Being way too clingy in a relationship (no matter if we are talking about a love relationship or just a friendship) can be damaging in the long term and that’s why, I thought about sharing with you in this little article a few ways to be less clingy that I hope you will consider the next time you tend to be so affectionate that you might suffocate your loved one. It’s only natural to have strong feelings for your partner, yet you should be careful not to cross that thin line between expressing your love and being annoying. Try to avoid obsessing over your relationship and give the other person the space they need. If you usually feel sad or abandoned each time you have to spend a little time on your own, here are a few ways to be less clingy you should definitely consider:
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1. Build Your Self-Confidence
One of the most important ways to be less clingy you should consider if you think you might be suffocating your loved ones is to work on building your self-confidence and on increasing your self-esteem. Among the most frequent causes of a dependent behavior are different fears and insecurities people have, because they are afraid of losing the love of their significant others every time they are left alone. Get over those feelings and learn to love yourself for the wonderful and special person that you really are!
2. Work on Your Trust Issues
In order to be less clingy, try to work on solving your trust issues, so you won’t feel abandoned or ignored every time you are by yourself. Don’t dwell on your past and let go of those painful things or events that made you have so little faith in people! Be patient, because you won’t be able to resolve all your trust issues overnight, since these things usually take time. Think positive and look towards building a better future and don’t allow your past to dictate your present!
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3. Decrease Your Anxiety
Anxiety is linked to stress and depression and is often the root of clingy behavior. Work on decreasing your anxiety in order to learn how to avoid suffocating your friends or your partner. You could try learning some relaxation techniques that you should practice each day for at least 15-20 minutes or you could even ask for help and go see a therapist who will help you learn how to control and decrease your anxiety.
4. Pursue Your Own Goals
In every relationship, in order to avoid being too clingy, you should have your own goals and pursue them, so you would focus some of your energy not only on making your partner or your friends happy, but also on fulfilling your dreams and reaching your objectives. Your goals can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be; just dedicate a great amount of your time towards achieving your dreams and you will see how less clingy you will slowly become.
5. Learn to Spend Time Alone
I know that most people hate spending time alone and that’s why they often prefer other people’s company in order to be happy. Well, there's nothing wrong with being a social person. Just try to spend some time alone every now and then and learn to enjoy it. Get to know yourself better and do all those things you always wanted to do but never had enough time for. Maybe you will get a bit bored at first, but in time, you will feel more and more comfortable by yourself and you won’t be so clingy anymore.
6. Give People Their Space
Everybody needs their space every now and then, even you, so don’t suffocate your friends or your partner by spending every waking moment with them. Give them space and spend time by yourself doing some of those things you enjoy. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t see them every single day of the year. And when I’m talking about giving your loved ones the space they need, I’m also including here phone calls, e-mail, texts or any other means of communication. Don’t smother them by being too clingy!
7. Expand Your Social Network
Go out and get to know more people! Make new friends and discover new hobbies! The more people you will meet, the more your social network will expand and the less clingy you will be. Be friendly and approachable, get in touch with old friends and catch up or simply go out, take a long walk in the park, go shopping and see what happens or who are you going to meet that day!
It’s so easy to become clingy in a relationship, especially if you have strong feelings for the other person, but sadly, this behavior can cause a lot of damage to your relationship in the long term and it’s best to correct it, so it won’t affect your happiness. Do you tend to be clingy? What do you do in order to be less clingy and to avoid smothering your partner or your friends? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
Sources:
wikihow.com
jonny-smartblog.blogspot.ro
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