RED FLAG BEHAVIOR- THE SILENT TREATMENT

Has  your boyfriend disappeared like a poof of smoke?
No more texts coming in from him?
Is he not calling you, returning your calls or texting you back?

Are you confused or even worried, because you two have NOT broken up, yet he is not communicating with you?

Welcome to THE SILENT TREATMENT!
This is a nifty little method which some people utilize to avoid dealing with an uncomfortable or inconvenient issue which has surfaced.

It doesn't mean that he has left you.
He is not necessarily gone for good, he is simply using this tactic to gain control and distance.

Your boyfriend either doesn't want to deal with a subject you have brought up, an argument that is awaiting resolution, a topic that needs addressing but may be stressful,  or a commitment that you need from him.

He also may be using the silent treatment to punish you for a "transgression" he feels you have committed against him.

Your boyfriend quite possibly may be using this space he has created to go out there and check his options.

THE SILENT TREATMENT - How convenient!

An additional benefit to him is that the silent treatment throws you off balance, makes you squirm, makes you miss him and with any luck, may even put you into the mindset that any contact from him, after a dry spell like this, is preferable than this torture, ensuring you will be sure to be on your "best behavior "in order to prevent the possibility of him going missing again! (Oh boy! He is in control now!)

A healthy normal male will never ever employ this tactic.
He loves his lady and prefers to establish a sense of harmony and safety in the relationship.

 A healthy male partner encourages his lady to tell him what is bothering her. He is working toward, not running away from commitment. If he offended or upset her he seeks to right the wrong, not to disappear for days at a time.
If she offended or upset him, he is capable of expressing his upset in a non confrontational way, and he has no need to "punish" her.

Be aware that the disappearing act is NOT normal acceptable behavior in  a relationship and is not to be tolerated. The one thing we don't want to do is to accept such behavior and allow unhealthy patterns to form.

So what to do if your guy has disappeared for a while and then resurfaces as if nothing has happened?

I suggest meeting with him in person and explaining him that you are more than willing to communicate about whatever is bothering him, but that you are not prepared to be in a relationship with a partner who thinks it is acceptable to cut off communication with you.

If he is not cool with that, skedaddle! Your man is a Red Flag Man.

Further insights on this and other Red Flag topics will be found in my  soon to be completed book:
RED FLAG MAN by Brenda Sassoon

I welcome your questions and comments!
Stay tuned for more!

You Can Talk But He won't Listen - Meet the Narcissist Boyfriend

Do you find yourself trying to explain yourself over and over again to your BF?

Perhaps you have been unjustly accused of an unsavory motive or your actions have been criticized by him yet again, so you again attempt to carefully go over your deeds, thoughts and actions in an attempt to explain them all  and to get him to see the “real you”. 

You are on the defensive now, trying to prove to him that you are really a well-meaning, well intentioned great girl and not the liar, gold digger, manipulator or cheater that he is insinuating you might be...

Has your boyfriend given you a list of your “offenses” and demanded an apology from you, just when you have called him out on a behavior that hurt or confused you? 

If you have not done anything to apologize for, and are feeling baffled by this new wrench in the conversation, don’t be!

This “Table turning behavior” is a hallmark of the Narcissist.

The Narcissist cannot bear to see himself fully and clearly and can certainly not bear to perceive any wrong doing on his own part. He cannot accept responsibility for any wrongdoing and he cannot apologize…Therefore he must switch the mode of the conversation, turn the tables and place YOU on the defensive, rather than explain or apologize for his misdeeds.

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Did your boyfriend sweep you off your feet with grand gestures, proclaim his love almost from the outset and begin making elaborate plans for your future at breakneck speed? 

This is classic narcissistic behavior and is designed to rein you in before you have a chance to experience his true nature and his darker side. The side which needs to maintain control over you and everything else in his environment. The poor fellow cannot feel safe unless he is in total control and it takes every bit of effort, in the earliest stage of your relationship, for him to feign flexibility and largess. 

This stage does not last long and it belongs to the “Get the Girl"phase of the relationship.

In that blissful, initial “Get the Girl “ phase of your relationship, when he is working hard to procure you, he will flatter you incessantly. He will wine and dine you. He will shower you with love and attention and make plans for you two to be together, permanently, ASAP.

Ahhh.. if only this dreamy phase would go on forever…

For it is quickly followed by the “devalue the girl” phase, once he has won your heart and you  have become vulnerable to him. 

