You’ve heard of quiet quitting, but what about delicate dumping?
With cuffing season coming to a close and hot girl summer just around the corner, it’s around the time that daters usually cut ties with their winter baes, ready to reenter the dating pool.
But you can’t guarantee that everyone will be respectful enough to communicate their desire to call things off.
Enter: delicate dumping, aka, when someone stops investing the energy and emotion into the future of the relationship that they once did, in the hopes their other half might break things off.
Just like quiet quitting, they’re still technically committed, but they’ve stopped putting in the effort.
Why would anyone do this? Well, it usually comes from a fear of confrontation and letting someone down.
‘Somebody would choose delicate dumping over straight up honesty if they can’t handle confrontation,’ Emma Hathorn, dating expert at dating website Seeking, tells Metro.co.uk
‘It is the lazy way to break up with someone without looking like the guilty party.
‘It’s the easy way out, but ultimately it isn’t the kindest way to end a relationship; it’s childish.’
How can you tell if you’re being delicately dumped?
If you notice a 180 in the way your partner is treating you, whether that’s how they text you or their willingness to plan dates, it could be a sign that they’re delicately dumping you.
Another tell-tale sign, according to Emma, is the inability to commit to future plans with you, whether a holiday, a friend’s wedding or a party a few months down the line.
Obviously, people might be busy, but if someone is flakier than usual, and it seems as though their emotional investment in the relationship is dwindling, it could be cause for concern.
‘Listen to your gut,’ says Emma.
‘If you are sensing something doesn’t feel right, don’t dismiss your hunch.
‘You know in your heart if they’re busy or are no longer that into you.’
If someone is genuinely busy, she continues, they’ll communicate that with you and reassure you that everything is fine.
What should you do if you feel like you’re being delicately dumped?
If you’ve given it some thought and all signs point to delicate dumping, it’s a good idea to have a chat with your significant other, lest your time be wasted any further.
‘Don’t let them get away with just silently retreating from the relationship with no explanation and taking the coward’s way out – call it out,’ says Emma.
‘You don’t have to be confrontational but be straight up and honest with them and tell them how their behaviour is making you feel, and ask them if it’s over.’
This will likely be empowering for you, as you get to take control of the situation.
As Emma says: ’Your time is valuable and you need to choose people who give that time the same value and respect.’
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