I’ve written about how to deal with emotionally unavailable partners and friends but what happens when you are the emotionally unavailable one? Is there a way to become more emotionally available?
Readers and clients often ask me, “how can I find a partner who is emotionally available? I can never get anyone I’m dating to open up.”
No one can reverse unavailability other than the person suffering from it. Becoming emotionally available is not contingent upon your partner being “better” or trying harder to crack your impossible codes.
The unavailable person has to have a genuine desire to want to be better for themselves.
As much as you may want to mow your neighbor’s overgrown lawn, there’s no point in telling them how badly they need it or how willing you are to do it if *they* do not see a need to keep their side of the street clean.
If you want an emotionally available, mutual relationship, the first thing you need to do is make sure that you are emotionally available yourself.
Emotional unavailability is when a person (either consciously or subconsciously) puts up walls and creates barriers that prevent them from being intimate with others. The root of this is undealt with trauma.
This can originate in childhood. You may come from a family of professional under-the-rug brushers and it became habitual for you. You may have experienced an isolated traumatic event or repeated trauma and as a child, the only way your emotional body could cope was by shutting down.
I became more emotionally unavailable when I started dating (with very low self-esteem). After my first big heartbreak, I didn’t want to feel the pain or have to grieve the loss of my relationship. I also didn’t want to face my part in how things fell apart. It was all too much; more pain than my heart could handle. So, I would jump into another relationship as soon as possible. This created a ripple effect of avoidance, denial, and massive unavailability. No matter how much I claimed to want real intimacy and connection, I could never seem to attract it.
If you find that you attract/are attracted to people who are emotionally (and sometimes physically, morally, and spiritually) unavailable…
If you tend to excuse disrespectful behavior, try harder instead of walk away from red flags, and blame yourself for other people’s emotional limitations…
It is your own unavailability that you need to address; your own proverbial lawn that you need to mow.
We attract what we exude.
Don’t you want to attract someone who can maintain their own property? If you’re emotionally unavailable, you will claim to want that but secretly, only feel satisfied if you can turn weeds into a rose garden; horsesh*t into a bar of gold.
Even the most emotionally available people experience times of emotional unavailability. This could be after the death of a loved one, diagnosis, or during a time of intense stress. These things are situational and eventually pass.
But for people who are habitually unavailable, it is their lifestyle of choice. It’s the only way they can cope and operate.
If you find yourself consistently involved with people like this, the only way you will attract true love and a mutual, intimate relationship is to work on becoming emotionally available – right now (instead of continuing to make your evolution contingent upon being “good enough” for others to do what they don’t see a need to do).
What is emotional availability?
Emotional availability is being able to consistently feel your way through difficult, undesirable, or painful emotions – both within yourself and in others. You don’t avoid, dismiss, or run away from these feelings nor do you allow them to dictate your actions. You are able to be kind to yourself and remain in a non-reactive state (which means staying on your white horse).
The ability to be vulnerable is what prevents the delusion and denial of unavailability.
What does being emotionally available mean?
Here are some characteristics of emotionally available people…
- They are self-aware and able to self-reflect.
- They have fears, feel shame, and insecure at times but they do not live their lives through the filter of fear, shame, and insecurity.
- They don’t need others to right the wrongs of their past or be to their sources of confidence and identity. If they’re with someone, it’s because they want to be.
- They are vulnerable. These people can admit that they’re scared, uncomfortable, unsure, insecure, and sad. However, they don’t let these emotions define them nor do they sprint away from them. They feel their way through every feeling (and reap the benefits of the vulnerability that this creates).
- They are kind and patient with themselves. These people have a level of self-compassion and unconditional self-love that allows them to be vulnerable – even in the presence of fear.
- They are consistent in their emotional availability. They have a willingness, desire, and need to feel emotion; to genuinely connect and not run from feeling.
- They aren’t selective in what they feel; they don’t just gravitate toward the good. They are aware that growth happens through pain as well. Emotionally unavailable people will have intense flashes of connectivity but they can never maintain it. (If you have low self-esteem, you will mistake their intensity for a soulmate connection).
