How to Handle a Clingy Partner?

Humans are extremely flawed beings. To come across a person who is an archetype of being perfect is the essence of dreams. And despite such flawed characteristics, humans continue to be the most complex beings on the planet.

When it comes to interactions and relationships, we tend to make funny choices. It is almost abject to the point that it can make one question our thought process and the decisions we make. We often settle for people that might not be ‘our type,’ because, human love and attraction is a weird thing.

In relationships, we can pursue someone who is poles apart from our personality and yet showcase selfless love. But, sometimes, we get a little too overboard with our feelings to the point that it often seems as a mistake when we step back and think. For instance, what would you do if you’re dating a clingy person? Someone, who robs you of your ‘me time’ and tries to suck up the last ounce of energy you have left in you. In this article, we decode clingy relationships while finding the answer to one major question: how to deal with a clingy partner? By the end of it, we hope to give you a closure on if a clingy relationship is worth your effort or not. Take a look:

How To Deal With A Clingy Partner?

This question has been one of the most searched terms on Google, and there’s a reason for that. Humans have the tendency to get attached to the point that it almost feels claustrophobic. Naturally, it is spread across genders, and there are two major questions that come under this umbrella: how to deal with a clingy boyfriend? And, how to deal with a clingy girlfriend? Fortunately, the reasons that some people are clingy have nothing to do with their gender. They can be traced back to a few innate human tendencies and attributes. Let’s see, what makes a person clingy:

#1. Past Experiences

By past experiences, we mean everything that a person has endured growing up. Starting right from his/her childhood, upbringing, and the types of friends, everything plays a role in shaping up the personality of a person. For instance, most clingy people have had problems growing up where one family member or the other has always been absent. If a child grows up without a father or mother, then his/her psychology would build on the lines that people can leave. And when a person develops his/her ideology around that fact, they tend to hold on to something that they never want to leave. It is due to this attribute of holding on that they may come across as someone who is clingy.

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#2. Loneliness

Another major reason that people cling is due to the apparent loneliness that they have in their lives. If your partner lives away from his/her family and doesn’t have many friends, then chances are that they’re extremely clingy to you. When a lonely person finds someone to spend time with, then they rarely ever let go of the other person. And, while in their heads, it might be a way of showing love, the other person might not necessarily perceive it likewise.

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#3. Manipulative Behavior

And, before you start sympathizing with clingy people; let us tell you there are certain people who mask their manipulative behavior by appearing to be clingy and needy. These people are not good for you. They let you down, take you for granted and often hurl physical and emotional abuse if they don’t have their way with you.

If you are in a clingy relationship, you perhaps would have understood what makes your partner clingy. Now, we sincerely hope that your clingy partner doesn’t belong to the latter category and that he wants to be in touch with you for all the good reasons. But, as they say, an excess of anything is bad; it is quite easy to get annoyed and frustrated by clingy people. However, that doesn’t mean that you should leave your relationship that can grow into something meaningful. Following are a few ways in which you can deal with your clingy boyfriend/girlfriend. By adopting these ways, you can perhaps get the best out of your other half and get your faltering relationship back on track. Take a look:

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Dealing With A Clingy Ppartner

Space is an important aspect of any relationship. It is a fine line and anything more or less than the adequate amount of it can lead to acute problems. In a clingy relationship, there is a lack of space between the two people, which in turn, doesn’t render the time and energy to carry out other activities in life. Hence, addressing this issue of space in a clingy relationship becomes mandatory. Here’s how you can do that:

#1. Determine How Clingy Your Partner Is

The important question to ask yourself is: how clingy is too clingy? Everyone might have different answers to it. So, it depends on you as to what you perceive as being overly clingy. There is a slight difference between being stalked and courted. So, it is important for you to first understand if your partner is trying to come too close to you.

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#2. Talk

All of us love when our partners are vulnerable and showcase a needy behavior. However, sometimes they take it too far, and it becomes important to let them know that they don’t have to become human band-aids. However, remember not to hurt their sentiments when you talk about their clingy behavior as it might have a severe impact on their psychology. Be gentle, be loving, and discuss it while maintaining that you love all the attention that you get.

#3. Set Boundaries And Make Sure To Enforce Them

We break the rules for fun in a relationship. However, if you do want to establish a balance in your relationship, you have to make sure that you set some healthy boundaries and later enforce them. Discuss the ideal amount of time you two should spend with each other and call or text to find a common ground for it.

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#4. Pursue Your Hobbies

Before you decide to go on with your life, help your clingy partner in pursuing a hobby. That way, they’ll be busy, and you would have a lot of free time in your hands. In that time, you can do many meaningful things. Also, with some time away from each other, the two of you would look forward to your next date with shared enthusiasm.

#5. Hang Out With Friends

If your clingy partner doesn’t have friends, you can take the initiative and make them hang out with your friends. That way, they’ll have an opportunity to meet new people and form new bonds. You can arrange such meets regularly until your clingy partners have a few friends of themselves. If this happens, they will stop feeling lonely, and you won’t be the only person that can give them company.

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#6. Learn Saying ‘No’

It is extremely easy to give in to the demands of your partner, especially when they seem emotionally vulnerable. However, you should remember that if you want your partner to stop being clingy and overly dependent and needy, you have to say ‘no’ to them at some point in time. The more you resist their pleas, the better.

#7. Move On

If you have tried everything and your partner is still clingy, perhaps it is time to call it a day. Unfortunately, not all things are meant to last, and a clingy relationship where one person is devoid of all the space is not something that can last long. If you’ve been patient enough and tried talking to them and still see no difference, pack your bags and leave.

So, there you have it. Have you ever been in a clingy relationship? How did it go? Were you able to change your partner or did you have to eventually move on? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

(Featured Image Courtesy: Institute For Family Studies)