‘Want to know why and how needy behavior destroys your social life? Here are 7 reasons why being needy repels the right people and attracts the wrong people.
Chronic bullying causes so many social problems for victims. When a victim is selected for bullying, bullies begin a vicious smear campaign that can destroy the victims friendships and relationships.
In other words, people begin turning against them because no one wants to risk their own reputations by associating with the bullied person. As a result, everyone isolates the bullied person.
This can cause needy behavior in the victim because they become so desperate for friends that they’re willing to humiliate themselves just for one tiny crumb of human connection.
However, most victim don’t realize that this only makes things worse.
If this is you, this post will teach you how to recognize needy behavior in yourself when it happens. Moreover, you will learn powerful ways to stop the behavior so that you can take back your power and your dignity.
This post is all about how to recognize and stop needy behavior so that you can take back your self-respect and control over your life.
How Do You Recognize Needy Behavior?
You recognize needy behavior by first assessing your inner dialogue, or self-talk. In other words, your thought patterns.
If you’re thinking to yourself things, such as:
“If only I was ten pounds thinner and had long, flowing hair, maybe my friends would like me”
“Maybe if I had bought front row tickets to the game, concert, etc. instead of regular tickets, he would love me.”
“If only I made a 4.0 instead of a 3.99, my family would be proud of me.”
“Maybe I should have bought her a dozen roses instead of a half-dozen, then she would love me.”
“Maybe if I worked sixteen hours a day instead of twelve, then my boss and coworkers would like me.”
Then, yes, you may be exhibiting needy behavior without even knowing that you’re doing it. When you feel needy, you tend to act that way.
Moreover, most bullying targets tend to hold those toxic beliefs about themselves, which translates to, “I’m not enough.” However, I want you to know right now.
You are enough and always have been. It’s just that other people, for selfish or nefarious reasons, have managed to convince you that you aren’t. Therefore, you should see them for what they are… liars!
So, How do you recognize needy behavior in yourself?
Before we go any further, you need to know this. It’s easy to see this kind of behavior in others. The view is always much clearer from the outside.
However, it’s difficult to see a certain behavior in ourselves. We do things all the time without thinking about it. Self-awareness is a must and most people don’t have it, sorry to say.
Here are the behaviors to watch out for:
1. You’re constantly bending over backwards to prove your worth to people.
For example, you may put in lots of effort to help around the house and no one thanks you for it. Or worse, they don’t even acknowledge it.
Here’s another example. You may buy the girl who went on a mercy date with you a dozen roses and even shell out money to pay her car payment… you get the point.
You feel you must buy her love.
The girl doesn’t even like you but she’ll sure take your money and may even thank you for it. However, she doesn’t want to go on a second date. But she forces herself to go to keep getting the benefits from you.
So, while you’re on this date, she ignores you and talks to other guys, making you feel like a loser. But, to hang onto her, you keep giving her money, letting her bleed you until you’re broke.
And once you have nothing left to give her, she ghosts you!
Understand that this over giving never works. It only produces the opposite of your desired result!
What usually happens when you do this?
Anytime you sacrifice yourself to score approval points, you spin your wheels and get nowhere. If anything, people won’t respect you. They’ll only look down on you with a mixture of pity, disgust, and hilarity.
They think you’re pathetic when you’re so eager to kiss butt in you weak attempts to win friends and dates. Also, the more you give at your own expense, the worse others treat you. Why? Because you leave yourself wide open for use and abuse.
There is nothing more pathetic than someone who simps for approval. Think of the song, “Self-esteem” by The Offspring and if you haven’t heard it, hop onto YouTube and give it a listen.
You only attract predators, while repelling good, quality people of class and decency. Additionally, human predators have a spidey sense when it comes to picking out those who are weak and approval-seeking. They’ll see you coming a mile away!
And they will take full advantage and bleed you dry of resources, time, and worse! Confidence and happiness!
2. You go out of your way to maintain friendships with people who only tolerate you Just to keep from being alone.
Anytime you become needy, some people might include you in their groups, but not because they like you or want to be around you. They’ll only pretend to like you because they feel sorry for you.
And the last thing you should want is someone’s pity. Yuck! Who in their right mind would want to settle for that? But wait! It gets worse!
After a while, any pity these people might have for you will wear thin.
