Have you ever felt intense and overwhelming anger after being ignored by someone in your life? It would be a surprise if your answer was no. In fact, being hurt or angered when someone ignores you is an entirely natural reaction.
While most people have been ignored at some point in their life, that doesn’t diminish the fact that being given the silent treatment can be an extremely painful experience. In fact, it can even be considered a form of emotional and psychological manipulation and abuse.
If you are having a hard time maintaining your emotional health when being ignored, consider contacting a remote relationship coach. In the meantime, keep on reading to learn why being ignored hurts and what you can do about it.
Why Does Being Ignored Hurt?
When someone ignores you, you may start feeling unworthy, unimportant, or unlovable, especially if you are ignored by someone you care about. Whether it’s your partner, parent, or boss, it is entirely natural to feel hurt when you don’t get the response you expect from them.
Although you are bound to feel hurt after being rejected or ignored, keep in mind that it’s not necessarily your fault. You shouldn’t strive to change yourself to get their attention or affection, but simply remember that people have their own emotional struggles which may cause them to act in certain ways towards you.
For instance, they may have been a victim of emotional neglect in their childhood or they might simply be overwhelmed by other matters in their life. But regardless of the reason why, your sense of worth should never depend on other people’s attention and opinions of you.
What Does Being Ignored Do To The Brain?
In addition to the negative emotions you might experience after being ignored, it has been shown that the silent treatment can actually have physical effects on your brain.
According to research, feeling ignored and excluded can cause real changes in your brain, particularly in the anterior cingulate cortex, a zone in the brain responsible for detecting pain. When this zone is activated, you may experience several different physical symptoms. These may include:
- Headaches
- Digestive problems
- Insomnia and fatigue
- Increased blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Affected autoimmune system
These physical effects are caused by the high stress levels that you may experience after being ignored. They may be exacerbated if you are subjected to the silent treatment for prolonged periods of time or the person who is ignoring you is a particularly important figure in your life, such as your parent, partner, or boss.
What Does It Mean When Your Partner Ignores You?
If your partner is not responding to your texts or calls, you probably feel hurt, confused, or angry. While this is completely natural, there may actually be a reasonable explanation for this behavior. Here are some possible reasons:
This simple explanation is actually more common than you may think. Many individuals don’t like or don’t know how to express themselves over the phone, and your partner may feel the same way.
Although you probably want to be the focus of your significant other’s life, it may be the case that they have other problems in their life that have to be dealt with before speaking with you.
Although you probably feel extremely hurt because your partner is ignoring you, you should consider the fact that you might be smothering them. Give them some space and see what happens.
If you tend to be demanding towards your partner, they may feel like you only contact them when you need something that they are not able to give.
There’s no point denying that it is a possibility that your partner may not want to be in a relationship with you any longer. Try talking to them openly and see if there are any issues that you two should work on.
Is Ignoring Someone Manipulative?
While there are many logical reasons why someone might ignore you, some individuals may use the silent treatment as a manipulation tactic. They may know exactly what makes you tick, and being ignored tends to achieve that precise effect on most people.
The person who is ignoring you probably knows exactly what they are doing to your emotional state, and they might use this to their advantage, causing you to think about them more and be more vulnerable to the rest of their manipulation tactics. The silent treatment is often used as part of narcissistic abuse, hand in hand with gaslighting, deflection, stonewalling, and other abusive behaviors.
How Do You Respond To Being Ignored?
If you are being ignored by someone close to you, you are probably looking for a way to deal with all the negative emotions that the silent treatment brings about. Here are some tips:
- Take a step back
Your partner may simply need some space to collect their thoughts and deal with their own emotions. Give them time and work on yourself in the meantime.
- Distract yourself
Find things to do in order to keep yourself from obsessing over the person who is ignoring you.
- Check if they are actually ignoring you
The whole deal may simply be a misunderstanding or the person may be dealing with other personal issues.
- Try not to overreact
Yes, being ignored hurts, but remember that the individual ignoring you may be trying to achieve exactly that. Don’t give them the satisfaction.
- Communicate
Your partner may have some concerns about the relationship that they are afraid to bring up. Try speaking with them without anger or bitterness.
Looking For A Relationship Coach Online? Contact PIVOT Today
Remember that it is entirely natural to feel hurt and confused about your relationships with other people. You never know exactly why people are treating you the way they do, and it’s not your responsibility to waste energy trying to figure it out. Instead, focus on your own wellbeing and health.
PIVOT can help you with that. Whether you want to speak with a relationship coaching professional online or attend an intensive relational freedom workshop, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are looking forward to listening to what you have to say. Contact us today!
