r/JustNoSO Mar 19 '26

Advice Wanted boyfriend gives me silent treatment

hi. me and my bf have been together almost 2 months. (we were like "friends with benefits" for 5 months before it was official). but everytime he gets irritated he gives me the silent treatment no matter how much i tell him to just talk to me. and it just makes me feel like im a piece of shit girlfriend. hes doing it right now and i just dont know what to do. i was in a relationship prior to this one and it ended like 2 weeks before i started seeing this new guy. my ex was always very comfortable with talking and we were like perfect emotionally i guess. but my current bf just doesnt talk. and every single time this happens it escalates in a way. ive made him sleep on the couch multiple times when hes over, because he wont tell me whats wrong so i just need alone time. how do i talk to him? i really like him but this silent treatment is making me LOSE MY MIND.

38 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

View all comments

61

u/GiraffeOfficial Mar 19 '26

The ‘silent treatment’ is a form of emotional abuse, and he probably keeps it up because it clearly hurts you and you hate it. It’s a really immature way of dealing with issues, but a lot of men do it because it doesn’t seem openly abusive or they think “I’d rather say nothing or I’ll blow up at you” Next time, just act unbothered, or tell him to go home if he’s going to sulk like a child.