Friend Zone – the awkward place to be in when you are with the person of your dreams, but only as a good friend. The other person will complain about how terrible their current boyfriend/ girlfriend is or how horrible their exes were. They will ask you for favours, reach out to you when they feel depressed and talk to you for hours about how their lives are.
Know you have been friend zoned by the one you are attracted to when – you do favours they asked for, act as their personal therapist, and are always there for them when things are bad, only to be labelled as a great “friend” in the end.
It can be one of the most frustrating situations when it comes to romance. Especially if you cherish the person and know you can be a far better partner than the current one or the former one they often complain about. Here are five ways in which you can get out or stay away from the friend zone.
5 Ways to Get Out of the Friend Zone
Help but don’t become a doormat
Are you genuinely interested in listening to them whining on and on about how insensitive their partners and how much they are being mistreated? But you listen anyway since you care and like that person. So, here is the advice – lend your shoulder to cry on, help your friend when they need you but do not become their ‘agony aunt’ or a doormat. You should not be the one they call in distress only. Pretend to be less interested when you feel the interaction is leading to a one-way street with nothing positive for you at the end.
Try temporary absence to regain your lost admiration
The basic rule of modern economics is supply and demand. The more supply there is the less demand. So reduce your supply, make yourself scarce. So that other person will start to miss you.
Be Attractive
Attraction is the key element behind every romantic relationship. Being attractive doesn’t imply that you should have to be good looking like a model. Physical and psychological attraction means taking good care of yourself.
Let them put a little effort to keep you in their life
We mentioned before how they ask you for favours and use you as their personal therapist. All relationships are social exchanges, says psychologist Jeremy Nicholson. When someone gets stuck in the friend zone, he says they have entered into an exchange friendship in which other person is getting everything he/she wants, but the person stuck in the friend zone isn’t. So make sure that you won’t jump in and say for every favour they ask for, let them know that they have to put effort to keep you at their bay.
Reward them at right time
Always be grateful and reward your friend, when they behave as you desire. This mean, be attentive and affectionate only when they act the way you wanted them to, thus subconsciously reinforce their good behaviour with rewards. Similarly, ignore them when they treat you badly or take you for granted.
