Emotional Unavailability: Who Has The Time Anyway?

in #psychology7 years ago (edited)



I met up with a friend earlier to catch up as we haven't met for weeks! She told me about how a guy she had kissed cried in front of her just because he kind of sensed she was onto the flesh party and not onto his preferred emotional trade. "Who has the time?" she said as I agreed that indeed, there are just people who want to talk about their feelings and that it definitely does not include us. Are we too harsh or just really realistic? Simply emotionally unavailable or damaged and doomed to be miserable?

Here are my theories:


Bucketlist Theory


Millennials are walking bucketlists. Our anatomy is built in endless lists of what we want to experience. We carry it everywhere we go that we end up having more sexually adventurous late nights than romantic candlelight dinner dates. We don't complain though, for we live for this lifestyle. We would rather bury ourselves in each other's erogenous zones than dig each other's emotions just like how hopeless romantics have standardized dating.

Alex, a dear best friend of mine who openly admits to being bisexual--wildly aroused by manhood and passionately attracted to femininity--once journeyed to Thailand to experience the ways of his dream Thai men. We dared him to taste at least five Thai men, and he went home with more--with a check beside orgy on his list. We have never seen him so happy and confident about himself. I internally applauded him as he spilled all his stories on our table at lunch when he finally got home.

Does he miss being in love though? Yes. Alex knows how to have fun like that, yet he is still easily touched by sentimental and nostalgic moments like when the other day, a random girl who sat next beside him on a bus fell asleep and unconsciously had her head leaning on his shoulder. He missed the feeling of having someone lean on his shoulder, completely stripped of any front strength and openly vulnerable to him. Of all the casual fun fans I know, he's the only one I know who hasn't really lost his hopeless romantic in him.

Moments like that don't touch me. It ticks me off like who has the time to share melancholy with someone? A better question, why do that?? Alex believes in that, and I respect that, but for someone to come up to me and ask me to sign up for that, it's too much. ... and there you just spotted an emotionally unavailable gal: ME


I'm one of those very determined walking bucketlists. I don't prefer to stop and take a breath of love in the air many people enjoy or crave. I love the endless honeymoon phase and prefer not to get into mid-relationship drama at all. Why bring yourself in agony when you have the choice to enjoy the good parts, right? I am also not ashamed to admit I am emotionally unavailable, for I am invested in my career goals yet at the same time, I don't want to deprive myself of good ol' pleasure. A bucketlist is a collection of awesome memories yet to be experienced not of stressful things to participate in.

This generation is all about experiences--perfect Instagram moments. It's no longer 2005 where people shared too much wrist scars and suicide notes on MySpace. This generation may be known for depression but only because it is openly discussed as much as promiscuity, and neither presents problems when there is more casual physical play and less to zero committal drama. Ask any millennial with a Twitter, and they'll say Netflix and chill is more common these days than long-term relationships perfect from infidelity and emotional issues. Now that's why we all take a bite or a whole diet of this delicious lifestyle.


Repression, Aggression


When memories are repressed, they are unconsciously erased from the mind. When feelings or desires are repressed, they explode or get converted into something else. Many hopeless romantics have developed a thing for casual encounters over the past years to get over their tormenting emotional issues rooted from their concrete ideas of love, dates, family-someday dreams, etc. Most of them get a temporary fix for that out of those casual evenings in bed with someone while a lot of them have also turned into certified casual-ers.

My friend Alex is a balanced type while I'm 5-10% available for the other option opposite my current choices, yet it still doesn't mean much. I remain selfish or simply wise. I started out as a represor myself and shortly a minute after that was converted into a trace-less-once-not-like-this emotionally unavailable gal. This defense mechanism, based on Freud's theory isn't repression anymore in my case but aggression rather--for I inflict the unavailability to others to prevent myself from those drama troubles. I am not afraid to admit that, because I really fear a hell of a drama explosion, thus I need to protect myself from that.


Cynicism: Truth


The world is cynical, and it's never going to magically turn into something fairy tale-like. People are out to go for their self-interests that relationships like the intimate ones do not always get the attention it unrealistically requires from both parties. It requires emotional involvement that is perfectly open and honest as if honesty alone weren't enough effort for some. Now answer me, who has the time to invest a lot including the draining emotions in something not even approximately 50% possible anymore?











img sources:

Sort:  

That guy is a #savage @thegiamarcos!

Hi, great post and great writing style. I enjoyed it.

Just to add my own views here, and maybe play devil's (angel's?) advocate here - for me honeymoon phase without long term connection is like eating jam and leaving the toast behind. Sure, the jam is tastier than bread, but the thing is - the texture and bland taste of bread underlines the sweetness of jam, and without it it's kinda too sweet.

I hope that analogy made some sort of sense, now if you excuse me - I'll go grab something to eat.

It's not going to be too sweet if you are given a hell of a buffet of things you like, and endless choice of them and not just jam ;)

Good one
Love this

Thank you!

Awesome

Spot on.. I don't understand why people (especially as young as I am/we are) can't simply be together but not have to be emotionally vested. It goes back to your point, who the fuck has time for that?? It sucks because it does turn us toward a netflix and chill culture because the alternative just isn't worth the headache. It's like the moment you find someone cool that you also want to be physically active with, the question of 'what are we' has to come up.. Rant over, anyways, thanks for the interesting posts I love reading anything rooted in psychology and sociology.

FINALLY someone said it too! Yeah, who the fuck has the time right? Keep the good vibes, avoid the complicated crap, right? High five, man. I post a lot about things like this :)

Relatively new to Steemit and I don't see a DM feature, how can I send you a direct message?

There's steemit.chat my username there is @thegiamarcos as well

I DM'ed you :D

Thus when we talk about relationship, it really takes two to tango. Two individuals should be willing to compromise so relationship will work, if not then that's the time to finally say that you have done your part however it is not enough or someone doesn't value your efforts as much as you do towards them.

Yeah that's true

really good article, it kinda make me sad and its really real. I think times have really changed and more and more people are emotionally unavailable. But i think we all have a small belief that its not so bad, after all we have to believe that good wins over the bad and life aint so bad.

Well, as humans we have to adapt to this change and accept the fact that we are being more and more emotionally unavailable so that we wouldn't have expectations anymore.