By Chris Seiter

Updated on May 18th, 2021

Today is all about how to make an avoidant ex miss you.

Avoidant exes are the most common type of exes our clients are trying to get back so we have a lot of real-world experience in dealing with them.

First things first – I’d recommend scrolling through our website and reading some of our articles on attachment styles so you can understand each one.

Here’s a quick recap of the four main attachment style types:

  1. Secure attachment – the holy grail of attachment styles where you are so confident in yourself that your worth is not defined by your ex/partner and you don’t care whether your ex comes back.
  2. Anxious attachment style – the most obsessive, clingy, and codependent attachment style where you constantly attach your self-worth and emotional wellbeing to your ex.
  3. Avoidant attachment style – the most aloof and emotionally unavailable attachment style where you are afraid of getting too close to someone so you avoid deep emotional attachments.
  4. Fearful attachment style – a rare combination of anxious and avoidant types.

This article will help you see exactly what your avoidant ex goes through so you can truly understand how to make them miss you.

There’s a high chance your avoidant ex sees the world in a completely different way than your anxious self does so you need to empathize with their perspective.

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What An Avoidant Attachment Style Is And Looks Like

The defining characteristic of an avoidant attachment style is a lack of intimacy.

They’ll either avoid it altogether or keep their partners at a distance.

Now, this isn’t to say that avoidant people will avoid relationships altogether, just that they will be emotionally distant within the confines of a relationship. They will never truly open up when it comes to expressing emotions or dealing with conflict because they feel like it’s best to avoid any deep connections or conversations. I’d even go as far as saying that they have a pretty big mistrust in depending on others in relationships.

According to the attachment project,

“The avoidant type would often perceive themselves as ‘lone wolves’: strong, independent, and self-sufficient; not necessarily in terms of physical contact, but rather on an emotional level.”1

This fits in perfectly with the deep-seated fear of emotional attachment and intimacy shared by avoidants.

After all, being fiercely independent is just another way to tell yourself you don’t need anyone else to complement your happiness. The less you depend on people, the less there’s a chance they’ll let you down.

A lot of people might misconstrue this fear as being standoffish or not interested in the relationship at all. That’s why you need to empathize with your avoidant ex’s world view before trying to get them back.

Empathize First Before Worrying About Making Them Miss You

Now that you know a bit more about how people with avoidant attachment styles work maybe you have a better idea of why they acted a certain way during your relationship or breakup. An understanding of how an avoidant attachment style operates is crucial in making them miss you.

Freetoattach.com describes this best:

People with avoidant attachment styles “want connection like everyone else but their deepest fear is that love and closeness come at the cost of freedom.”2

It’s already hard to see a relationship as a tradeoff between your freedom and emotional satisfaction and what makes it worse for avoidants is feeling like they are never doing enough.

They’ve spent their whole lives trying to be emotionally aloof to not get too close to someone so when their partners shower them with love they don’t know how to react.

It’s easy for avoidants to get engulfed in and feel burdened by their partner’s efforts and expectations. They feel like their partner brings way more to the table than they do and they hate the feeling of owing their partners more love or emotional dependability.

In fact sometimes avoidants may self-sabotage their relationships because they feel like the relationship has become too obligating and they cannot give their partner what they need. They might even fear being controlled and losing their freedom so they start to distance themselves from the relationship. That way when their partner leaves them it just becomes this self-fulfilling prophecy of

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“I knew no one stays forever so I did the right thing by not opening up”.

Think back to your relationship and tell me if you can relate to this:

Your partner seems to be tense and worried about something. They don’t say it but you can tell by their body language cues and general aura so you ask them what’s wrong.

They say “Oh, nothing, everything is fine!”.

You can tell they’re not telling you the truth so you push a little more and they snap at you, “I said there’s nothing wrong. Why can’t you let It go? Leave me alone!”

That is classic avoidant behavior.

What works to make an avoidant miss you?

I had to think really hard about this and I’m really proud of the answers that I came up with because they are extremely unique.

