5 Red Flags That Might Mean You’re Texting Way Too Much
Text messages are an awesome tool to communicate with other people—until they're not.
When your texting gets out of hand, it can change the way people think about you and start negatively impacting both your life and the lives of others. Keep reading to discover the red flags that might mean you're texting way too much.
Your Text Convos Are Totally Unbalanced
One of the most obvious signs you're texting too much is that almost every message in your conversations comes from you. If you're on an iPhone and the majority of most of your conversations is in blue bubbles, it's a sign that the people on the other end just aren't as invested as you. Whether they're busy, bored or simply can't keep up, their disproportionate responses are a sign that you're texting them more than the situation warrants. Remember you can get the most out of texting with someone when it's a more balanced back and forth. While every situation is different, experiment with keeping your texting to about a 50-50 ratio and see if your conversations start feeling more lively and equal.
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You Expect Constant Access to Others
Just because you're constantly on your phone and can almost always reply immediately doesn't mean you have the right to demand the same of everyone else. While it's usually reasonable to expect a text back from your best friend within a couple of hours, people have their own lives and won't always be able get back to you right away. People who are less close to you deserve even more leeway, so keep your expectations in check. If you get impatient when someone doesn't reply to you within moments, or downright mad with people who don't respond for hours—even if they have completely valid excuses—it's probably time to step away from your phone. The fact that you're constantly texting might be giving you the wrong idea about texting etiquette.
You Refuse to Let Conversations Die
As tempting as it might be to try to keep a conversation with your crush going on forever, stretching it on for eternity can give off the wrong impression. When it's clear that you're both losing steam and struggling to say anything meaningful, no number of emojis, one-word affirmations or questions about the other person will revive it. Continuing to text someone even though the convo is floundering and you really should be moving on to more important things is a clear sign you're texting for all the wrong reasons. Even worse, it might make the other person think you're desperate and clingy.
You're Texting Out of Boredom, Rather Than to Connect
Some people watch videos on YouTube or browse social media when they're bored. Others text their friends—and that desire for real human connection is actually pretty healthy to pursue. However, it's not so healthy when you don't actually care about the other person and what they have to say, and are mostly just reaching out to kill time and not feel so bored anymore. This is a form of using people, and only hitting people up when you're bored out of your mind is the fast track to completely alienating them. If there's no real intention behind your texts, maybe you shouldn't send them at all.
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It's Distracting You From Real Life
This might sound obvious, but texting should only be one small part of your life. Even if you don't physically have your phone in your hands at all times, if stressing over your texts and conversations is taking up most of your mind space for a big chunk of the day, it's likely you have an unhealthy relationship with the habit. Texting should never prevent you from living in the moment and being present with the people you care about when they're around. It's a tool for communication, not a replacement for it. Try setting some limits, or even doing a texting detox, and reexamine your relationship with how you use your phone. You may find that you're a lot happier on the other side.
If you struggle with ending your text convos, click HERE to find out exactly when you should stop texting your crush.