If your bae is overtly overprotective, you must fix the issue before it impairs your relationship in the long term. Here are six things you can do to manage your partner’s overprotective behaviour.
Have an Open Conversation
Brushing the issue under the carpet or arguing about it will only make the situation worse. Talk to your partner and try to understand where the negative emotions of insecurity and jealousy are coming from. Did he have a troubled childhood? Has he faced rejection in the past? Did he have a bitter relationship experience with his ex-girlfriend having fidelity issues? Aforementioned, are a few factors that often force people to display overprotective behaviour, sabotaging healthy relationships.
If your partner tends to micromanage you, is often suspicious of you, or is too clingy in public, in all possibilities he fears rejection and abandonment in the relationship.
Encouraging him to open up, and listening to his concerns without being judgemental will help you understand him better, enabling you to fix his insecurities and deep-seated trust issues. For instance, if he thinks you are cheating on him just because his ex-girlfriend ditched him for another man, remind him that you are a completely different individual and don’t deserve to be treated like his ex-girlfriend.
Find out what is working him up and address the issue accordingly. Does he show signs of insecurity when you interact with any man or a particular individual? Is the way you meet other men causing him to feel jealous? For instance, he may not have a problem with you meeting other men, but he is plainly uncomfortable when you touch or hug them while talking. If that is the case, you can correct your behavior by being wary of your body language when you are with other men.
Set Relationship Rules to Control Overtly Jealous Behavior
Though lasting relationships are full of compromises, being honest about your concerns and setting boundaries will help you curb the resentment in your love life.
Once he has expressed his concerns, it is time for you to clearly state the specific things that bother you about his controlling behavior. Be assertive and communicate to him that while you will strive to address his insecurities, you will in no way compromise on certain aspects of your life. For instance, you cannot cut ties with your best friends just because you are in a relationship with him.
On the other hand, you must do all in your capacity to instil trust in the relationship. For instance, it’s logical for your partner to be overprotective if you go out on a one-on-one dinner with your male friend without informing him. Perhaps you are used to meeting your male friends on a regular basis, yet since you are in a relationship, he deserves to be kept in the loop.
Make a mental note of the things you are willing and unwilling to compromise on and set relationship rules to control his overprotective behavior. Once you have communicated these limits, it is up to him to change his silly behaviour.
Don’t Hesitate to Express Your Love
In many cases, insecurity buds from the inability of one of the partners to express his/her love to the other. The modern lifestyle often leaves us with little time to say those three magical words that every partner wants to hear time and again.
If you love your bae, find time to call him during the day just to tell him that you have been thinking about him. Simple things like dropping a message to compliment him or saying that you miss being in his arms, can make him feel secure and remind him that you do cherish his presence in your life.
Introduce Him to Your Male Friend Circle
If your bae is worried that you may abandon him for one of your male friends, introduce him to your gang! When he sees the manner in which your friends interact with each other, he will get comfortable with them, leaving no room for doubt.
Involving him when you meet your male friend circle will show that you have nothing to hide, leaving him no reason to be paranoid about the relationship.
Use Reverse Psychology
Giving your partner the taste of his own medicine can work wonders, helping him to loosen his overprotective grip on the relationship. Act visibly jealous when he interacts with his female friends. When he defends himself, explain to him how you feel when he acts jealous and insecure, enabling him to correct his silly behaviour.
Moreover, even if you are faking an overprotective behavior, you are assuring him that you find him attractive and do not want to lose him.
If Necessary, Call It Quits
You do not deserve to be constantly told what to do or even ill-treated in a relationship. If after doing everything in your capacity to save the relationship, your partner refuses to change his silly attitude or gets abusive or violent, you must leave him pronto. Understand that not every relationship is meant to be!
It is natural to occasionally feel jealous in a romantic relationship. However, being blatantly overprotective can weaken the relationship by allowing negative feelings of insecurity and lack of trust to seep in.
If your partner is obsessively protective of you and tries to control you like a puppet, the above-mentioned tips will help you deal with his impractical behavior.