Here are a few reasons why needy Behavior is not only unattractive and humiliating but downright dangerous:
1. Any time you’re a target of bullying by everyone- the group of so-called friends who pretend to like you put themselves at risk of being made targets themselves. And they know it.
In the minds of the bullies and others, these so-called friends of yours are guilty by association. Therefore, instead of being an asset to the group, you become a liability!
2. The group must pretend to like having you around because they don’t want to hurt your feelings.
But their real feelings about you will only seep out in ways that are not so obvious. It’ll be so subtle that you may not even know it’s happening.
And you can bet that if you make the slightest mistake or they perceive the tiniest slight from you, the floodgates will open and their real feelings of dislike and hatred will come rushing out like a raging torrent.
Consequently, they’ll look for any reason to make you go away even if they must treat you with blatant brutality.
Moreover, they’ll never have your back. When your bullies come calling, your fake friends will throw you under the bus, then get behind the wheel and run you over a few times. Understand that these people will not value you as a person.
3. With Needy Behavior, you attract more users and abusers to come into your life.
Others who don’t know you will watch you closely as you continue to simp for acceptance. Then, you’ll draw in new predators because they will see you as someone they can get something from, even if it’s only psychological benefits.
Understand that human predators are drawn to the needy like vultures to a carcass. They seek out people who are desperate to exploit their needs and weaknesses to get what they want from them.
Again, once they’ve gotten all they want out of you, they’ll discard you like a dirty piece of toilet paper.
You may not realize it, but you can do better than a bunch of scavengers!
I want you to understand this.
If you’re doing these things:
Feeling that you must put on a front for others to approve of you.
Fulfill impossible demands from your boss at work.
Thinking that you must give them your delicious dessert at lunch when you really want to eat it yourself.
Believing that you need to do someone’s homework for them, give them money or do something that you don’t want to do to win their friendship
Having to chase someone or go out of your way to get them to see the good in you
Putting up with being abused, disrespected, and humiliated by people who are supposed to be your friends
Tolerating friends who never have your back, who disappear and always throw you under the bus when trouble comes for you
Needing to force conversations with these so-called friends
In a nutshell, if at any time a friendship doesn’t feel right, these people do not deserve the time of day!
4. You’re too agreeable.
People notice when you don’t have your own opinions and beliefs. Agreeing with things you really don’t agree with not only stifles your individuality, it makes you a target.
Understand that everyone is different. Therefore, embrace your individuality and have an opinion that’s all your own. Moreover, if others abuse you for it, that should tell you that you should find better friends.
5. You wear yourself out.
Because you work so hard to win approval, you eventually deplete yourself of energy. Then, you get exhausted.
In no way am I blaming You because I’ve been there.
I understand the feeling of social deprivation when bullies are constantly sabotaging your ability to make new friends. It gets tough after so long.
However, when you’re that hard-up for social connections, it shows. Anytime you’re willing to put up with crappy treatment to keep from being by yourself, it decreases your worth as a person.
Other people see it and immediately think you’re pathetic. You come off to others as clingy and needy. Even worse, the desperate vibes you put out only attracts more bullying and alienation.
Needy behavior just plain stinks. It is off-putting and repels even the people who would otherwise be good friends.
But you don’t need enemies with friends like that. Ditch these losers fast! They don’t deserve the privilege of being in your life.
Know that you’re worth more than you know and that you can do much better! Believe that with every fiber of your being.
this post was all about needy behavior so that you can learn to spot it and correct it.
Related posts you’ll enjoy:
1. How to Stop Being Too Nice: 5 Powerful Changes that Win Respect
2. How to Stop Being a People Pleaser: 5 Powerful Steps
3. How to Stop Caring What People Think: 9 Powerful Steps
4. Acceptance and Tolerance: 5 Best Ways to Know the Difference
5. Setting Boundaries: 3 Powerful Practices to Hold Your Ground
Too bad I had to learn this the hard way. People pleasers are treated like a toy on the shelf. They will only come around when they want something from you.
You’re absolutely right, Michael. And thank you so much. The toy on the shelf was a great analogy!
Thank you Cherie. BTW, are you still up for that joint post?
Sure, Michael. I think I’m going to chose Daniel from Karate Kid and Cobra Kai.
All true!
Thank you so much, Valerie! God bless you!