"What to do if he's looking at and paying attention
to other women"
by Susie and Otto Collins
This
relationship issue has been such a hot button topic lately
and we've gotten hundreds of emails about it from both women
AND men wanting to know more that we just had to say something
and here's why...
Women
are outraged and feel insulted when men do this and the worst
part is...
... in
many cases, men act so oblivious that we can't help but wonder--in
relationship situations like this-- are they selfish and arrogant,
unkind and uncaring or just plain
dumb?
Here's
what we're talking about...
Last week
we did a teleseminar and web audio cast on the topic of...
"What
to do when he's looking at and paying too much attention to
other women..."
So what's
the uproar about?
Why are
women still writing to us "outraged" about this
issue?
It's seems
that women want to know...
Is it
fair if he's looking at--and commenting on other women's bodies
and beauty (especially right in front of them) --and is it
something that's a "fact of relationship life" and
something that "she just has to deal with?"
Let's
get the record straight...
When he
looks at other women and comments on their beauty or bodies,
it doesn't feel good if you're his partner.
You feel
"less than," not valued, not respected and certainly
not loved when a man does this (especially if it's right in
front of you).
One woman
told us that when men do this, they don't stop and think how
it would feel if it was done to them.
She also
said that she knew women who played the game of looking at
other men--in other words making him jealous and giving him
a dose of his own medicine.
She also
said that she hadn't met a man yet who was a "good sport"
about being on the receiving end of this type of attention
from his partner on another man.
We agree
100% that if men are doing this, they probably aren't thinking
about how their woman feels when she sees or feels this...
...AND
here's the problem...
Playing
a game like this (trying to give him some of his own medicine)
will only further separate you and as the old saying goes,
you will probably be "hoist by your own petard"
if you go about trying to get your partner's attention in
this way.
In other
words, this strategy will only take you further from what
you want.
So if
your man is looking and commenting about other women and playing
the "eye for an eye" game doesn't work, what do
you do?
Here's
a two-prong approach that can get you started toward what
you want--which we're guessing is a greater feeling of love
and connection...
1. Tell
him how this makes you feel--in a way that he can hear. He
won't hear you if you are blaming him and angry. Even though
you feel like you are right and he is wrong (and we don't
blame you if you do feel this way), you will not get what
you want if you are pushing against him.
Explain
how it makes you feel when he does this. Show him how this
hurts you and that you know there are things you can work
on but there are also things you'd like him to change.
If he
listens--and he may, the two of you can
come up with some agreements so that he doesn't shut himself
down and yet turns his attention toward you at those times.
It could
be something as simple as this...
If he's
unaware when he looks and makes
comments--in other words, if he's completely
unconscious of his actions--he might want you to help him
come into "consciousness" by some signal from you
that you both agree on.
If you
both agree, that signal may be his sign to come closer to
you.
Now of
course, he may refuse to stop doing what he's doing and says
it's all your problem.
If that's
true and you truly have approached this issue in a way that
you aren't just blaming him--even though you may feel like
this is all his fault...
And he
keeps on doing it and closes down to you--
You have
to decide if you're willing to put up with his behavior and
if this is the kind of relationship that you want.
In other
words, is this a deal breaker for you?
Not exactly
what you want to think about but it may be a choice for you
if your man isn't willing to meet you.
Here's
the second approach we suggest...
2. Focus
on feeling good and loving yourself--
independent of what he says or does.
Now
of course we know that this may be a big
challenge for you if you have been in the habit of feeling
"less than" and not as good most of your life.
If that's
the case, in this present moment is as good a time as any
to start changing that.
Somewhere
along the line, someone or maybe "someones" have
told you in various ways that you weren't good enough, pretty
enough, thin enough or whatever it was that convinced you
to have a low opinion of yourself.
This partner
who has this habit of looking and
maybe commenting on beautiful women helps
reinforce the idea that you aren't as good--even if that's
not what he means.
If this
sounds familiar to you...
A place
to start is to refuse to put yourself down another moment--no
matter what you think he's thinking (because in reality, you
don't know what he's thinking).
Stop your
negative thoughts about yourself and replace them with a simple
"I love you" to yourself.
If "I
love you" is too much of a stretch, find a
positive phrase that you can believe and say
that to yourself every time you feel negativity bubble up
inside you.
Of course,
there's much more to raising your self-esteem and self-confidence
but this is a solid place to begin.
Something
else we suggest is to pick up copies of
our courses "No
More Jealousy" and
"Relationship
Trust Turnaround" ...
These
are two of the best resources available
anywhere for STOPPING JEALOUSY or
REBUILDING TRUST in a relationship or marriage.
Remember
that changes happen one moment at a time so don't get discouraged.
It
takes courage to make changes in your life and if you're in
this kind of situation--maybe you've had it over and over
in your life--it can be a real challenge to make lasting changes.
But just
remember if you do nothing, nothing will change.
*******************
Relationship coaches Susie and Otto Collins,
authors of "Should You Stay or Should You Go?" and "No More
Jealousy" are experts at helping people get more of the love
they really want. Learn the 5 keys to a closer, more loving
relationship, click below for your free 5-part mini-course:
http://www.Relationshipgold.com
************************
If you're interested we offer a free online course about how
to overcome jealousy. This FREE online course about overcoming
jealousy is based on our course called "No More Jealousy."
To get this free online course about "No More Jealousy" visit
http://www.NoMoreJealousy.com
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