating him when you want more.
3. He’s seeing someone else
Here is another harsh truth: In most cases, when a man is not giving you enough attention, it means someone else is getting it instead.
If he has no significant interest in you, chances are he is interested in someone else.
The fact is that this guy might be with another girl behind your back, so he doesn’t have enough time to keep in touch with you the way he used to.
The important question here is whether you two are exclusive or you’re just in the early stages of dating. If the first scenario is true, this is definitely cheating.
However, if you haven’t labelled things yet, I hate to break it to you, but he has the right to explore other options.
It is up to you to decide whether this is something you’ll accept and patiently wait for him to choose you, or realize that it’s time to move on.
It doesn’t have to mean that he is in a committed relationship with another girl.
He might have met someone new and is just in the early stages of getting to know her, but he refuses to cut all ties with you until he is certain that he has a shot with this new project.
The last thing he wants is to be left hanging on both sides.
Or maybe he even thinks that he is able to juggle both of you simultaneously.
Either way, this is something you should definitely look into.
4. He wants to play games
This one is pretty common as well: The man we’re talking about is playing dating games with you in the hopes that you’ll fall even harder for him.
When someone ignores you for no reason, they know you’ll think about him.
You’ll spend a lot of time trying to dissect his intentions (which you’re doing at this moment), so he’ll be present in your heart and mind.
Besides, this approach helps him test your feelings. He wants to see whether you’ll be completely indifferent toward his behavior or fight for his love and intention.
Another thing he is trying to get to the bottom of is your personality. He wants to figure out whether he can manipulate you easily or you’re the type of girl who won’t fall for his games.
5. He doesn’t know what he wants
You’re a strong, grown up woman who never has doubts about who and what you want in your own life. However, not everyone is like you.
You have to face the fact that there are some men out there who are immature boys, despite their age. And your boyfriend just might be one of them.
This guy is ignoring you because he doesn’t have a clue what he wants from his own life and by acting this way, he is buying himself time.
He made some promises he can’t keep, so now he chickened out and expects everything to be magically solved.
Or maybe he is actually falling in love with you but is scared of his emotions?
When a guy ignores you but likes you, he is actually pushing you away from him before letting you in his heart completely.
Either way, he can’t choose between being in a committed relationship with you and living the life of a bachelor.
Even if he wants to break up with you, he doesn’t have the courage to do it face to face.
He is the kind of guy who doesn’t know how to take charge and responsibility for his actions.
He is too weak to make decisions and instead goes with the flow and waits to see where it will get him.
Therefore, it’s up to you to see whether you’re ready to waste any more of your precious time on someone who can’t make up his mind about you.
6. He’s really busy
When you’re falling in love, it’s perfectly natural to go through different scenarios in your head.
You overthink all the possibilities and in most cases, you’re pessimistic about everything that’s going on.
But I want you to know that there really is a chance that this guy is too busy at the moment.
Maybe he has a lot on his mind or is stressed out because of work, school, friends, or family, so he simply doesn’t have time to reach out to you.
Of course, this is no excuse if this is not the first time something like this has happened.
It’s one thing if a guy is ignoring you for a while and completely different if he has a habit of doing it without giving you a proper explanation.
7. It’s something you did
I know that you would like to hear that this situation is entirely your boyfriend’s fault.
However, have you ever taken another possibility into consideration?
Is there perhaps the slightest chance that you did something to cause his behavior?
Maybe you hurt him or insulted him, or he’s paying you back for ignoring him in the past.
Nevertheless, even if this is the case, this is not the way to resolve your issues.
If he is bothered by something you did or said, he should take it as a grown up and talk things through.
Passive-aggressive behavior and silent treatment won’t bring any good. Besides, they can be signs of this guy’s immaturity and his inability to face his problems.
8. He’s just not that into you
Let’s be honest. If you want to have someone in your life, you’ll do everything in your power to keep him there. So, why do you think that men are any different?
If a guy is truly in love with you, he’ll always make time to reach out.
