(Common Examples to Recognise Early)
1. Emotional Support Without Emotional Investment
They use you as:
- therapist
- emotional regulator
- crisis support
But avoid:
- commitment
- accountability
- consistency
👉 You give emotional labour. They give minimal effort.
2. Financial Exploitation
They:
- borrow money
- avoid paying their share
- rely on your generosity
- allow you to carry costs
While contributing little themselves.
👉 If you’re always paying, that’s not dating — it’s sponsorship.
3. Time & Attention Drain
They expect:
- instant replies
- constant availability
- emotional prioritisation
But don’t reciprocate.
👉 Your life becomes secondary to their needs.
4. Sexual Access Without Commitment
They:
- seek physical intimacy
- avoid emotional responsibility
- resist clarity or labels
👉 They take closeness without offering security.
5. Crisis Creation to Secure Attachment
They generate:
- emergencies
- emotional breakdowns
- chaos
Which pulls you into rescuer mode.
👉 Drama becomes the bonding tool.
6. Validation Harvesting
They flirt, charm, or breadcrumb:
- to boost their ego
- to feel desirable
- to avoid loneliness
Without intending real connection.
👉 You become a mirror — not a partner.
7. Future Faking
They promise:
- commitment
- travel
- moving in
- marriage
With no behavioural follow-through.
👉 Words become currency instead of action.
8. Boundary Erosion
They:
- push emotional or physical limits
- ignore your discomfort
- guilt you for saying no
👉 Your boundaries become inconveniences.
🧠 The Nervous System Test
If you feel:
- drained
- anxious
- uncertain
- responsible
- confused
You are likely being emotionally overdrawn.
Healthy dating feels:
- calm
- reciprocal
- safe
- mutual
🌱 Final Thought
Taking advantage doesn’t always look cruel.
Often, it looks:
charming, wounded, needy, interesting, or vulnerable.
Which is why awareness matters.
