{"id":19850,"date":"2020-05-23T09:43:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-23T16:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=19850"},"modified":"2022-06-30T07:06:58","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T14:06:58","slug":"what-does-ghosting-mean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/online-dating-tips\/what-does-ghosting-mean\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Ghosting Mean And What To Do When It Happens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Getting ghosted hurts, no matter what. It can make you feel seriously ignored<\/a>. The hardest part might be the period of time when you\u2019re confused and wondering what\u2019s happening\u2014and then there\u2019s the moment you realize you\u2019re being ghosted, which is even more confounding and hurtful. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What <\/span>does ghosting mean<\/span><\/a>, and what should you do when it happens to you? To begin with, know it\u2019s part of the fabric of our modern dating life now, and it\u2019s rare that you\u2019ll find someone who it hasn\u2019t happened to. You’re not alone in this experience. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does ghosting mean? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghosting is actually in the dictionary now, that\u2019s how common it is. It\u2019s defined as \u201cthe practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication\u201d.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghosting can occur in any stage of a relationship, although it feels more cruel the longer and more intimate the relationship has been. You met on an app, texted for a week, made plans to meet up, and then never heard from them again? That\u2019s being ghosted. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, ghosting can also look like this: you\u2019ve been dating for over a month and think things are going well until they stop responding to your texts and block you on social media. Some people have ghosted out of<\/span> years-long relationships.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it\u2019s a coward\u2019s move to ghost, but it\u2019s a little more understandable when the relationship is still in its early stages. The degree of cruelty certainly changes depending on the situation, but we can all agree that it\u2019s awful to experience in any form. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you tell if you\u2019ve been ghosted? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone not responding to your messages for a few days is the most basic indicator that you\u2019re being ghosted. But depending on your unique situation, maybe a few days without a text back is normal. The best way to tell if you\u2019re being ghosted is to ask. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, that doesn\u2019t mean you need to send a text asking \u201cARE YOU GHOSTING ME?!\u201d (as tempting as that might be). But you can ask about it in a less frantic way by saying something like \u201cHey, I\u2019ve noticed you haven\u2019t been responding to my texts lately. Everything okay<\/em>?\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you receive no response to that kind of a message, it\u2019s a safe bet that you\u2019re dealing with a ghosting situation. So what does ghosting mean? Basically someone just disappearing out of the blue. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should you do if you\u2019re being ghosted?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve already reached out once and received no response, you have a few choices. You can cut your losses and write them off as a potential partner. Unless they\u2019ve got a really compelling excuse, there\u2019s no reason to treat people that way, and it\u2019s a sign you don\u2019t want them as a partner anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone who leaves you hanging that long is showing you they\u2019re not dependable, and that\u2019s not an ideal look for a potential relationship. If you\u2019re really feeling like burning all the bridges, you can send them <\/span>this helpful piece<\/span><\/a> on ways to avoid ghosting others in the future. Consider it a public service to the people they might ghost in the future. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like to extend an olive branch and give them the opportunity to both explain themselves and make a more graceful exit from your life, you can send a message that lets them off the hook. \u201cHey, I\u2019ve noticed you haven\u2019t been responding, so I want to say that if you\u2019re not interested in continuing this, that\u2019s okay – I\u2019d just like to know what\u2019s up on your end<\/em>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gives them the opportunity to respond with honesty, rather than hiding behind a wall of silence. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you get over being ghosted?<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make these words your mantra: it\u2019s not about you. It\u2019s not about you, at all! The way someone else decides to treat you says more about them than it does about you. If someone is going to cut off contact because they\u2019re too lazy to say \u201cI\u2019m not feeling this,\u201d there\u2019s nothing you could have done differently to convince them to be more mature about it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re not a terrible catch just because one person doesn\u2019t want to date you, and you\u2019re not a failure at relationships if one ends in ghosting. It\u2019s important to remember that the way someone else chooses to interact with you is not a reflection of your inherent worth as a person. It doesn\u2019t make you unlovable or undateable. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It just means that you\u2019ve been unlucky in this particular circumstance, but you don\u2019t need to let that weigh you down. Try to remind yourself that your value doesn\u2019t come from the way others let their issues affect how they treat you. And now, you know how to handle it if it happens again. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what does ghosting mean? All it means is that someone else has communication issues and you\u2019ve been the unfortunate recipient of it. And you can walk away with your head held high, knowing you still get to choose to treat people well. Let go gracefully, and move on to better things. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A closer look at the modern-day dating phenomena of ghosting. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":19851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[973,980],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moving-on","category-online-dating-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Does Ghosting Mean And What To Do When It Happens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ghosting sucks. If you're in the middle of it, you may be wondering, what does ghosting mean? And what you can do about it. 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