Four Mistakes That Are Causing Him to Take You For Granted

MARY CAMPBELL

It's common for people to take each other for granted. In terms of a relationship, the phrase 'take for granted' refers to one or both partners acting in a way that makes the other feel unappreciated. This behaviour also assumes that the relationship is 'fine' even without any acts of gratitude or appreciation. Most times, you don't realize what you have until you're at risk of losing it. Here are four ways you can help to keep someone from taking you for granted.

1. You're always available

If you're there every time he comes around, the man you are interested in may not see you as a woman of value and take you for granted. When he texts you, don't reply within minutes. Let him see that you have a life of your own. If he realized that you always reply quickly, he may use this to his advantage and begin texting you at his convenience. When he does this, he is taking you for granted. Change your habit of replying quickly and let him wait a bit. If you check texts constantly, you'll want to change this habit as well. Turn off your sound notifications so that you aren't always alerted to new texts.

2. You forgive bad behaviour consistently

If the man you're interested in has lied, called you names, or disappeared for days or weeks on end with no explanation, and you forgive him every single time, he might start to take you for granted. By forgiving bad behaviour over and over, you are telling him it's okay to do. He knows he can get away with anything he wants and you will act like nothing ever happened. To stop him from taking you for granted, you must stop being so forgiving. If he continues to lie, he does not care about you. If he disappears without a word and comes back acting like he never went away, he doesn't value your time.

3. You give without getting anything back

It's nice to do things for someone you like, but when you begin noticing that you are the only one who is putting forth the effort, you know you are being taken for granted. The man you're interested in probably enjoys what you do for him, but won't do the same for you. When you recognize this is happening, stop making as much of an effort for him. He will quickly realize how good he had it and hopefully stop taking you for granted and start making you feel as wanted as well. If he doesn't, he probably wasn't interested in you to begin with, only what you gave him.

4. You don't like confrontation

If you have a difficult time saying "no," it makes it easy for people to take you for granted. The man you're seeing might take advantage of your good nature because he's used to you doing anything he asks. If you attempt to say no to a certain request and he becomes upset with you, this is manipulation and shouldn't be tolerated. Learning to stand up for yourself and your wants and needs is one of the best ways to make sure that you don't get taken for granted.

Being taken for granted isn't something anyone wants, but it's completely normal. The good news is there are ways to reduce your chances of having it happen to you. l