I’ve never seen anyone offer this type of advice specifically for avoidants because it requires you to change your whole paradigm.

The reason I went into such detail in explaining the psychology behind an avoidant attachment style is so you can empathize with their point of view and approach them in a way they would understand best.

So here are the four main components to make an avoidant ex miss you:

Component #1: Avoidants are free to long for an ex once that person is unavailable out of the relationship and typically out of contact.

Avoidants easily feel suffocated when they are smothered with too much attention and that’s one of the reasons why most of our clients with anxious attachment styles fail in getting their exes back.

We know that a lot of the people coming to ex-boyfriend recovery or ex-girlfriend recovery have anxious attachment styles so they want to fix the relationship as soon as possible.

That obsessive desire to instantly fix things will not work with an avoidant because they will not miss you until they believe you’ve truly moved on and let go of them.

They need to believe that you’re unavailable before they allow themselves to miss you. Knowing that you’re no longer available takes off any pressure they might have about missing you when there’s a chance of getting back together.

They don’t want that, so it’s an important distinction to make.

Component #2: Low-level interactions have the potential to bring up uncomfortable emotions or guilt.

Basically, every interaction with your ex has the potential to disrupt their automatic avoidant triggers and make them feel uncomfortable emotions or guilt.

In this sense, the more you engage in conversation with them, the clingier and more “unmissable” you are.

If you’re constantly messaging your ex and trying to stay in contact, your ex can just put you on the back burner and keep denying the loss of an attachment figure.

This is why the first thing we advise in this circumstance is to enact a no-contact rule.

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A no-contact rule is a period of time (generally 30-45 days) where you completely ignore your ex and work on yourself. This time allows both of you to process your emotions and have a chance to eventually miss each other.

But if you decide you don’t need the no-contact rule and end up blowing up your ex’s phone, you’ll probably end up being blocked. Not only is constant contact with an avoidant ex annoying to them, but even a little bit of contact can tell them it’s not okay to miss you yet so they will distance themselves.

Therefore, you must follow a strict no-contact rule that gives your avoidant ex the space to miss you.

Component #3: Without the danger of reciprocal feelings they are free to miss you.

An avoidant ex will only feel the liberty to miss you once they’re sure you’ve moved on and there are no leftover reciprocal feelings of romance.

They finally feel free of all the emotional burdens of being in a relationship and that lets them think back and romanticize about the good times you both had, knowing that they will not get those times back.

Sometimes an avoidant ex may even enjoy seeing you move on because it allows them to reminisce and miss you while confirming their self-belief that everyone leaves them. They use this to further justify their avoidant attachment style.

This is why timing is key to having an avoidant ex miss you. Don’t expect it to happen too fast because they probably don’t expect you to truly move on that fast either.

Going on dates with others might expedite this process though because it shows your ex that you’re moving on and there’s no danger of reciprocal feelings.

Component #4: Usually they’ll only truly miss you after they fail to find a bond with new prospects.

So you know that my advice to deal with an avoidant ex after a breakup is basically to do nothing. You might ask how long you should do nothing for and honestly, I can’t answer that.

You’ll probably be doing nothing until your ex feels free enough to reach out to you. Another great indicator of whether you should actively start trying to get your ex back is to see if they’ve started dating others.

You might think it’s a bad sign if they’re seeing other people but that’s not necessarily true.

If an avoidant ex is dating other people it usually means two things:

  1. They’re probably still hung up on you so they’re trying to fill that void with someone else
  2. They’re comparing all their new prospects to the great relationship they had with you and there’s a high chance none of them will compare.

That’s when they feel like they can truly start to miss you as they see that the grass is not as green on the other side as they thought.

Adopt a secure attachment style to make your ex miss you

What’s the worst thing in an avoidant ex’s mind?

An anxious, clingy, overly emotional ex who doesn’t move on from them. You need to be the opposite of that.

You need to mimic and adopt a secure attachment style where you become so confident in yourself that you truly stop caring whether your ex comes back.

