I’ll be one of the first people to say that texting is a great invention. As a shy girl, texting has always been a much easier way to break the ice and get to know the dudes I have crushes on. There is much less pressure than speaking on the phone or in person and it just has an easier, more casual vibe.
But even though there are tons of perks to texting your crush, there are also some major downsides. Texting might be less nerve-wracking than calling your crush on the phone, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t make big mistakes. The worst thing about text messages is the lack of emotion – you can’t tell exactly what someone is thinking or how they’re feeling just by reading what they’re writing. That makes it much easier to get confused by what someone is really trying to say and that leaves room for some mishaps. We’ve all embarrassed ourselves over text messages at least once! Here are the 10 biggest texting mistakes you’re probably making when you’re talking to your crush:
Over-TextingJust because you can text 24/7 doesn't mean you should. No one likes getting 10 texts in a row from the same person in under two minutes. Relax! If you text your crush like crazy, you're going to come off as needy and annoying, even if you're not trying to be. Unless you guys are having a passionate conversation, keep the messages to a minimum. Source: ShutterStock
Waiting Too Long To ReplyAt the same time, you shouldn't be waiting hours and hours to respond to a text message. You don't need to always act like you have better things to do than respond to your crush. It's fine to make him wait about 20 minutes once in a while, but always making him wait is going to make it seem like you're not interested at all. There's nothing weird about answering right away - we all have our phones on us all the time! If you're really worried, you can wait about a half hour every once in a while, but don't stress over it so much. Source: ShutterStock
Sending More Texts When They Don't Answer Right AwayDo not blow up his phone when he doesn't respond right away. Sometimes people get busy and can't text back immediately and there is nothing more annoying than getting a "...?" text message 10 minutes later. I was once talking to this guy who would wait about 5 minutes and then be like, "Uh, hello, lol." No, not LOL. You're annoying and clingy. Just give him time to answer on his own (unless it's something important. Then feel free to nudge him a little). Source: ShutterStock
Giving One-Word AnswersFew things are worse than the dreaded "K" text message from your crush, especially after you've just sent a long text full of feelings. K??!?!?! What are you supposed to do with that? Of course, there are times when a simple "okay" will do, but don't make one-word responses a habit. It makes it seem like you're not interested and don't want to talk.
Over-Analyzing Every Text Message He SendsI know that text messages can be frustrating and confusing sometimes (like I said, it's hard to read emotions through words alone), but don't act paranoid and start over-analyzing every single thing he says to you. A lot of times, there is no deeper meaning to his text - most guys don't play games like that. 90 percent of the time, what he's saying is pretty obvious. Don't assume! Source: ShutterStock
Ignoring Texts CompletelyLook, it's simple: if you don't want to talk to someone, be courteous enough to tell them instead of just flat-out ignoring them. Yes, it's uncomfortable, but ultimately it will help you. I once went on a date with a dude who really liked me, but I was feeling it. Afterwards, he wouldn't stop texting me. I ignored him for a few days, until it was apparent that it wasn't working - so I gave a polite response about not being interested and he left me alone. Yeah, it was awkward and hard, but I felt a lot better afterwards and I think he respected my honesty. Source: ShutterStock
Texting First All The TimeLet me be clear: there is nothing wrong with texting a guy first. Making the first move is great! But you shouldn't be the one making all the effort all the time. If you've noticed that that's what's been happening, stop texting first and make him chase you a little. Source: ShutterStock
Not Showing Any Of Your PersonalityI once dated this guy who had zero personality over text messages. He was such a boring texter that it was literally painful - yet he texted me constantly. But then, when we hung out, he was super outgoing, funny and flirty. It was so weird! What I'm trying to say is that you should let your personality shine through your texting. Be funny - text jokes and puns or funny stories. Send funny memes or cute emoticons. Don't just rely on smiley faces and "lol." Try to stand out a little. Source: ShutterStock
Getting Friends To Respond For YouWhen you don't know what to text back to someone, it may be tempting to let your friend take the reigns. But you probably shouldn't. First of all, she might say something you're not that comfortable with. Second of all, you might forget later on what she said and make things awkward. Third? It's not YOU. If you're having a friend say something for you, chances are, it's important. And if it's important, it should come from you, not someone else. Source: ShutterStock
Texting When You Have Nothing To SayAgain: don't be a boring texter. Don't text just to text. If you have nothing to add to the conversation except for, "Ugh, so bored at school," just don't. That guy I mentioned before used to do this to me all the time - he would be all like, "hey," and then proceed to say absolutely nothing of substance. It was like, why are you even texting me? If you're going to text him, have some conversation starters ready and when you sense the convo beginning to drag, end it with a quick, "Oops, just got super busy! Text ya later?" That's much better than letting it go on and on in awkward boringness. Source: ShutterStock
Are you guilty of making any of these texting mistakes? Do you know anyone else who makes them? What did we forget? Tell me in the comments!