Fear of Commitment (to l.ove again?)
We hear it all the time. "He just won't make a commitment." "She just
wants some space right now." "I'm not sure if I'm ready for a serious
What does having a fear of commitment really mean? Actually,it means
basically what it says. For SOME reason you, or someone you are involved
with, isn't ready to take this relationship (or any relationship) to
the next step.
So how do we know if we or our (hoped for) partner are truly afraid of
commitment? How do we know that it's not something else? Is there any
real difference between these two anyway?
Do these excuses sound familiar?"I'm just under a lot of stress
right now." "It's not you, it's me." "I can't focus on a relationship
right now because of my overloaded schedule."
Very often, we want to accept these reasons because we fear the real
truth. Other times, we are just very confused by our feelings and the
often mixed messages from the other person.
So, how do we evaluate our abilityto make a long-term commitment? How
do we know ifhe/she is really ready or willing?
There are only two real issues here to examine.
The first issue involves looking at a true fear of commitment itself.
Ifthis is the problem it's important for the person with this fear to
ask themselves a few key questions.
*. Are you concerned about the idea of forever?
*. Do you fear you could make a mistake in who you choose?
*. Do you fear a loss of your freedom/autonomy?
*. Are you afraid of a bad marriage--like your parents for instance
*. Do you fear you would be a bad mate?
If you answered yes to any of these, it would be a good idea to begin
working to understand where these feelings come from. Once you
understand them better,you can choose to address them.
Perhaps you need more time or emotional growth before you consider
making a long-term commitment. Greater self-knowledge will help you to
overcome this block to building a lasting and satisfying relationship.
The second issue is the inability tomake a commitment to a PARTICULAR
relationship. This maynot be the right one. Perhaps there is a sense
of this but it is written off to being a"commitment-phobe" in general.
Focus on the true level of involvement with each other. Is there a
genuine connection? Or is there a vague feeling of something missing?
Evaluate the quality of your intimate relating. This does not mean how
often (oreven how good) the sex is. This is about how open, sharing
and realyou are in your interactions with each other.
Does any of this sound familiar?
*. It seems like we are only killing time?
*. He/she doesn't seem to want what I want.
*. We seem to be off and on in ourlevel of contact/affection.
*. I/they are still not over a past relationship.
*. I/they just don't seem to know what I/they want.
Remember to focus on the involvement or lack thereof between you. If
either person is disengaged in any way, it's time to address the real
issue of; "Is this the right relationship for us?"
Exploring your ability to make a lasting commitment should be a first
step in your plan for building a healthy and lasting relationship.
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