- They don’t sabotage their relationships, create drama or incite jealousy.
- They aren’t attracted to emotionally unavailable people because they feel no compatibility (nor are they turned on by having to “unlock” basic things like communication, loyalty, and honesty).
How to be more emotionally available
This post could lead you to all the answers, but it can’t dictate your level of hunger to apply them.
As one of my greatest influences in life, Les Brown, says, “you’ve got to be hungry.” You have to want to turn inward and have an honest (uncomfortable) conversation with yourself.
You have to self-reflect – acknowledge what you are insecure about, what you’re scared of, and take inventory of everything you’ve been avoiding.
It is scary, but you what’s even scarier?
- A wasted life.
- Surface-level relationships.
- An existence that you never get to experience the joy of because you were too scared to get up from the sidelines of your own life.
Be kind to yourself. Give yourself a chance (just like you’ve given too many to people who were never worthy of one).
Be patient with yourself (just as you would be with a child, an animal or the elderly).
Have some self-compassion.
Think about how many times you’ve empathized with toxic people (to the point that it took down your mental health).
It’s time you directed that same level of attention, empathy, and kindness to YOU. If you feel scared or like you’ve already wasted your life, I suggest that you start now. Don’t give up on yourself.
Get uncomfortable, write down everything that’s holding you back, and really feel your feelings so that you can finally, be comfortable in the most powerful position you could ever reside in: that of vulnerability.
No one can do this for you but you.
Take a hard look at your life. Think of all the times you’ve tried to make toxic people feel loved and comfortable enough to be vulnerable, honest, and sincere. How did that work out for you? It worked out terribly for me because it came at a cost I could not afford: my peace and my mental health.
The path to emotional availability isn’t through trying to reverse the unavailability of others. It starts and ends with YOU. Only then will you attract people who are just as compassionate, just as vulnerable, and although they may be fearful of many things… connection will never be one of them.
You’ve got this. And we’ve got each other.
x Natasha
+ If you need further and more personalized help with your relationship, please look into working with me here.
All Emotionally Unavailable Articles
This is a complete list of articles I have written on Emotionally Unavailable.
Am I Emotionally Unavailable? How To Tell & What To Do
Emotionally Unavailable Men: What Do They Do After A Breakup?
Is He Emotionally Unavailable? 15 Signs Your Guy Is Emotionally Bankrupt
Hi Natasha, I hope you’re well sending you and the tribe lots of virtual love ????? brilliant piece as always. I was like a nodding dog reading through this, thinking of the toxic people I’ve put boundaries in place for? & from the low self esteem, I once had trying to win a certain persons affection! Im really ready to meet somebody spacial now to give and receive love ?? putting it out to the universe ??? thank you for your blog, wisdom and support during my transformation ! Love you ? xxxxx Happy Easter ??
Jules!
Happy Easter to you and yours ???????????
I am so proud of you ?? Keep putting it out there and know that I am/we are behind you 100%.
