Dating can seemingly be an endless swiping left, right, and occasionally sideways in pursuit of that elusive connection. All the while looking out for signs of compatibility or in my case, incompatibility (I really should work on that). But hey, before you get too caught up in your quest for love, let’s talk about the dreaded block button. Yes, that little devilish button that can send your hopes and dreams crashing faster than a clumsy oaf on roller skates.

I feel like for a lot of us, we’re in a constant state of “let me observe your behavior while my finger hovers over the block button”. Sometimes it’s just our own pettiness and not the behavior of the other person. And sometimes, we just need to maintain a modicum of peace because the other person is beyond reasoning. Let’s take a look at some of the turn-offs that lead to hitting that block button.

MORE ON DATING: How to Get Ready for a First Date

Dating: Turn-Offs That Can Lead to Hitting the Block Button

All Negative All the Time

I get it, dating in the so-called post-covid world is tough. We’re all trying to be optimistic about life and especially the future. I have a friend who has something negative to say about every single thing. I tried to lighten the mood by talking about how bad the last Marvel movie was and he went on a rant about how “cinema, on the whole, was lacking”. Definitely not the response I was expecting.

So, what happens when you meet someone in the dating space who is negative about every aspect of life? Now there are strategies to deal with these kinds of people like setting boundaries, just accepting that this is who they are or even controlling how you react when you are around them. There are those times however when all that negativity affects your mood and thinking and can be draining in more ways than one. Sometimes it’s better to preserve your own peace and hit that block button.

The Manosphere Rhetoric

My fascination with the manosphere was just that, a fascination. I’ve spent hours watching reaction videos where Youtubers dissected every false statistic that these “alpha high-value men” regurgitated. I couldn’t believe that men who hated women that much actually existed outside of the internet. Boy was I in for a rude awakening.

I met someone on Christmas 2021and for a good few weeks Christmas Bae was over there with me laughing at these guys. Seemingly overnight he started “educating” me with his own statistics. Suddenly, the words “simp” “pandered” and “accountability” were right there in my WhatsApp! To say that I was shooketh would be an understatement. There really is no reasoning with these people and in the beginning, their little “facts” would be about women in general but eventually, they’ll direct all that energy toward you. I hit that block button swiftly and I haven’t looked back.

YOU’LL LOVE: Dating: Are You an Instant Red Flag?

The Insecurity of It All

We all have something we’re insecure about (if you don’t, please teach me your ways). For the most part, we work on dealing with these insecurities and try not to project them onto the person we’re dating. There are some people however who are riddled with insecurities and knowing or unknowingly project that onto their partner. It can be something as simple as being jealous when your partner makes a comment about someone on social media, or it can be as complex as constantly questioning them about their whereabouts and going through their phone because you think they’re cheating.

The experts recommend, amongst other things, communication with your partner and learning how to let go of the negative feelings associated with the past. However, what if the person you’re seeing just doesn’t want to take the steps to overcome these types of feelings, and their negative behavior just escalates? You’re probably better off blocking them to preserve your peace.

Consistently Inconsistent

This is one of my major pet peeves. When you’re getting to know someone, consistency is key to building momentum. I was in a long-distance relationship and the consistency of our conversations is what made us closer. We weren’t having long deep conversations every day, but we learned more about each other during the times when we were talking about how our days went.

The disconnect happens when one person isn’t as enthusiastic about the getting to know each other process. Granted, we all have busy lives, however, it doesn’t take more than 30 seconds to send a one-line text message. The inconsistent person will disappear for days and then re-appear when it’s convenient for them. In such a scenario, it’s always best to block them so that they don’t have access to you.

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: The Beautiful Lifestyle Online

Calling dating tough is an understatement. We’re always dealing with so many variables and it can be difficult to kind of predict what the other person is liable to do or sometimes even our own behavior in certain situations. The key is to always communicate, and make your feelings known at all times. If all else fails, hit that block button with the quickness.