If that question drove you here to us, you’re probably confused by the brave face he’s putting up. You’re probably upset that when you walked away, he made no effort to stop you or keep you there. Maybe, you’re wondering, “He let me walk away so easily” or “I walked away and he let me go”. Was he indifferent or just angry? His vague social media stories aren’t of much help and his friends never really know what’s up, so asking them is useless as well. To better understand why a woman walks away from the man she loves and how he feels when you walk away, we spoke to counselor Neelam Vats (certified CBT and NLP practitioner), who has over two decades of experience helping children, adolescents and adults cope with issues related to depression, anxiety, interpersonal relationship and career concerns.
Why Do Women Walk Away From Men They Love?
It’s not like women enjoy walking away from the men they love. There could be several reasons as to why a high value woman walks away from the man she loves – being taken for granted, infidelity, lack of appreciation, trust issues, lack of respect, changing goals and priorities, etc. No matter what the reason is, walking away from a confused man or a man she loves is always a difficult choice to make. Here are three reasons why women might be compelled to make the decision to walk away from the men they love:
1. Decline in interest or boredom
If you’ve been wanting to ask your girl “Why are you walking away from a man you love?”, this could be one of the possible reasons. Neelam says, “One of the biggest issues that any relationship, including marriage, can face is a decline in interest in your partner over time. This can happen for a lot of reasons, but it’s rarely due to a loss of love.” When you’ve known your partner and been with them for a long time, you pretty much know everything about them – feelings, habits, thoughts, and reactions. In such a situation, the relationship loses its unpredictability factor and that’s when boredom sets in. You’re not excited about discovering new traits of your partner, which might lead to a decline in interest. Security and comfort does not always lead to happiness, which is why women often choose to walk away from the relationship despite being in love with their partner.
2. Infidelity and affairs
Neelam explains, “Cheating is a huge factor in a relationship. It’s hard to know how to feel sometimes, even though you know that you love them deep down. The feelings of betrayal and embarrassment can almost be harder to get over than the deed itself. It also leads to trust issues, which is one of the most important aspects of a relationship and probably the most crucial to making it work.” For a lot of women, infidelity is a deal breaker, which is why a high value woman walks away from the man she loves. It works the other way around as well. Possible answer to your “Why are you walking away from a man you love?” could be that she has found a new love interest and does not want to be with you anymore.
3. Creates a sense of attraction
Do women walk away because it creates attraction? Yes, it is a possibility one cannot ignore. Sometimes, walking away from the man she loves could work in her favor because it creates a sense of attraction in him to pursue her or woo her and crave for her attention. She probably wants to know if the man she is in love with loves her back and if she’s important to him. Walking away might make him realize his true feelings for her and he might come running back. It is also a way to make her man realize her value in his life. These are a few reasons why women tend to walk away from the men they love. Now that we’ve gotten this out of the way, let’s understand how a man feels when you finally walk away from him. The mixed signals he might be sending out are probably not doing you any good. Plus, the “U up?” drunk text at 2 am has left you with more questions than answers. He never addressed your last fight but still wants to talk to you? What really is going through his head? Let’s put your mind at ease by answering any questions you may have.
How Does A Man Feel When A Woman Walks Away? 7 Possibilities
How does he feel when you walk away from him? First things first, a woman walking away from a man may not always have the same outcome. The way he reacts is heavily influenced by your dynamic as a couple, the events you and he have been through, and the type of person he is. Nevertheless, if you’ve been wondering why “he let me walk away so easily”, allow us to help you figure out the reasons. If he prides himself on being the alpha male, you’ll probably see his ego burst into a million pieces. And when his ego is in the picture, don’t expect him to be apologetic to you. What follows may be anger or something along those lines, and that’s why he didn’t stop you or reach out to you after. If, however, you’ve decided on walking away from a confused man or leaving a half-decent man behind, he might react in one of two ways; either respectfully, or by struggling to accept this fact. Moreover, it’s important to note that what he thinks when you finally walk away from him is also governed by when and why you decide to do so. If you’ve walked out of a toxic dynamic, chances are, he won’t be able to question your decision much. For all you know, he probably just wants the best for you and is knocking his head against the wall wondering why he hurt you so much. But if you’ve walked away hoping to manipulate him into doing something you want, it might backfire and you’ll be left feeling “I walked away and he let me go”. Unlike in the movies, the hero might just say “to hell with it” instead of chasing after the woman when she leaves. Love in movies isn’t really an accurate representation of what it’s like in real life. With that being said, let’s take a look at all the possible outcomes to the question, “How does a man feel when a woman walks away silently from him?” so that you aren’t left pulling your hair out trying to figure out exactly what he’s thinking.
