How to be Friends With a Guy and Never Cross the Platonic Line

Women and men can surely be friends if they both decide not to cross the line. Here's how to be friends with a guy and show him you're only platonic.

There are way too many people out there who say men and women can't be just friends. While the basis for their argument is a sound one, it's just not at all true. So long as you both have a platonic understanding of one another, you can learn how to be friends with a guy.

The problem arises when one person tries to make a move for the other. It can also be an issue when you're both single and hang out all the time. If other people assume you're a couple, you may need to remember a few rules to make sure you don't cross that platonic line.

Some people can be attracted to one another but completely wrong for each other

This is another reason you might want to know how to be friends with a guy without getting too intimate. Even though you can be attracted to him and he might feel the same, there may be a very big reason it would never work out. Perhaps you both have different beliefs or want different things in life.

The point is, you still want them in your life but you know you could never be with them romantically. However, it's not always easy to stop yourself. Knowing what to do to remain platonic can help.

How to be friends with a guy and never cross that line

If you have a guy you want to stay friends with but aren't sure how you can prevent crossing the line, we can help. Here are all the ways you can avoid going overboard that will also help keep him in line, too.

#1 Let him know how you feel asap. This means you just need to tell him right away that friendship is all he'll get from you. Sure, your feelings might grow down the line and his could, too, but this way, you're telling him right away that it will never happen.

This will deter him from making moves in the future and it'll help you stick to your original words. There won't be any confusion, either.

#2 Create at least a little distance. Don't be talking to them and trying to be around them all the time. The more you distance yourself from him, the easier it'll be to remain platonic friends. Let some texts go unanswered, but obviously not all of them. If he thinks you're not any more interested in him than as just friends, he won't try anything.

#3 Ask your friends for help sometimes. Your friends can create a really nice barrier between you and him. If you're feeling particularly affectionate toward him, ask your friends to step in. Have them remind you of why you can't be with him and you'll come to your senses.

#4 Get away from him if things are getting a little heated. If you start to have feelings for him or are flirting quite a bit, create some distance. Get away from him and remove yourself from that situation.

Don't let yourself carry on to a point you can't come back from. Stop the flirting on your end right away and ignore any flirting that comes from him. It'll be much easier to remain friends if you don't get involved in that.

#5 Pursue other people. Find someone else to keep you occupied! If your attention and time is spent on someone else, it'll prevent anything from blossoming between you and your friends. Plus, you'll still be able to remain friends even if you're dating someone else.

#6 Don't get drunk with him alone. This is probably the worst idea anyone could have, ever. Never get drunk with your guy friend if you want to remain as just friends. Sometimes it's fine, but everything is increased when you get drunk.

That means if you have even the slightest bit of affection for him, it'll come out a lot more when you're drunk with him. If you want to know how to be friends with a guy and nothing more, don't get drunk together without someone else there.

#7 Avoid spending time together alone in general. Even if you're not drinking, spending alone time together isn't a good idea. It'll feel very date-like even if you two are just friends. Remember that you're trying to be friends and not end up dating this person!

#8 Try not to skirt around the issue. Meaning, don't ignore your feelings or the sexual tension if you feel any. Admit to yourself that you do feel something for him. Ignoring them will only make you grow closer to him and it'll ruin the friendship altogether.

#9 Don't get physical in any way. No hugging or flirty touches. It's not really appropriate if you're trying to avoid falling for that person. If you don't have any feelings for him at all, sure a hug here and there is fine. But you don't want to make it seem like you do have affection for him, which means avoiding any physical touching.

#10 Don't let people assume stuff. If others are calling you two boyfriend and girlfriend, put an end to it. Neither of you needs to start thinking of the other in this way and stopping it will help avoid you two slipping into those respective roles.

#11 Shut down their advances if they make any. If he starts making moves and stuff toward you, shut him down. Don't just ignore them because that won't make them go away at all.

You need to actually shut them down and communicate that you're not interested. Obviously, in order to maintain your friendship, you can't be mean about it. However, you do have to be rather stern so he knows you're not just joking or messing around in any way.

#12 Remember why you want to remain platonic. This will help you the most. You need to keep reminding yourself why you only want to be friends and why a relationship would never work. If you keep thinking of those reasons whenever you have the urge to be something more, it'll help keep you sane.

Knowing how to be friends with a guy means knowing how to control yourself a little. He might not always have the same thoughts as you so it's important to be the one maintaining the platonic status if he doesn't.