How To Reject Men
Safely And Respectfully

Being rejected sucks. But rejecting someone can suck just as much.

Contrary to what many men believe, most women don’t enjoy turning someone down. It’s awkward. It’s intense. And it can lead to uncomfortable or even dangerous situations.

Because of this, women try to reject others “gently” to protect themselves. Ironically, this usually ends up hurting men more and causes worse problems for everyone.

I’m here to show you how to reject men in a mature, respectful way that’s in your best interests, too.

Where Problems Start 

You can’t avoid hurting someone’s feelings 100% of the time. When you’re rejecting someone, the underlying message is, “I don’t like you like that.”

That’s not easy to for anyone to deal with, especially men. We’re full of pride. Being rejected makes us feel emasculated and inferior.

Unfortunately, some men will take their pain out on others through guilt tripping, verbal attacks, and even physical violence.

What women need to do is try and limit the negative impact of their rejection. And this all starts by understanding investment.

The more we invest our emotions or time in something, the more attached we become.

So the longer you wait to tell a man you’re not interested, the harder he will take it.

I know it’s not easy and that you don’t want to hurt anyone. I know that your trying to protect yourself. I also know it feels nice to get that kind of attention sometimes. We all like feeling attractive and desirable.

But by letting a guy keep believing there’s a chance he can get with you, he’s only going to be more frustrated, hurt, or angry when things don’t pan out. It’s not worth it.

Ladies, you need to be crystal clear when you’re not interested in a guy. Cut things off as soon as you know you don’t want to be romantic to reduce the chance of a negative reaction.

4 Wrong Ways To Reject Men

Here are the four common ways women incorrectly reject men:

1. Avoidance

Maybe you think, “If I just ignore him and his texts, he’ll get the hint.” But this almost always backfires.

Many guys have a hard time moving on unless they get an explicit rejection. They’ll sit around for months or years wondering, “Does she like me?” I get emails from these guys all the time.

Some men will keep hounding you until you outright reject them. And they will get progressively more intense with time. Ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away.

2. Engagement without commitment

This is when you keep in contact with a guy but never meet up with him. You hope he’ll eventually give up so you don’t have to outright say “no.” Or, as I said earlier, sometimes it just feels good to have a man’s attention.

When the guy asks you out, you claim to be busy or delay him with, “Maybe next week…” every week.That guy won’t stop trying until you actually hang out. And when he realizes you’re just stringing him along, he’ll be justifiably upset.

3. Not being ready yet

You might say, “I’m just not looking to date right now.” “Maybe it could happen in the future.” In truth, you just aren’t that into him.

What happens when that guy sees you with a new man, walking around on campus? Or he notices you’re still active on OKCupid? Or he sees your Facebook updates and relationship status?He’s going to feel lied to.

Many terrible situations stem from a guy feeling slighted and wanting to return that hurt.

4. Turning those guys into friends

Other times, you might suggest being “just friends.” You have an easier time separating your failed romantic connection from friendship than men do.

Men claim they can handle it but deep down think, “Great, I still have time to change her mind.” or “Maybe she’ll come around if we just keep hanging out.” And that’s not a true friendship.

How am I so sure? Because men ask me about these situations on a weekly basis. There’s always some guy getting friend zoned by a girl who’s begging me to give him some voodoo magic so she’ll fall in love with him.

These guys will hang around and pretend to be your friend. When you get involved with someone else, they flip out or try to sabotage your connection. They’re angry that you “used” them when in reality, you were just being a friend.

Next time you want to reject a new guy by being friends, consider if you really want to be his friend.

Are you just trying to make him feel better? If so, it’s best just to move on.

The Right Way To Reject Men

By now, you can see how indirect methods of rejection are not the way to go.

The smartest way is being honest and direct. Not only for your safety, but out of respect for the men, too.

Of course, you still want to approach the situation with tact. You should be polite and not personally attack them. Saying, “I just don’t find you very attractive or interesting. I could never see myself having sex with you.” is going to enrage quite a few men. 

Instead, try…

“I had a lot of fun on our date but I don’t feel that chemistry with you.”

“You seem like a great guy but I’m just not interested in you like that.”

“Thank you for the wonderful evening! I’m sorry but I don’t see us as compatible. Good luck with your future dates.”

Will every man gracefully accept these rejections? No. But it’s the best shot you have of things ending well.

4 Tips For Better Rejections

1. Do it over text if you just started seeing him

When being rejected, a man’s ego is getting bruised. They’re overwhelmed with emotion. They can lash out — especially when alcohol is involved. And you don’t want to be there when that happens.

So unless you’ve been dating this man for over a month or two, break the news over text. It’s not mean, it’s smart.

2. Ignore him

Some guys will keep messaging you to get a rise or response. They will beg, ask why you don’t want them, or even blame and insult you.

You don’t need to justify yourself or prove why you’re not a cold-hearted bitch. Don’t indulge their behavior. It never resolves anything, it only escalates the situation to verbal attacks.

Take a look at Reddit’s Creepy PMs community. Nearly every girl who replies ends by being berated and demeaned.

You can’t reason with a man when he’s furious from rejection, so stop trying.

3. Don’t take back your rejection

Even if he keeps messaging you, don’t let that change your mind.

Don’t let him make you feel guilty and talk to him because of it. Don’t agree to be friends when you don’t want to be. Don’t change your story and give him false expectations for the future.

If you have a hard time ignoring him, block him. Delete any online messages you get from him immediately. Don’t even read them.

Once you’ve rejected him and don’t engage him, most guys will move on.

4. Don’t re-initiate communication unless you’re serious

I don’t care if you’re feeling lonely and want someone to comfort you. I don’t care if you’re feeling bad and want to make sure he’s doing okay.

Unless you’ve decided you want to pursue a romantic connection, leave him be.

Otherwise, you’re going to re-spark his hope. And when it doesn’t work out again, he’s only going to feel shittier.

You Don’t Choose Who You Like

If you don’t like someone, you shouldn’t feel bad about it. You can’t change who you’re attracted to. So I’m telling you right now…

You have the permission to say no.

Just be smart about it. Be compassionate yet clear. Leave no room for ambiguity.

It’s the most caring way you can reject a man.

In my follow-up article next week, I’m going to teach guys how they can better recognize when they’re being turned down and how to accept those rejections gracefully.

Need some advice? I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this alone. If you’re a guy who wants to build confidence (so rejection doesn’t hurt,) and build more meaningful relationships, let’s have a free, 100% confidential consultation call (up to 30 minutes) to discuss how we can work together.  Schedule your free strategy session here.