11 Ways to Stop Liking Your Crush

Hey Optimist Minds!

Are you trying to get over a crush? Maybe the person isn’t romantically available, or they don’t like you that way, or they mistreat you. In every case, it’s in your best interest to move on and get over them.

But that’s easier said than done. Crushes vary in their degrees of attachment. Sometimes, it’s just a mild attraction that can be taken care of given time. But occasionally, it can be intense enough to be called unrequited love.

The more attachment there is, the harder it is to overcome. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to make to get through it.

This video will describe eleven such ways to stop liking your crush. You can try these methods out and see if they help you. However, we want our viewers to know that it’s okay if it takes you a while to get over it. Rejection isn’t easy and each individual deals with it at their own pace.

Now, let’s begin.

One

Express yourself.

When you have a crush on someone, you experience a lot of different emotions. Besides the obvious feelings of attraction, desire, and elation, you also feel impatience, longing, jealousy, and more.

It’s important to process each feeling and to express it for you to move past them. Skipping this step can store the unaddressed emotions inside you, making you keep thinking about your crush.

Two

Think about it realistically.

If you’re trying to stop liking your crush, there must be a reason why. Reflect on that reason as rationally as you can. This could help you understand more deeply why it wasn’t supposed to work out.

Maybe it’s inappropriate to date them or you’re both moving to separate locations. Whatever the cause, thinking about it logically might keep you focussed on what’s good for you.

Three

Stop idealising them.

While being realistic, you might notice that you were romanticising your crush. Perhaps you only like one side of them and started fantasising that part to be their entire personality. 

For example, suppose you like your crush because they’re a rockstar. They play the guitar, wear cool clothes, and ride a motorcycle. Each of these qualities makes you desire them so you spend a lot of time picturing them that way. 

But, the truth is that this person also lives with their mom, is racist, and drowning in debt. Seeing them for both their strengths and weaknesses may shed off some of the fascination.

Four

Find a distraction.

Most people find that it helps to try new interests and hobbies when you’re trying to move on. The more engaging it is the better. Being preoccupied with fun and creative activities, you’ll find a better use of your energy than to pine for your crush.

Five

Embrace friendship.

If your crush hasn’t shut the door to being friends, you can try to explore that side of your relationship. It might even surprise you to see how good friends you can be for each other. Before you realise it, you’ll stop seeing them in a romantic way and your affection for them can still stay.

Nevertheless, this is a subjective situation and you might find it harder to move on if you’re still seeing them as a friend. In such cases, it’s best to maintain some emotional distance.

Five

Take a break from social media.

It’s not uncommon for people to stalk their crushes online. But doing that might leave you thinking of them more intensely. Instead, maybe it’s a good idea to do a temporary detox from social media apps. It’s better than removing or blocking them if you don’t want to make a scene or reveal how you feel.

Six

Talk about it.

It always helps to talk about it to someone you trust. You can also talk directly to your crush about it. Doing so allows you to acknowledge the situation and your feelings while you look for a solution and support.

Seven

Try meeting someone new.

If you feel ready for it, it might help to start seeing other people. Perhaps if you get dressed up and go on dates, you’ll feel distracted and validated. You never know, you could even find somebody else who has a crush back on you.

Eight

Do some self-care.

Self-care activities are designed for the purpose of maintaining health and wellbeing. It’s a way of loving yourself in a wholesome and rewarding manner. By focussing all your energy on yourself and making yourself feel better, you’ll soon forget about your crush. 

Nine

Work on your dreams.

Another way of focussing on yourself is to find your passion and work hard for it. If you have some ambitious goals for your career or you’ve often thought of starting your own thing, now is the time. Since it’s something very important to you, it’ll successfully grab all your attention and make it easier to move on.

Ten

Get professional help.

Speaking to a psychologist is always an option for emotional troubles like this. It’s especially helpful for those who don’t have a solid support system. Talking to your therapist could help you analyse why you developed a crush in the first place. So, you’ll find out what to do to address your underlying needs.

Eleven

Accept your feelings and give yourself time.

Finally, the most effective strategy is to accept the situation for what it is and to allow yourself to grieve it. It’ll probably take some time but it’s the smoothest way to get through it.

Have you tried any of these ways to get over a crush? Were you able to stop liking them? Tell us your story in the comment section. We’d love to hear from you.

A link for further reading and the studies & references used in the making of this video are mentioned in the description below.

Thanks for visiting optimist minds, take care. Until next time.

References