This is a #inbrief article, which means it is super short, easy to take in, and quicker to read.
1. Your self-confidence is low and you’re in need of an ego boost: quite simply, it’s nice to feel attractive, funny, or intelligent when your self-confidence and self-esteem are lacking. And the positive attention of men can lead to those feelings.
2. You define your value based on how men see you: male attraction makes you feel desirable and worthy of love. After all, they wouldn’t give you attention otherwise, or so you think.
3. You have been rejected by someone and are not over it: rejection hurts…a LOT! So you seek the attention of other men to console yourself and, again, prove in your mind that you are a woman of value.
4. You think men are better than women: you might be putting men on a pedestal, seeing them as more than they truly are. And so, you want to be around them and seen by them.
5. You have “daddy issues”: your father—the first man you ever loved—can influence your perception of men and relationships with men in a major way. Daddy issues come in a variety of forms (see our article for more), and they can make you crave male attention.
6. You’re in search of love: if you’re looking for a boyfriend, it’s only natural to seek out the attention of men in order to get to know them, flirt with them, and assess the potential for a relationship with them.
7. You feel unfulfilled in life: you think the presence of a man in your life will solve all your problems, and so you covet the attention of men to find “the one” who completes you, or so you see it.
Seeking professional help from one of the therapists at BetterHelp.com can be highly effective in helping you to understand and overcome your need for male attention and validation.
How To Stop Needing So Much Male Attention
Give yourself attention: figure out why you crave male attention so much, then work on yourself to address the issues you have uncovered.
Work to build up your self-confidence: when you feel confident in who you are and what you are capable of, you won’t need the validation of anyone, male or female.
Improve yourself: perform some major introspection and list out all the ways you’d like to develop yourself, whether that’s physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Then set out to slowly work through that list, one or two items at a time.
Understand what a man can and can’t do for you: try to form a realistic perspective of men and relationships with men. Accept that no man is a superhero capable of solving all your problems.
Develop your independence: work on your everyday skills to rely on other people less, and develop your emotional independence too. Stand firmly on your own two feet and you’ll be less inclined to look for male attention or validation.
Try to make your life more fulfilling: whatever it is you think your life is lacking (aside from a man), take action to remedy that. Create the life you want to live and the presence of a man will seem less important to you.
Seek professional help: sometimes, the need for attention and validation stems from something that is too much to work on by yourself. If you are really struggling, a therapist can help you to identify and address the underlying issues.
BetterHelp.com is a website where you can connect with a therapist via phone, video, or instant message.
Read the more in-depth version of this article here: 7 Reasons You Crave Male Attention And Validation (And How To Stop)
