Emotional Disconnect

Navigating relationships with emotionally unavailable partners.

- Randeep Dhillon Mand

Modern dating world has thrown about several new jargons that we did not know of before. Toxic, ghosting, narcissist, gaslighting, breadcrumbing, so on and so forth. Digital connections have lowered our sense of responsibility to treat others with kindness and consideration. While Millennials brave the online dating trenches, more and more people have begun to feel that sustaining a marriage, in modern times, though rewarding, is harder than before. What is the role that emotions play in such relationships?

Anyone with a pulse knows that emotions can be powerful, influencing how we survive, grow and connect with others. That is why humans are blessed with a wide range of emotions for we need all of them. Despite its importance, many people struggle to understand or express emotions and share a healthy emotional connect. This inability is termed as 'emotional unavailability'.

What Is Emotional Unavailability?

Emotional unavailability is a situation where one's significant other does not respond to one's emotional needs or cues. The emotionally unavailable partner finds it difficult to express and handle emotions and thus, struggles to get close to others, fearing commitment or intimacy. They can't bring themselves to share their goals, wishes, hopes, regrets and desires. They avoid serious conversations which creates an intimacy barrier.

Such people are usually mercurial and hard to read, leaving their partners confused and disappointed. A relationship with such a person can be hard, whether it is marriage or dating.

Dating A Distant Partner

Soha sat staring at the phone screen waiting for Sabir to respond to her text. For the umpteenth time, she checked his 'Last Seen' on WhatsApp and to her dismay, he had come online a few times in the last four hours, yet hadn't bothered to even read her messages.