That is when the criticisms and accusations against you will begin. If he can weaken your ego and make you feel worthless, than he can more easily control you, doling out the praise and goodies when you “deserve” them, and withholding then when you don’t.

You will try to defend and explain yourself to him but your words will fall on deaf ears for he cannot internalize the thoughts and feelings of another. You will find yourself scurrying around trying to win back his favor, even though you have no clue why you lost it!

..

If you have met a Narcissist, then just when you are convinced that your prince has finally come along and you two are about to ride off into the sunset, he will burst that bubble.

Quite simply, once he has you he can no longer keep up the charade of the MR. NICE GUY veneer.

His veneer will crack and so will your heart, if you aren’t careful.

When encountering a prince on a white horse swooping you up in his loving arms, please stop and evaluate the situation realistically.

This behavior is classic Narcissitic behavior and if you fall for it, you will suffer greatly.

Long Distance Romance - Is He Showing Up Enough?

Struggling to sustain a long distance romance?

It can be frustrating to face lonely days and nights alone, while in an exclusive long distance romantic relationship.

It’s a bummer to attend social events solo.

Its rough to see that empty pillow next to you in bed night after night and week after week.

What makes it easier  to bear, is being able to look forward to the next scheduled visit,  knowing when you two will see each other next, and hopefully, it should never be more than 3 weeks in the future.

It takes great effort on the part of both people in the relationship, to maintain the momentum and spark, by making sure that more than 3 weeks doesn’t go by without one of you visiting the other.

(Of course I am not talking about a partner serving in the military for an extended period of time. I am talking only about dating couples who live a great distance apart and who have the freedom to hop on a plane to see their sweetheart.)

Its also impossible to really get to know someone without the daily interaction that only frequent proximity can offer.

In the meantime, there should be frequent text, calls and Video chatting.

If a man has asked you to be exclusive, but isn’t making the effort to visit you with enough frequency, then we have to question if this is a sustainable relationship?

Carving out time to visit his lady should be his number 1 priority.

If for some reason he can’t get away, then he should be offering to fly you in to spend a long weekend with him.

If he is neither coming to see you, nor arranging for you to go see him, then -

Houston, We Have a Problem!

The man who is not making these visits his #1 priority is either:

Trying to Control you while he explores his options

Actively seeing other women

Not that crazy about you

If the weeks are slipping by and you are speaking to your boyfriend each night and hearing “I love you” from him, but he is cool to not actually see you, touch you, hold you and kiss you for the next 8 weeks, then something is off.

If a vase of flowers is delivered to your door on your birthday, but he is hanging out at his place 1200 miles away when he could have spent your birthday with you, then you should be questioning the quality of the relationship as well as just how invested in your future he really is.

Lets face the truth.

A man who loves a woman will move heaven and earth to be with her.

Don’t settle for less than that.

If he isn’t making regular plans to see you each month, don’t  try to convince him, don’t beg and don’t plead with him.

Instead, realize that he just isn’t that into you and move on girl.

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See ya next week!

Pursuit is The Man's Role, NOT Yours!

Ladies! The best thing you can do to spark and motivate the man you are interested in is….

NOTHING!

As I have mentioned in my Blog, The Red Flag Man, many times, a man is wired to go out and to acquire.

 His DNA, since Neanderthal times, is that of a HUNTER/GATHERER, and that wiring hasn’t changed a bit, even with the advent of modern conveniences such as salad bars, shavers and cell phones. 

In cave -man days the man went out to forage, to hunt and to bring home  and savor what he worked hard to get.

To this day a man (and all of us really) most respect what we worked hard to get.

If we get something too easily do we really value it? 

NO.

If we scrimp and save for that $1000 bag we love, we will treasure it and carefully place it in a place of honor on our closet shelf. We will wear it with pride and beam with pleasure as we see ourselves in the mirror with our lovely and hard -to- acquire acquisition. 

If however we got it on sale for $50, we aren’t so careful or so prideful. It may end up tossed in the closet or even on the floor, discarded and forgotten.

A man, even more than a woman, needs to feel that he got the big prize when he chooses his woman!

When  a women does the man’s relationship work for him, his knee jerk response is to pull back and then to lose interest. 

Why is that?

The man cannot value a woman who signals to him that she is eager to be with him and easy to acquire.

Therefore the worst thing a woman can do if she is trying to spark the interest of a man is to call him, text him, suggest get togethers  to him, “accidentally” show up where he is at, or make herself too available and behave as if she is too interested.

