Almost everyone has experienced the frustration of sending a text or email and not receiving a reply. While it’s tempting to assume the worst, like thinking that the person is ignoring you on purpose, there are often perfectly innocent reasons for why someone hasn’t responded.
Maybe they didn’t see your message, or maybe they’re just really busy. Whatever the case, there’s no need to get upset or angry. If you’re struggling to deal with a late reply, here are a few tips that might help.
7 Steps to deal with late replies:
1- Be understanding:
In the end, we’ve all been there before, waiting anxiously for a reply to an important message, only to be met with silence. It can be frustrating, especially if you’re not sure what the other person is doing or why they’re taking so long to respond. It’s easy to forget that other people have lives too, and sometimes messages can get lost in the shuffle.
However, it’s important to be understanding and give them the benefit of the doubt. There could be any number of reasons for the delay, and it’s best not to jump to conclusions. If you can be patient, chances are good that you’ll eventually get the response you’re looking for.
2- Don’t take it personally:
The second thing you can do is not to take it personally. If someone doesn’t reply to your message, it doesn’t mean they don’t like or care about you. So no need to look for a hidden meaning behind their late reply. Yes, they could be playing mind games, possible, if it’s someone you’re dating or interested in romantically.
However, in most cases when you don’t get a reply back right away, it just means that they got busy. It’s easy to feel like you’re being ignored or that the other person is just being rude. But it’s important to remember that there could be a lot of reasons why someone hasn’t gotten back to you yet, and it’s probably not personal.
If you find yourself getting upset, take a step back and remind yourself that it’s not about you. The person you’re communicating with may be busy, or they may simply not be as quick to respond to their texts as you’d like. Whatever the reason, try not to take it too personally if you don’t get an immediate response. Chances are, it’s not done on purpose.
3- Wait a day or two before sending a follow-up text:
It can be nerve-wracking when you send a message and don’t get a reply right away. You tell yourself that maybe they’re busy, or maybe they just forgot. But, either way, there’s no need to stress out about it. Just give them a little time and see if they reply. If you’re still waiting after a day or two, you can try sending another message.
As we said you have to give them some time to respond, first. If you don’t hear back right away, wait a day or two then only you can think about sending a follow-up message. And if you still don’t hear anything after that, it’s okay to reach out one last time. If they still don’t respond, it’s probably time to move on.
Sometimes all it takes is a reminder. Other times, people reply to a text in their head and they think they sent a reply back but didn’t. In this case, your follow-up message will make them realize that you’ve been waiting for a response.
4- Get the hint if they’re not interested:
If sending a second and even third message doesn’t work, there’s always the option of calling after a week has passed. This should only be done though if you really worry that the person in question may be in trouble or may be sick or if you have reason to believe that they’re not just ghosting you on purpose.
If all your texts and calls are left unanswered and you find out that the person is actually healthy, happy, and in good shape; then the most important thing is to not let it bother you too much. We’ve all been there before, and chances are they just didn’t have the courage to let you know that they weren’t interested in developing a deeper relationship with you.
This could be because of reasons that have nothing to do with you too. For instance, some people are extreme introverts and find it hard to develop new friendships, and others are just going through a lot in that phase of their life and are too busy for new friendships. So just relax and find someone less luckily to leave you “on read”.
5- Be patient and don’t become desperate:
Also, when someone took their time to reply to your texts one good thing you can do is to just be patient. If you’ve sent a message and haven’t received a reply within a day or two, it’s okay to follow up, as explained earlier.
But after that, it’s best to give the person some space especially if you have no reason to believe that they’re not replying because they’re in danger or dealing with something exceptionally difficult.
Sending many follow-up messages will only make you look needy and desperate, and it might even annoy the other person. So try to relax, be patient, and wait for a response. Chances are, it will come eventually. If it doesn’t then the ball is in their court anyway and there isn’t much you can do about it, so maybe move on before you develop an unhealthy obsession with them.
6- Be honest about your expectations:
In the end, if the person reaches back to you after a few days, a week, or even more then you have to be honest with them. If you’re only interested in a casual chat, tell them straight up that you don’t mind if they take their time replying again.
Make it clear that they’re not a priority in your life so you’re not sitting in a corner and waiting, they can come in and out of your life as they please. What they cannot do though is expect timely responses from you, especially since they earned their right to be so unimportant and irrelevant to you.
But if you’re hoping to develop a deeper relationship with them, then it’s important, to be honest about your expectations. Let them know that you expect more timely replies and see how they respond. If the person you’re talking to consistently takes a long time to reply, it might be wise to demand more attention. This doesn’t mean being demanding or needy but simply communicating your needs clearly.
Explain that you would appreciate more timely responses if they want to develop any type of meaningful relationship with you and see how they react. If they’re still unresponsive, it might be time to move on.
Late replies can be frustrating, but by being honest and communicating your needs clearly, you can minimize the frustration and make sure you’re getting the attention you deserve. At least, if you don’t get quicker replies after that; you’d know that they’re not serious and trying to get on your nerves.
7- Don’t engage in mind games:
If there’s a person that talks to you and develops a bond with you until they make sure that you’re hooked and then start pulling back and replying less; then they could be trying to play mind games. As explained earlier in this article, late replies are a common tactic when playing mind games with someone we’re dating or interested in.
My husband and I have never engaged in mind games when we were dating and we had the most beautiful love story ever. So it’s pretty safe to say that you can do without them and don’t have to engage in them if you really don’t like such a childish thing. In the end, nobody really comes out a winner in this type of game.
So, if you’re expecting a reply from someone, just wait patiently until you hear from them. If they don’t reply within a reasonable amount of time, then you can assume that they’re not interested in engaging further and move on. There’s no need to play games or try to “teach them a lesson”; life’s too short for that kind of nonsense.
Nonetheless, if you’re really interested in engaging in mind games over text then it can be handy to check this article out on how to play mind games with a guy over text. Or if you simply think you got ghosted, then check this one instead!