How-To

What To Do When A Guy Disrespects You

What To Do When A Guy Disrespects You
Advertisement

If someone consistently behaves in a way that is disrespectful toward you, it is important to address the situation. Disrespectful behavior can include talking over you, refusing to listen to your perspective, laughing or mocking you, spreading gossip about you, lying to you, and disregarding your boundaries. It is not acceptable for anyone, whether it be a romantic partner, friend, colleague, or anyone else, to treat you with disrespect. If you are experiencing disrespect from someone, it is important to take steps to manage the situation before it becomes worse. Here are some things you can try:

Advertisement

1. Call Him Out On His Behavior

If someone is treating you disrespectfully, it is important to address the issue and communicate your concerns. It may be that the person is not aware of the impact of their actions. When you encounter a red flag, bring it to their attention and ask them to stop. It is important to assert yourself and not allow yourself to be mistreated. You can request an apology and, if the person cares about you, they will listen and make an effort to change their behavior.

Advertisement

2. Keep Your Cool

It can be tempting to respond to disrespectful behavior with anger and a desire for retribution. However, it is important to remember that engaging in negative behavior will not solve the problem. Take a moment to consider whether the situation is worth getting upset over and try to understand that the disrespect may stem from the other person's issues rather than any shortcomings on your part. Instead of reacting impulsively, try to calm your mind and reassess your feelings. If you continue to feel hurt or offended by the behavior, it is important to communicate to the person that their actions were wrong.

Advertisement

3. Ask Yourself If It's A Consistent Pattern Of Behavior

How long have you been feeling like this person lacks respect for you as an individual? How often do they act disrespectfully? Is this a one-time occurrence or a regular occurrence? Did this behavior start recently or have you noticed it throughout your relationship? If this person has consistently shown disrespect for a long time, it's not healthy to keep them in your life.

Advertisement

4. Respond With Kindness

It may seem counter-intuitive to be kind to someone who is disrespecting you, but it works. When he sees that you're calm and polite despite his actions, he'll probably change his behavior to match yours. If he doesn't, that just shows that he's not a reasonable person, and disrespecting others is his way of feeling superior. Avoid his negative energy.

Advertisement

5. Ignore Him

A guy might disrespect you because he's looking for attention or because he thinks you're okay with it. Maybe in the past, you laughed when he acted this way or made it seem like his behavior wasn't a big deal. Try ignoring his disrespectful actions and see what happens. If he's not intentionally trying to hurt you, he'll stop when he doesn't get a reaction. If things get worse, that's a sign he enjoys disrespecting you.

Advertisement

6. Don't Take The Disrespect Personally

Sometimes we all have bad days. If he's not normally disrespectful towards you, try giving him the benefit of the doubt. He probably didn't mean to be rude or dismissive. He's just dealing with a lot right now. Eventually, he'll come to his senses and apologize.

7. Establish Clear Boundaries

It's normal to joke around with each other sometimes. I can make snarky comments to my boyfriend or guy friends and they'll roast me right back. No one gets offended because we know it's just playful banter. We also know how to set boundaries. Some things can't be joked about and are just flat-out insulting, no matter who it's coming from. Make it clear what you can tolerate and what you consider disrespectful.

Advertisement

8. Show A Little Empathy

Try to understand why he's disrespecting you. Is he under a lot of stress or dealing with issues in his personal life? Disrespect often comes from someone angry with themselves or their circumstances. By showing that you understand what they're going through, that you care about them, and are willing to help, they'll feel less alone and less inclined to take their frustrations out on you.

Advertisement

9. Protect Yourself By Leaving

If you continue to allow him to disrespect you, he'll think that it's acceptable behavior. You'll be encouraging him to treat you poorly and take your feelings for granted. If you've tried to get him to stop and he refuses to change, prioritize yourself and walk away. No matter how much you care about someone, you should never let them damage your self-worth. If he can't treat you with respect, he doesn't deserve to be in your life.

Advertisement