Has this ever happened to you? You meet someone who you are interested in dating, and you know the feeling is mutual. You start talking to that person every day and you can picture yourself being in a relationship with that person. However, after a certain amount time, they stop talking to you. No more messages, no more Snapchats, no phone calls, nothing. It appears they don't want to talk to you anymore, but they never gave a reason as to why.
If you have experienced this at some point in your life like I have, you have been ghosted. For anyone who hasn't heard of the term "ghosted," ghosting is the act of suddenly ceasing all communication with someone the subject is dating, but no longer wishes to date. This is done in hopes that the ghostee will just "get the hint" and leave the subject alone, as opposed to the subject simply telling them he/she is no longer interested.
People who ghost believe that this is easier than telling someone how they feel, and it hurts less than speaking the truth. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth. Why do you think that it is easier to stop communication with someone you've been talking to for over two months? If you actually cared about my sparing my feelings, you would be able to tell me the truth. Being ghosted hurts a lot more than someone flat out telling me they aren't interested anymore.
As much as I wish being ghosted didn't hurt, it just won't ever happen. When you are ghosted, there are so many more emotions that come than just the sadness or anger you feel when someone tells you they aren't interested. In addition to anger and sadness, there's confusion. What happened? Why are they doing this? There's doubt. Was it something I did? Maybe if I hadn't been so pushy? It even makes you questions yourself. Why didn't I see this coming? What did I do to cause this?
Ghosting leaves you powerless. You can't ask any questions because they are going to ignore them. You won't get the emotional information that allows you to get closure.
So how do you move on from something like that? Just remember, if you've been ghosted, it says nothing about you. However, it says a lot about them. It says, "I can't approach this situation like an adult, and I am not ready for a mature relationship." It shows they can't handle the discomfort of their emotions and they don't have the courage to tell you. Be the stronger person, keep your dignity and let them go.
It might hurt now, but know that you are worth more than that and deserve a heck of a lot better than what they could have given you.