That behavior will backfire every time. 

Yes, he may take you up on an invite or suggestion once or twice, if he is bored and has nothing better to do, but rest assured, he will lose interest if you hand yourself to him on  a silver platter. 

Instead, keep busy with your life and distract yourself from the goal of winning him over.

Let him work to win YOU over and reap the rewards of a man who values the lady he had to jump through hoops to be with.

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Don't Chase Him!

If it feels like your boyfriend has been drifting away, creating distance, seeing you infrequently and making lame excuses why he is too busy to spend time with you as much as he used to, you may be tempted to dream up new and creative ways to draw him back towards you. 

Of course this is your prerogative, but it’s a bad idea.

Never try to reignite his desire by doing anything at all that can be perceived as “chasing”.

If a man has become distant and aloof, do not engage in any of the following “chasing behaviors”:

Calling him

Texting him

“Accidentally” bumping into him

Asking his friends what he is up to

Inviting him over for any purpose

Emailing him interesting articles

Dropping into his home or place of work because you “happened to be in the area”

In fact, if your man has drifted away, the best and most positive course of action is to do nothing at all.

Go on with your life and start dating and socializing as much as you can.

By doing that, you may either ignite his interest again (although why would you want it?),

or find yourself in a great new relationship, which is way more fun that racking your brains trying to lure a disinterested man back into your orbit!

Replace him! Don’t Chase Him!

Happy Hunting!

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Give Him the Gift of JUST Being You - Unless he is YOURS Nothing Else Will Do!

When a man is truly interested in a woman, it will be obvious to her because he will be carving out the time from his busy day to make contact with her, and will see to it that he spends quality time with her as often as possible. 
He will not let more than a day go by without reaching out to her to let her know he is thinking about her.

He will be calling and texting her.

He will be making dinner reservations, buying flowers and planning trips with her.

He will be introducing her to his friends and family.

He will be buying tickets to the concerts and shows she wants to attend and buying her thoughtful gifts and cards for Valentine’s Day, her birthday and for no special reason at all.

When should a woman start spending her money and her time to please a guy?

When should she be puttering around her kitchen making his favorite gluten free deserts?

When should she shell out for that designer belt for his birthday?

When should she introduce him to her family?

No matter how cute he is, no matter how attracted to him she is, unless he is showing “investing behavior” in her,  no woman should be investing her time or her money on a man.

In fact, if she does it will come off as stalkish and needy and will be a turn- off to the guy she likes!

A man is a go-getter by nature and if she is the object of his desire, he will do whatever he has to do to show her how he feels and to make her feel special and wanted.

If you find yourself exhibiting more pursuing behaviors than your boyfriend does, then back off now! 

Step back from those behaviors. 

If he is interested in you, you must allow him the space to move towards his goal (you) and he cannot do this if you are lunging towards him with dinners, designer ties, text messages and cute emogies. This will push him away, and turn him off, not to mention that he doesn't merit  any of this unless he is investing time and money in you!

In short, those behaviors are to be reserved for the man who is striving to sweep you off your feet. If he isn’t working to sweep you off your feet, sweep him under the rug and move on!

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Spy on Your Guy? - Don't Bother to Try!

If your instinct is to reach for your guy’s cell phone when he is out of the room, to check and see who is has been texting, who he has called, and who has called him, then the relationship is carrying a huge RED FLAG!

You should never ever feel a hint of doubt about where your guy’s loyalties lie, and if you do- then he isn’t the one for you!

If your guy is giving you mixed messages by being affectionate and attentive one minute, and then distant and unresponsive another minute, you may quite rightly harbor doubts about what he is doing and thinking. You may feel inclined to “spy” on him or  “stalk” him a bit.

 That behavior is needy, clingy and a huge turn off!

 Avoid the temptation to behave like that!

Trust me when I tell you that this is a very unhealthy dynamic.

If you have any reason at all to doubt your boyfriend’s loyalty towards you then please pull back now. 

Pull way way back. 

That means NO texting him. NO calling him. NO emailing him.

 It means that when he calls you, DO NOT always answer and do not immediately respond to his texts.

If he is into you he will take the cue that you are less available and less interested and he will come forward and pursue you with all of his wonderful male energy. 

But if in fact he is less interested than before, he will be relieved to feel you are in his orbit less. 

This is the best and only way to find out where you stand, short of confronting him - which also makes you appear suspicious, insecure and needy.

If you feel the need to spy on your guy, distance is the route you must try!

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