Tips for handling a clingy guy

Typically it’s women who are thought of as the clingy ones, but there are quite a few guys who are clingy as well. A guy I was seeing a few years ago was wonderful when we first met, then after a couple months, things started getting odd. If I didn’t answer when he called me, he would text or instant message me — within a span of four hours or so I would have a few or more of each. The first few times this happened, I was actually slightly panicked because I thought there was an emergency. He was constantly trying to talk when we weren’t spending time together and whenever we hung out, he wouldn’t leave my side. I didn’t want to make a rush decision and break things off with him, but I was also getting fed up enough that I was feeling smothered and needed to figure out a way to change things.

Sometimes, it just happens out of nowhere. One minute the guy isn’t providing enough attention or is giving just enough and the next you’re dodging more phone calls in a couple of days than you’ve previously gotten from him in a week. If your guy is starting to become clingy, but you care enough about him and your relationship to not just break things off, there are a few tips that can help you stop the actions before they get any further.

Encourage his plans with friends

When your guy seems to forgo hanging out with friends, hint at him to make some plans by letting him know about things he and his friends might like to do. Give him tickets as a present for an occasion, tell him about a bar that’s putting a particular sports game on TV, or when he invites you to go out somewhere with him and his friends, turn down the offers more often than you take him up on them.

Give him more attention

People who turn clingy may feel like they’re lacking attention from their partner. Although paying more attention to your guy when he gets clingy may seem counterproductive, it may help ease his fears that you’re not losing interest. Be a bit more affectionate, up the compliments, and send him a random text or email during the day when you take a break to let him know you’re thinking about him.