1. His mental health may take a toll
“I’m not good enough, she couldn’t even stand me,” might be what he thinks when a girl walks away from him. A rejection of such proportions feels like a rejection of his personality and accepting this fact may send his mental health spiraling downward. Especially if he’s replaced by another man in your life, then insecurity issues will definitely crop up. So, how does a man feel when a woman walks away? Even if it always seemed like a one-sided relationship, being replaced is bound to hurt and really not something you can do much about. When a man walks away from a relationship, his pride remains intact, and his self-respect doesn’t dim. But when she walks away from the relationship and from him, his pride takes a hit, and humiliation from being cast away ensues. Neelam says, “He may have a hard time accepting the fact that you have left him. He won’t have the patience to give you space and see if you want to get back with him. If you left him for another guy, he may feel jealous and resentful. The thought of you with another guy might make him feel sick. If he’s a guy with anger issues, then he may channel his negative feelings your way.”
2. The self-diminishing stage of grief: Bargaining
Yes, it’s entirely possible that the power of walking away from a man you love may incite a desperate attempt at bargaining. To try and get back what he has lost, he’s probably going to say everything you want to hear. Bargaining is one of the biggest components of male psychology during no contact and you will sense it in his behavior if and when you re-establish contact with him. Whether they’re empty promises or not is for you to judge. The scarcity of communication that has suddenly cropped up may make him resort to desperate tactics. “I’ll be a changed man,” or “I’ll do better, please come back,” might easily roll off his tongue, but the commitment behind those statements is what matters. Julia, a lawyer based in Idaho, told us, “At first I walked away and he let me go. He didn’t question or text me for about a week since I told him I was ending the relationship and leaving him. But a week later, I was barraged with phone calls, texts, and sometimes even him showing up at my place unannounced. He was begging me to talk to him and take him back. As hard as it was to watch him like that, going back was never an option.”
3. A taste of your own medicine: Anger
When a woman walks out of your life, it can feel very humiliating and make one feel very angry. So, at the other end of the spectrum, he may get angered by the events that have transpired. Whether it’s bargaining or anger that takes more of a hold on him completely depends on the kind of person he is. Even so, it’s not unlikely that you may see him try to turn the tables on you. If the question “Does a man respect a woman who walks away?” has been on your mind, the way he reacts will tell you all you need to know. It takes a lot of emotional maturity to gracefully accept a rejection. To him, in this jilted state of mind, the best course of action may look like hitting that “block” button next to your name on Instagram. Another unfavorable answer to the question, “How does a man feel when a woman walks away?” is that he may start establishing stereotypes. That chip on his shoulder may just end up instilling deeply distrustful emotions toward future romantic interests. As a result, the “power” of walking away from a man can end up resulting in a cycle of damaging relationships for him in the future. He may develop trust issues and even find it hard to open up. Even so, the responsibility to avoid and overcome those stereotypes rests with him. Neelam explains, “He might even become possessive and act irrationally by trying to disrupt your new relationship. When a man has gotten over the woman who walked out on him, he will carry that baggage on his back for a very long time. He may even become more controlling or possessive of his new girlfriend and project his undealt insecurities onto her.”
4. What does a man think when a woman walks away? “I need to prove my love”
The answer to “How does a man feel when a woman walks away?” can also be shaped by what has influenced him. The big screen has romanticized men going through a stint of alcoholism and grief in order to prove their love. In those movies, walking away is an attractive choice. Subsequently, we see the man battle grief while also doing something grand to “prove” his love. It’s possible that this flawed idea of what love is supposed to be, might make him go through a similar phase. According to Neelam, “He may feel like he has to prove his worth and love to her. It is equally possible that a man feels like he has a chip on his shoulder when a woman walks away from his life. He may feel motivated to improve on his imperfections and even further his career. He will ensure that his success speaks volumes. He will turn a new leaf to show her what she missed out on.” He may now feel the need to pull off a grand romantic gesture to prove the authenticity of his love. Does a man respect a woman who walks away? In some cases, inspired by the movies, a rejection such as this might just seem like an invitation for him to step up his game. When you finally walk away from him and the relationship, all he’s probably thinking about is how to get her back. This, in turn, may lead to him not accepting the situation and delaying the process of moving on and creating obstacles for you as well.
