Ways to Avoid Being Clingy in a Relationship
It’s easy to fall into a pattern of continually craving your partner's attention while you're in love, especially in those early stages when every phone, text, or in-person meeting is enough to make you feel giddy.
Clinginess toward your significant other, despite your best intentions, is not always a desirable attribute, it is quite a turnoff and not everyone can cope with a Clingy partner, they are most times tagged as being "needy".
In a love relationship, clinginess can take many various shapes. It includes behaviors such as calling your partner several times a day, repeatedly messaging them throughout the day, becoming anxious when they don't respond, constantly stalking your partner's activities on social media, feeling threatened by their opposite sex's friends or coworkers, constantly wanting an invite to every event your partner plans to attend, and having less and less time for your friends.
If you find yourself engaged in these activities, here are some tips on how to prevent being clingy in a relationship so you and your partner may have a healthy and happy relationship.
Talk to your partner - There is no better person to talk to than your partner, express your fears and talk about them. If you are not feeling loved enough or being insecured, speak up and trash it out. It may be upsetting to learn that your efforts to improve your relationship, ostensibly in order to feel closer to your partner, are instead backfiring. Focus instead on the fact that your relationship is still alive and well, and that it may be saved with the appropriate changes.
Spend some time focusing on yourself - When you sense the need to contact your partner in fast succession, resist it and utilize that trigger as a reminder to focus on something that directly helps you. This is not to mean that you should avoid your relationship. Instead, limiting your correspondence and hangouts to a time and frequency that both of you think is more appropriate will assist to enhance your relationship.
Increase your social time - It's easy to become consumed by your feelings and focus all of your resources on your lover when you're in love. This can be harmful to other relationships and strain the bonds you've already formed with friends, long before you started dating. This is the ideal time to lean in to your friends and family while you're learning to be less clinging. Plan friendship dates, meals, and fun-filled weekends with them to rekindle your relationship. This will not only deepen your friendship with your pals, but it will also provide a pleasant break from your partner's continual touch.
These tips in no way suggests that you shouldn’t spend quality time with your partner. However, remember that “everything that exceeds the bounds of moderation often will have an unstable foundation.”