If you still have the mentality where you’re spending every waking moment of your day trying to get your ex back it means you haven’t confronted the reality that you may never get them back. If you can’t even accept this then how will you ever be okay with it?

Your ex will see right through you and be able to tell that you have not moved on yet so they cannot allow themselves to miss you.

You literally need to get to the state of mind where you use the no contact rule to rebuild your self-worth to the point your ex is no longer a defining part of your identity. You have to truly realize a “take it or leave it” mentality when it comes to getting your ex back.

What Are Your Chances of Getting Your Ex Boyfriend Back?

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Only then will you be in the correct mindset to talk to your avoidant ex again.

You see, when your ex sees you being so secure, they will lose their emotional inhibitions and stop feeling like they have to reciprocate anything.

Conclusion:

The best way to deal with an avoidant ex is to ignore them and give them their space.

Avoidants thrive on a fear of getting too close to someone so they really need to see you move on before they allow themselves to miss you.

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17 thoughts on “How To Make An Avoidant Ex Miss You”

  1. Katie

    July 19, 2022 at 4:26 am

    I just want to say, thank you so much for writing this article, it makes me feel like for once, someone actually understands, and that I’m not crazy, this is just my attachment style!

    It also makes me see my flaws, and how I was the one who pushed my ex away, because I was trying to use my method to help/change him. While I always see him as the selfish one, I was just as selfish as he is. He’s tried his best to make me happy, to be the person I want him to be, but because of how I reacted, he must have felt like nothing will be ever enough to make me truly happy.

    It’s ironic how when both people love each other, but because we don’t know how to effectively communicate and support each other, that lead to a heart breaking breakup.

    I dunno if I’ll get my ex back, I hope I do… but more importantly, I just want to learn and grow and be a better me.

  2. AyhM

    May 31, 2022 at 9:28 pm

    Hello , I really would like to get my ex boyfriend back after I realized that I am anxious attachment style and he is avoidant fearful attachment style ! But I know I love him a lot.
    But I don’t know how to get him back as My breakup with him was nasty it was on June 3rd 2021 and he called the police to my house just because I sent msg to his sister telling her about him that he need help because of upside down mode and the stupid reason that made him break up with me and end a beautiful connection between us .
    Pls help if you can
    Thank you

  3. Lau

    February 23, 2022 at 11:24 pm

    This is a great article for a thorough explanation of why avoidants act like they do, but the conclusion poses the question: Why would I want to be with someone who feels they don’t have to reciprocate anything? Why would I want to get back with an avoidant partner

  4. Pat

    January 5, 2022 at 10:13 am

    Long story short my ex girlfriend of 2 years has pushed me away time and time again. This is our 5th break up, every other time I have been the one to talk things out with her. Her excuse is I don’t see a future. When in reality everything is fixable with communication. She said how much she loves me and has never had a connection with anyone like me before. Her past relationships are all the same. They have mentally abused her which her trauma causes her to self sabotage our relationship. I have always been there for her and put in all the effort. I have not heard from her since Christmas and I’m not reaching out first this time. I got the were toxic and this isn’t workingout text on Xmas eve. I don’t need her, I want her. There’s a huge difference. I don’t know what to do to get her back and need any advice you can give me. I’ve been working on my flaws everyday. But again I think she was lying about the break up reason. I know she isn’t talking to anyone else and won’t talk to anyone. Just don’t know what to do.

  5. Taylor

    September 5, 2021 at 10:36 pm

    My ex boyfriend and I were together 6 years. We live together and have a dog together. I know he had a ring and was planning to propose. But during the summer time he started acting distance and depressed. He was unresponsive, drinking a lot, and he saw me as a needy/nag when I wanted to spend time with him. He said I made him feel guilty for what he wants to do which isn’t the case- I want the same attention I’ve always gotten from him. Anyway, he moved out while I was at work one day and broke things off. I’ve been devastated. Is there any way to get him back? Or is he done forever? 6 years is a long time to throw away and I don’t get it. He won’t respond to my texts. I love him and want him…..

