These 6 Words Mean You’re About To Get Dumped

Another dating expert has a warning for you…and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Louanne Ward, a matchmaker and coach from Perth, Western Australia, claims that a simple six-word statement could be a warning sign of an impending breakup.

The ominous phrase? “I don’t want to hurt you.”

If You Hear These Six Words, You’re Apparently About To Be Dumped

“What they’re really saying is they believe you have more feelings for them than what they have for you,” Ward said, per the Daily Mail. 

She added that this statement is actually a “warning, not reassurance.”

“It means they’re not fully invested, they know you care more than they do and they’re laying the groundwork to excuse their future bad behavior,” Ward explained.

Apparently, people don’t use this phrase with the intention to spare your feelings, but rather to spare their own guilt. At least, that’s how Ward sees it.

“If someone warns you, listen carefully and protect your heart,” Ward said. “The simple fact is, if somebody doesn’t see you as a potential long-term partner and doesn’t have strong enough feelings for you, they can see that they can potentially hurt you.”

I mean…I don’t know how I feel about this. 

As someone who struggles with Relationship-OCD (ROCD), I’ve said this phrase countless times, not because I was planning to break up with my partner but because I was genuinely afraid of doing something that would hurt them in some way. 

In fact, I cared so much about that person—probably more than they did about me, to be honest—that I became hypervigilant, desperately trying to avoid doing anything that might cause them pain. 

There are countless reasons why someone might tell you “I don’t want to hurt you,” from blatant honesty to fear of letting you down. It doesn’t translate into “I’m breaking up with you because I don’t like you.”

This is why it’s so important to take dating advice with a grain of salt—even if it’s from a “dating expert.” No one knows you, your partner, or your relationship. Context matters.

Can this phrase give you pause and encourage some further exploration and open conversations? Sure! But learn to trust your own intuition, rather than advice on the internet, when it comes to your dating life.

The post These 6 Words Mean You’re About to Get Dumped appeared first on VICE.