Dating Lingo – have you been ghosted?
From going steady in the 80s, to avoiding scrubsin the 90s and looking for your boo in the 00s, dating lingo is always changingand some of the new trends that emerge are entertaining, to say the least! Soif you're feeling nostalgic for the times when you’d make a mixtape for yourcrush, never fear! As the dating world changes to adapt to social media, appslike Tinder and our always-on culture, dating lingo is getting even better.
In fact, in 2020 you can breadcrumb someone (lead them on with no intention of getting serious), slide into their DMs (send them a private message on social media), catfish them (pretend to be someone you're not) and even find yourself being Marleyed (being contacted out of the blue by an ex on Christmas day).
But one of our favourites and one phrase thatseems to be sticking around is ghosting. You may or may not be familiar withthis term, but below we’re going to tell you a little bit about it so you canrecognise if you’ve ever been ghosted before - or perhaps if you're beingghosted right now!
What is ghosting?
Ghosting is essentially when you ignore someone’s messages (andgeneral existence) and disappear from their lives without any real explanation.People do this because they may have met someone else or because it’s easierthan having to tell someone they don’t like them or want to date them anymore.
So to be ghosted means to have someone stopreplying to your messages or answering your calls, without actually letting youknow they don’t want a relationship from you. This can be quite a hurtfulexperience, especially in the age of instant messaging. But sadly it isbecoming more and more common
Have you ever been ghosted?
Have you ever been on a few dates or begun messaging someone, only for them to phase you out or stop talking to you quite abruptly? You might have wondered what was going on at the time, you might have thought that the relationship had simply run its course, or perhaps if you were talking to more than one person, you didn't notice this particular one had slipped away. Either way, you were probably ghosted.
How to get over it
If you really like the person you're dating,ghosting can be quite a difficult pill to swallow. After all, they could atleast give you an explanation and let you know they don’t want to see youanymore - even if it is hard to hear. But if you’ve found you have beenghosted, don’t let it get you down, there are several things you can do to getover it:
Acknowledge your feelingsbecause it’s OK to be upset about it
Don’t be too hard on yourself,it says more about them than it does you
Reflect that it’s maybe lesspainful than a massive argument
Talk it out with friends orfamily
Accept that it’s happened butthat it’s not the end of your dating life
Move on and continue to search– they obviously weren't right for you anyway (this is the really importantone!!)
Tired of being ghosted? At Ignite, we understand that finding the right person takes time and that you might occasionally find yourself in situations where you're ghosted by someone you liked. But we’re here to support you on your journey, to introduce you to potential partners who you have a lot in common with and to help you move on and carry on the search if it doesn't work out. Get in touch with our friendly team today.