Thank you for taking the time to share and for being all that you are ? Love you sister. Stay safe and healthy ??? xx
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Morning Natasha THANK YOU! I feel that I did the best I could under extreme difficult circumstance of situations I went thru and I upfronted everything to ex gf. When I visited Thanksgiving month she hid me under the bus not having holiday with her and her peeps. That’s ok since we was too new. (Early red flag). She excuse to why she can not pick me up from airport. Had her friend pick/drop me off or I take a fucking 2-3 hours of sharing shuttle after 5 hours rough-headwind flights. To hell with it I upgraded expensive shuttle to myself. Peace! Out of those durations ex gf ONCE dropped me off to airport. (Red flag). Not introduce me to her parent at the show. Dash out from me being terrified thought someone stalked her but not the case. That was it! I demoted her to friendship UNTIL HER WORDS AND ACTION MATCH AND PROVE! She do not care what she have had put me through!?! Hide me under the bus!!! Treat me like I’m an embarrassment or no body or no worth to her Over the time I sensed her secrecy and the more secrecy was sickening her. I plea her “SHOW ME SHOW ME COME SHOW ME! There’s no need to be fear of!?! Your article, 12 step, and my counselor collaborates to clear recognization that I done the best I could under my circumstance of situations and it wasn’t good enough to her ESPECIALLY HIDE ME UNDER THE BUS! How can you show your trueness while you are being hid!?! THAT THE ONE HAVE DESTROYED MY ESTEEM AND WHAT I BELIEVED IN (ie: 9 fruits) Agonies of pain was too extreme because I ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN. I should have had WALKED away once broke up instead of demote friendship because that would lessen my damages and let her do HER OWN damaging. Lesson learned she was upfronted that she do not want “friend” but get into relationship after I told her we need to slow down, progress, see how things turn out first before we can go for it from day one. ANSWER: THERE IS ZERO, 0, and NO FRIENDSHIP! Everything have to be her terms & condition. I was never any of her priority nor an option A/B (Children/us) I WAS AN OPTION ZZZ TO HER! She have lying habits toward her love ones without remorse! Due to fake relationship/friendship we had. I’m still working to remove 100% out of my heart so I can fully move on. Not an easy thing to do. I don’t want any fondness in my system after how she had treated me. I’m doing something big projects voluntarily like your “mow neighbor yard” concept trying to better life for DB Community in the South. This project is not an easy task. SUPER HARD. Hope our contribution of our worth concludes a success. Time will tell. Natasha. Thank you. I feel my emotion availability fluctuations normally depending circumstance of situation I’m dealing with. Sometime I feel like I’m emotional unavailable due agony of pains, heartbroken, no worth, and other negativity including lost motivation or care. Again thank you. John
Hi John!
We all love and benefit from your comments. Thank you for taking the time to share. I am thinking of you and the deaf and blind community every day of this unprecedented time. You are not alone ?? I’m so happy that this post served you. Take care and stay safe. All my love to you and your family.
Hi Nastasha.
Your name crossed my mind as I was jotting down this new experience I am currently facing and I am glad I took action and checked your blog for your latest posts.
I am thrilled you shared this and I want to say thank you. ? sending love all the way from South Africa!
Hi Joy ???
I hope that this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy.
Thank you for taking the time to share and for being a part of this tribe. You are never alone ?? I’m so glad that the post helped. I always write to help others and give what I wish I would have had. A lot of the time, I write to remember my own advice too. This was one of those times. All my love to you. Xox
I Went through the same thing I wish u the best ??
Thank you, this really resonates with me. I’m excited to keep working on this!
Thanks Stef!
Happy it helped! ???
Hi Natasha. Reading this helped me realized that I have been emotionally available in the past and the reason I’m not right now is due to stress from so many things happening at the moment. Thank you for reminding me that it’s okay to not be there 100% of the time because at the end of the day, as long as I know who I am, I can find my way back to myself. Reading your posts definitely helps me do that ?
YES <3 You can always find your way back.
Thank YOU so much, Anu, for shedding light on how this unprecedented time (and the stress/uncertainty associated with it) can cause temporary unavailability. You are not alone in this.
I'm so happy that the post was helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share and for being a part of this tribe.
Thank you for being you 🙂 xo I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy.
B E A U T I F U L BLOG. 👏 You have a way with words that i swear i could hear your voice in my head like if you were reading it to me (eventho idk what your voice even sounds like) i guess what im trying to say your words touched me in a way that made me see its time to face my problems n not to be be so hard on myself. Thank you i got a long way to go but you reminded me to be patient with myself too.
Hi Corina!
Your comment (and the love that I feel behind every word) has me in tears of such gratitude and joy. I will have a podcast coming out soon, as well as my book (which I’ve been working so hard on. I put everything that I have and am into it), will be available on Audible, so you’ll be able to hear my voice 🙂
I am so happy and honored that the blog has been helpful; I live to give everything that I wish I had.
Thank you for being you, for taking the time to share, and for being a part of this tribe.
All my love to you, sister. xo