Are You (or are you with) A "Commitment-Phobe"?

We hear it all the time “He just won’t make a commitment” “She just wants some space right now” “I’m not sure if I’m ready for a serious relationship”

What does having a fear of commitment really mean? Actually, it means basically what it says For SOME reason you, or someone you are involved with, isn’t ready to take this relationship (or any relationship) to the next step

So how do we know if we or our (hoped for) partner are truly afraid of commitment? How do we know that it’s not something else? Is there any real difference between these two anyway?

Do these excuses sound familiar? “I’m just under a lot of stress right now” “It’s not you, it’s me” “I can’t focus on a relationship right now because of my overloaded schedule”

Very often, we want to accept these reasons because we fear the real truth Other times, we are just very confused by our feelings and the often mixed messages from the other person

So, how do we evaluate our ability to make a long-term commitment? How do we know if he/she is really ready or willing?

There are only two real issues here to examine

The first issue involves looking at a true fear of commitment itself If this is the problem it’s important for the person with this fear to ask themselves a few key questions

Are you concerned about the idea of forever?
Do you fear you could make a mistake in who you choose?
Do you fear a loss of your freedom/autonomy?
Are you afraid of a bad marriage- like your parents for instance
Do you fear you would be a bad mate?

If you answered yes to any of these, it would be a good idea to begin working to
understand where these feelings come from Once you understand them better, you can choose to address them

Perhaps you need more time or emotional growth before you consider making
a long-term commitment

If you’d like to deal with past relationship feelings, I have an article on this at http://wwwconsum-matecom/02julhtm

If you are unsure if you are relationship ready, check out my article on this at http://wwwconsum-matecom/03junhtm

If lack of self-awareness is an issue, check out http://wwwconsum-matecom/02aughtm

Greater self-knowledge will help you to overcome this block to building a lasting and satisfying relationship

The second issue is the inability to make a commitment to a PARTICULAR relationship This may not be the right one Perhaps there is a sense of this but it is written off to being a “commitment -phobe” in general

Focus on the true level of involvement with each other Is there a genuine connection? Or is there a vague feeling of something missing? Evaluate the quality of your intimate relating This does not mean how often (or even how good) the sex is This is about how open, sharing and real you are in your interactions with each other

Does any of this sound familiar?

It seems like we are only killing time?
He/she doesn’t seem to want what I want
We seem to be off and on in our level of contact/affection
I hey are still not over a past relationship
I hey just don’t seem to know what I hey want

Remember to focus on the involvement or lack thereof between you If either person is disengaged in any way, it’s time to address the real issue of; “Is this the right relationship for us?”

Exploring your ability to make a lasting commitment should be a first step in your plan for building a healthy and lasting relationship

About the Author

Toni Coleman is a relationship coach in McLean,Virginia She specializes in working with singles that want to create lasting, intimate relationships She has also written numerous email classes for singles on all aspects of meeting, dating and relating She is the author of the email newsletter, The Art of Intimacy, which goes out to thousands of subscribers monthly

Tags | afraid, feelings, freedom, growth, mistake, parents, real, relationship, result, term, true, truth