    He wasn’t cheating. Can anyone help!

  6. Harris

    August 11, 2021 at 3:17 pm

    I think if I follow this “do nothing” when my urge is to “do something” I may have a decent chance. I’ve only broke NC once about a week in. Got a negative response haven’t replied since then. It was mortifying at first but I had to get out of head about it. Put the conductor stick down and step away. I’ve been doing so much true self development. Therapy books hobbies etc. understanding what went wrong all of that. So while I’m waiting I’m not waiting. I miss her dearly. But I know this is the only real way to get here back. Mental fortitude. Gotta have it. Usually in these situations 30days is not enough even though it feels like months

  7. TP

    July 14, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    So my ex broke up (Jan) with me almost 6 months ago and we had limited NC due to finances. Around April/May he started getting close, but I know he wasn’t ready to get together. I also know he was talking to other women to fill whatever the void is. Even mentioned he liked some other girl. He has been distant lately because I’m
    Overwhelming him with text messages. I’m just confused with his hot & cold messages. I know he’s been living his life and going out party, speaking to different women. I can’t help but feeler so betrayed and he only comes around when I feel he needs help or something. He told me around May that he does miss home and that he hasn’t stopped loving that it wasn’t going to happen over night. He has told me fire that I should just relax. He wanted to be friends, but this mixed messages he is giving is very stressful. I just started NC this Monday because he said I don’t need to text him everyday which isn’t true. I tried to reach out calm and collective but nothing. He did drive to my place a couple
    Of time when he was drunk and slept over, but we didn’t sleep together. Now I open my mouth because I’m tired of these foolishness and just wanted to express he just kind of wants deal with it later. So he says he not sure what to say to my text or simply he doesn’t want to reply to them. What should I do? I’m just conflicted and the way he’s be distant is just pushing me away. I’ve been trying to understand him.

  8. T.P

    July 14, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    My ex broke up with me in Jan. I believe he’s an avoidant. We had limited NC because of things we had together (finances) I’ve tried to remove him out but he doesn’t corporate. He will get upset but then doesn’t do anything about it. He came around April/May started talking and texting me. After 5 months we were limited contact and I’m just done with the hot & cold. I also know he is out there talking to other girls whether it means anything or not. Last month we were texting he told me he hasn’t stop loving me and misses home sometimes. About 3 days ago I just snap because I felt overwhelmed with this situation. He got upset saying I’m
    Overwhelming him and that I should relax and don’t text him so much. It’s just confusing. I stopped texting him and bother him. He still
    Follows my social media’s and watches all my videos and likes some photos. Please help cause I’m confused? My mom told her and my ex talked since he fixing our deck, that he seemed unsure if this the end for both of us. So what are my chances? When I don’t text him for a couple days he’d reach out. The way I saw it was he’s talking to all these other girls, so whatever Ima do me. Set respect for me and my boundaries.I’m still hurt and miss him at the same time. This year would have been our 6th yr living together. He is turning 27 in a couple
    Of months, I know maturity also counts.

  9. Jaster

    July 2, 2021 at 11:08 am

    But i don’t understand. If i leave my avoidant ex-girlfriend alone for like 6 weeks, lets suppose she will miss me (even thought i doubt that). If i dont reach out to her then how is it possible that we can ever start a conversation again or check up on each other. As in, whats after these 45 days, what next?

    1. EBR Team Member: Shaunna

      July 3, 2021 at 9:30 pm

      After 45 days you start reaching out with the methods that Chris explains in his articles and videos.

  10. Lexie

    June 6, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    I broke up with my advoident ex because i felt as he never opened up, never wanted to communicate and show me his feelings. He also just lacked intimacy, which was hard because i am very intimate. We were only together for 5 months, but we had so many plans for the future. I guess i regret breaking up with him, but at the same time i feel like i did it for the best for me too. He never acknowledged me in public and would talk to everyone else but me at school. He just graduated and it’s summer now, so we have time to not see each other. After the breakup a few weeks ago, I told him I wanted nothing to do with him because i was upset he didn’t want to get back together ever again(i tried getting him back a day later and he said he felt as it would never work out ) Well a day after that he texted me and wanted to talk and be friends. I tried to be friends with him for a few weeks, but it was so hard to because i still had love for him, idk how it wasn’t hard for him; i guess maybe he really is over me idk. but anyways, i told him i needed space and we haven’t talked for a week or so. i just have a feeling he will never reach out to me because that’s how he is.