5. Panic about being lonely
When a man walks away from a relationship, he’s usually not concerned about feeling lonely since this was his own decision that he took of his volition. However, when it’s the woman walking away from a man, panic may set in as he never saw this coming. When that panic sets in, the actions that follow aren’t usually too logical. When a person is deprived of what they want, a scarcity mindset might set in leading to erratic decision-making. Neelam says, “He finds himself alone and surprised. He isn’t sure why you walked out on him. He is confused by your actions, maybe even hurt. If you have walked away from a man you love, he may worry that you may never want to come back and that he has lost you forever. He may even feel anxious about which actions of his could have hurt your feelings, where he went wrong, or what he might have done differently.” “I’ve been rejected, I’m going to die alone,” might be along the lines of how he feels when you walk away. He was not prepared to take this kind of news and he might make extreme decisions because of it. You shouldn’t be too surprised if he jumps into a rebound relationship or starts making extravagant purchases. Let’s just hope, for everyone’s sake, that it doesn’t go to the “buying a Lamborghini in your 50s” stage.
6. What does a man feel when a woman walks away? Guilt
If you’ve decided to end the relationship because it featured toxic behavior on his part, it’s possible that the power of walking away from a man will make him realize what he has done wrong. Especially if you feel that you were walking away from a confused man, he’s probably feeling bad about giving you mixed signals and letting you know. He’s pondering the “what ifs” and how things would be if he had just been straight with you instead of being so unaccountable and confusing. While in the relationship, he may have been blind to the harm he was causing, upon seeing the very real consequences, he may be forced to accept his wrongdoings and might feel bad about his confusing behavior. Wondering, “How does he feel when you walk away”? He’s probably feeling an excess of guilt and thinking about how to make things right with you and save the relationship. But that’s only in some cases. According to Neelam, “He probably feels guilty about the mistakes he made. Sometimes, the hardest and bravest thing for someone to do is to just apologize. It’s only three words, but a lot of people find it almost possible to say them. It is hard to own up to their mistakes. For him to sincerely apologize to you, he needs to acknowledge that his actions have hurt you.” The path he takes once he accepts the mistakes he made usually depends on the kind of person he is. He may choose to apologize sincerely or he might just want to avoid taking responsibility altogether and give up. As long as you’re not looking for closure and only want to end things, it shouldn’t matter what he does.
7. He may seize the opportunity to move on
How does a man feel when a woman walks away? Does a man respect a woman who walked away? It entirely depends on the kind of person he is. If he’s the kind of person who’s going to be respectful, he’s probably going to look at it as an opportunity to move on. If he comes to the conclusion that this person who has walked out is better left in the past, moving on will seem like a good idea. This might especially be the case when he has been walked out on for what might be very clearly manipulative reasons. Maybe he felt like he was in a toxic relationship. When a woman walks away silently from a man and he doesn’t reach out, he’s left still contemplating the situation and why things went the way that they did. It’s not that he doesn’t care, it’s just that he’s taking some time for himself because this has taken a toll on him as well. Understanding what he thinks when you walk away may seem like a mystery you need to solve, but, as it turns out, it’s really not that complicated. After all, men aren’t really all that complicated, are they? What does a man think when a woman walks away? Nobody appreciates being cast away and he might just realize that he doesn’t deserve the mind-games that he’s being subjected to. So, before you pin all your hopes on the power of walking away to make some kind of a point, know that he may just move on as a result. Now that you know the answer to the question, “How does a man feel when a woman walks away?”, you’ll probably approach the tactic with a bit more thought. The dynamics of the relationship you have played a huge role in his actions and reactions, and there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach here. Whatever his reaction, at least you won’t be left racking your brain about what he’s thinking or why he is reacting the way he is.
