How to Stop Playing Relationship Games & Focus on Loving Instead

Nobody wants to constantly deal with annoying relationship games that leave you disappointed and insecure. Here's what you can do to avoid them.

Aren't relationships supposed to be full of honesty, love, and trust? Then how come so many people play ridiculous relationship games? They constantly leave the other person on their toes, feeling anxious and insecure.

Well, I'm downright tired of it. Aren't you? If you're someone who has been stuck in a relationship that was nothing but mind games, then you know just how irritating it can be. You never truly feel secure in the relationship, and you never really get to know your partner.

Why do people play relationship games?

There are a lot of reasons why someone would drag someone else along and play mind games with them in a relationship. As I'm sure you all know already, it seems as though guys tend to play more mind games than women do. However, women can be just as guilty.

People who play relationship games usually lead a person on, fake interest, and leave them confused as to how they really feel about them. They usually do this because they want something from them, or even just because they want to have someone around but aren't actually ready to commit to them.

What to do when you're sick of relationship games

Relationship games get really old really quickly. One person can only handle so much manipulation, lying, and sometimes even cheating before they finally break and freak out.

If you're tired of debilitating relationship games and don't know what to do, you're in luck. There are tons of different ways you can deal with a partner who plays endless mind games. Here is exactly what to do when you hit your breaking point and are just sick and tired of those childish and selfish relationship games.

#1 Remain calm. I know it's really hard not to get super mad and annoyed at someone who is playing games with your heart and emotions. It can be so tempting to engage in a screaming match that can quickly escalate and turn ugly when you're being tugged along with annoying relationship games.

But the worst thing you can do is to freak out irrationally. Try to take a deep breath, remain calm, and give yourself a chance to rationally figure out how to proceed from here.

#2 Figure out what the problem is, if any. Not all people play relationship games on purpose because they don't want to commit. Some people might be facing real struggles in their lives that cause them to play these games unintentionally. Your job, before freaking out and making a huge deal of it, is to figure out if there is a real issue within the relationship.

One way to find this out without having to confront them directly is to take a peek into their past relationships. Was there cheating involved? Was there anything that may have given them a reason to have trust issues? If so, then these things could be the reasons for their relationship games, and you'll need to address these separately.

#3 Talk to them. If your patience is running low or you've been dealing with their relationship games for quite some time, it's perfectly fine to open up and talk to them about it. Sometimes, they don't even realize they're doing it. Other times, calling them out on their immature behavior is enough to make it stop.

I suggest doing this in person, during a time when you're both calm. This way, they can't dodge any questions by not responding to a text or pretending they didn't get it. When you talk with them in person, you'll also be able to tell how they truly feel about it by their reaction and body language.

#4 Seek support. By now, I'm sure your friends have all heard of your significant other's relationship games in much detail. These people will make the best support system, since they already know what's going on between the two of you.

Talk to your support system about it and get their opinions on the matter. You never know if you're just blowing things out of proportion or if you're not making a big enough deal about the games your partner keeps playing. Support is much needed during a time like this, when your emotions are running high and angry.

#5 Don't play along. Don't give in to their game-playing antics. You probably know all of the telltale signs that they're about to pull something on you, so don't play along! In fact, when they start with their excuses or anything else game-ish, call them out on it. Not only will they realize that you're not playing along anymore, but they'll be more likely to stop this behavior in the future.

#6 Ignore them every time they start playing. Another technique to stomp out relationship games is to completely ignore them. If they text you with some excuse about not being able to go out because they're “busy,” just ignore it. If you don't give them anything to play with, their behavior will have to stop.

#7 Realize that it isn't your fault. A lot of people often think if they were only prettier, more interesting, funnier, or more confident, their love interest would have never toyed with them in the first place.

But the truth is that it is entirely their fault. There's nothing that you could have done differently that would have made them stop playing their relationship games with you. If it weren't happening to you, it would surely be happening to some other girl or guy.

#8 Scope out the situation. One option to think about when you don't want to give up the relationship entirely is that they could be playing games in order to make themselves more appealing to you.

Although this method to attract someone isn't always very effective, lots of people tend to use if, especially if they're shy about sharing their feelings with you. If you take a little time to scope out what's really going on, they might let up on their relationship games if they realize that you're into them, too.

#9 Avoid dating people with player reputations. This one is just plain and simple. If know that someone has a reputation for being a player, don't get involved with them. Reputations aren't created from thin air.

Sometimes, though, a person can get a bad reputation from an ex who was unhappy with them and decided to leave the relationship on a bad note. So if you do hear that someone has a bad reputation, but you've come to like them, get to know them very well before starting anything serious.

#10 Leave them! Obviously, if you're sick and tired of relationship games, you're not happy with the current state of your relationship. If it's gone on long enough to make you miserable, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being fed up and leaving them.

Your happiness should always take priority in your life, even if you have deep feelings for someone. If they're not providing you with what you need because they're too busy playing relationship games that are immature and futile, then you have grounds to break up with them and seek happiness elsewhere.

Nobody likes a person who plays debilitating relationship games. They cause their significant other a lot of heartache and uncertainty that they just don't deserve. If your lover plays a lot of these games, think twice about whether or not they're really worth it.