One of the most anxious feelings is waiting for that notification to come in.
What if we just eliminated texting in relationships all together?
Thats exactly what writer Clara Artschwager did, as she explained inan essayfor The Cut.
Deciding to retry, they made a really shocking agreement: no texting.
At each date, theyd plan for the next date.
Its a shocking thing to considercutting off communication with the object of your desire.
What would you do without the thrilling anticipation?
The cutesy inside jokes?
Sexting is important for keeping all sorts of relationships spicy.
Letting go of all that seems like an impossible task.
There are both benefits and negative consequences to texting.
are polluting their message.
Texting is easy; in-person conversations can be complex.
It wasnt going to.
Recently, I dated someone who would go a day or so before responding to me.
Obviously, they werent into it!
But the few weeks we went back and forth like this were maddening.
It was incredibly distracting to wait, wonder, and check my phone.
Maybe it would have been better if wed had those ground rules.
Less Texting = Less Drama
Which brings me to another benefit.
No texting, no drama.
Without our non-verbal signals, messages can be misinterpreted or misconstrued, leading to uncertainty and anxiety.
(
He just texted, Hi.
What does that mean?
)
It can be a fun way to pass the time, or a psychological minefield.
No texting means theres nothing to analyze, and the bulk of your interactions take place face to face.
I had so many questions for him: How was his week?
How was his writing?
What did he eat?
What was he reading?
There was so much to talk about.
On the other hand, avoiding complex conversations can torpedo relationships, or at least limit their development.
Text is just filler.
