Have you ever been in a relationship where you just don’t feel like the other person’s priority? Sadly, not only are your feelings valid but chances are that the other person is not making you as much of a priority as you are making them. While this can leave you feeling frustrated, hopeless, neglected, and many other negative feelings–there are few ways to shift the relationship into a more balanced one or this could also be a time of deep reflection where you examine the quality of the relationship you are in.
For starters, if you ever feel someone is pulling back, not reaching out as often, spending less quality time with you, and essentially not prioritizing your relationship–then you should be mirroring their behaviors and doing the same thing. This might seem counterintuitive but this is a good test to see how often this person is choosing to be in touch and finding ways to spend time with you. If you notice that you only hear from them when you initiate more of the contact then this is definitely a problem. It is up to you to communicate your needs in a relationship and to express how you feel. The person might not know how you feel unless you explain your point of view. If you talk things out and find the person is defensive or does not care to fix the problem, then you know that this is NOT the relationship for you. Within a healthy relationship, two people should be able to openly express themselves and should want to make the effort to please each other. If this isn’t happening, then this is a good chance to walk away from the relationship without feeling bad or without any regrets. You need to be with someone who values you and wants to put in the work that is necessary to progress the relationship.
Another consideration is that sometimes the other person could require more space meaning that it is not anything personal against you. If this is the case, give the person space and some room to miss you. The person will come back to you in time. If this space dynamic is something that you find bothersome, then you need to really evaluate what your needs are in a relationship. Whenever you find yourself in a relationship where your expectations are not being met along with your partner also being aware of them without making any changes then you should put yourself first by walking away from the relationship. Many people may be scared to be alone but it is way better to be alone where you can focus on bettering yourself as opposed to settling on a relationship that does not bring you enough happiness.