He’ll never be too busy to see you. He’ll never leave you hanging and wondering what went wrong.
Everything else is an empty excuse and clear sign that you’re not as important to him as he is to you.
Therefore, it’s time to face the bitter reality: This guy is just not that into you.
At the end of the day, it’s totally irrelevant if he lost interest along the way, never had any significant interest, is playing games, and so on.
The bottom line is that he doesn’t care enough.
He is attracted to you and he likes you in some way, but you don’t take first place in his life and that’s something you’ll just have to figure out how to deal with.
See also: What Is The Best Reply When Someone Ignores You: 88 Examples
5 Things To Do When A Guy Ignores You
1. Rethink your relationship
Before figuring out how to deal with a guy ignoring you, firstly you have to reconsider your entire relationship and try to figure out why all of this is happening.
Of course, you won’t make a scene and a big fuss about him giving you the cold shoulder if you conclude that he’s just been too busy and this hasn’t been going on for long.
The second question is whether he is worthy of the trouble. Is he someone you want to fight for or will you just leave him be and realize it’s time to move on?
Do you see yourself next to him in the near future or know you wouldn’t miss him the next day after he’s gone?
Are there some clear signs that your relationship might work out?
Did you do something that caused his behavior? Or he is acting this way out of the blue?
Also, it’s important to be honest about why you’re upset that he’s ignoring you. Is this your ego talking or do you really care for him?
2. Change your means of communication
After you’ve answered all of your questions and decided that you want to make peace with this man, it’s time to take action.
According to most dating tips, the first thing you should try doing is reconsider changing your means of communication.
If you’ve been texting him all the time without getting a proper response, is it possible that he is not a huge fan of text messages?
Maybe it would be better if you try making a phone call and talking to him.
On the other hand, if it’s the other way around, keep in mind that some shy guys don’t like phone calls, especially in the beginning of a relationship.
Maybe he prefers texting because it gives him more time to think about what he’ll write.
If none of this works out, try calling this shy guy out on a date and check his body language signals. Some people function way better face to face.
3. Don’t be too pushy…
No matter what you decide to do, the important thing here is not to be too pushy. I know that you want to get to the bottom of this, but forcefulness is not the way to go.
If you pressure him too hard, you’ll just get a counterproductive effect. You’ll send him a message that you’re a girl with self-esteem problems who craves his attention.
He’ll assume that he can treat you the way he wants, without you doing anything about it.
You’ll appear desperate, needy, and too obsessed with your love life, and that is the last thing any guy likes.
So, the best thing you can do here is to give him some time. As much as you want answers, try letting him be the one to contact you first.
After all, he’s the one who started this ignoring practice, so it’s up to him to make the first move.
It’s important to be careful about your reaction when he finally does reach out.
Don’t act like you’ve been dying to hear from him or that you’ve spent all of this time patiently waiting for him to have the decency to call you.
On the other hand, don’t play games either. That way, you’ll both end up trapped in a never-ending circle of manipulation, mixed signals, and chaos.
4. …but call him out on his actions
However, all dating tips will tell you to definitely call this guy out on his actions.
Don’t pretend that you haven’t noticed his behavior just because you want to appear like a tough, heartless girl who can’t be harmed so easily.
After all, you’re a part of this relationship and you have the right to demand some explanations.
Show him that you know your worth and expect the same from him. Be direct and ask him to tell you what’s wrong.
That said, don’t make a drama about it. Try having a mature, productive conversation that will help you resolve your dilemmas.
5. Keep yourself busy
Finally, the most important thing for you to do when a guy ignores you is not to put all of your focus on that situation only.
If you do, you’ll fall into despair and won’t be able to stop yourself from contacting him.
You’ll lose control over your emotions and might end up doing some things you’ll regret later on.
So, instead of putting your entire life on hold while waiting for him to reach out or make up his mind, keep yourself busy.
Use this period of no contact to work on your self-esteem and realize that no man is worthy of your tears.