  11. JJ

    May 19, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    Reading the various articles, it seems that my situation is a little different. I am the dumper (secure/anxious mixture attachment style), but having some regrets about breaking up with my avoidant ex. I broke up due to the lack of intimacy/their ability to connect emotionally. They asked for space to recover/heal, & we agreed on a check in date, but I don’t know if that will mean just saying hi, talking about being friends, or discussing getting back together. I’m not sure how to proceed.

  12. C

    April 29, 2021 at 2:22 am

    My avoidant bf broke up with me saying he needed some time to figure himself out and gain a little bit more experience (I was his first serious relationship). I was hurt of course but understood he needed space so I let him go. But I told him that we can’t be friends because based on past relationships, this is something I can’t do with my exes. I do want him back and after reading this I kind of regret telling him that and breaking it off completely. I want to tell him that I will be here for him. Is it appropriate to reach out just in case he thinks I’m out of his life forever?

    1. EBR Team Member: Shaunna

      April 30, 2021 at 11:24 am

      Hi C, if you want to follow this program I would suggest that you do NOT tell him that you will be there for him. You need to make him think he has lost you. Work on yourself and show him he’s made a mistake to think that there is “more” out there for him!

  13. anonymous

    March 20, 2021 at 5:21 pm

    My partner broke up with me in a text and I made the silly decision to break no contact a couple of times because they deal with mental health issues and I wanted to check up on them (they cited mental illness, specifically their anxiety as the reason for the break up). Considering how bad it was, I actually do believe that. They also seem to be anxious avoidant attached.

    I also gave an ultimatum about friendship because they offered and how they replied made me think they were stringing me along. They said that they thought it would be best to no longer be in touch, so that we can both move on.

    I’ve been no contact for almost a month now and I honestly think I blew my chance. Would it be worth it to just go 90 days no contact? Or, should I just go indefinite no contact? I do love them, but I at least want to be friends with them if that’s not possible to have a relationship, but I got pushed away.

  14. annie

    March 1, 2021 at 10:39 am

    I have followed your programme for the last 9 months and i thought all hope was lost – Our breakup was messy and I struggled massively to let go – i had an anxious attachment style and My ex is an avoidant … after reading this page and having let some time pass while becoming ungettable i can now see it so clearly , It has been a tough time trying to get to where i am now but being removed from the breakup for some time and finally focusing on myself i realised that leaving him alone and getting on with my life was the best thing to do ! Last week i went on a date with someone who i met online – we had a great time and we really got on – i finally felt ready to start dating again after putting the focus back on me , but as i was walking back to my house with this new person my ex drove past us , i didn’t think much of it at the time as i had not heard from him for over a month ( i restarted a no contact rule because we had argued in january ) He unblocked me a few hours later and he also tried to ring me , I had just finished a 45 day NC at that point but i wasn’t ready to answer him as i was pretty sure that i didn’t even want him back in my life , Fast forward to this weekend and i get a call from him again … he admitted that seeing my happy with someone else bought back everything and he wants to talk to me to see if we can work out our differences and see what happens … I am supposed to meet with him on friday this week , any advice on what i should do would be very much appreciated !!?? thank you for this programme it has really helped my get my life and my confidence back 🙂

    1. EBR Team Member: Shaunna

      March 9, 2021 at 10:13 pm

      Hi Annie, I’m not really sure what advice you want – but I would go with an open mind but KNOW if you want to be with him or not. I would suggest that you agree to start dating first, not go back into old routines otherwise you are going to end up breaking up for the same reasons later down the line.