It can be challenging to navigate the dynamics of friendship when sexual tension is involved. Learn how to address this delicate situation with your friends in a way that preserves your relationship with this insightful guide on how to address sexual tension between friends.
That’s why it’s important to be prepared for such a scenario. Sometimes it seems like an uphill battle. We can’t always argue with our bodies when they make up their minds. Yet, there are ways to address sexual tension while maintaining a platonic friendship.
Reasons Why Sexual Tension Isn’t Necessarily a Call to Action
Sexual tension can exist between two people who shouldn’t be together. Despite having chemistry, there are many reasons why a couple shouldn’t be together. Perhaps you and your friends are too close. Perhaps the two of you are in a relationship. Perhaps there’s no way to make it work in the long run.
You probably have good cause for deciding you won’t see them again, which is why you shouldn’t base any decisions on it. There will be others who recommend just ending the friendship to end the strain, but that would be a terrible idea.
Approaches For Resolving Sexual Tension in Platonic Friendships
Indeed, I understand the discomfort of sexual tension. Even though you think you can get past it by thinking rationally, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. It’s important to set boundaries, though, if you want to keep your connection from deteriorating.
We’re here to help if you fear it will be too challenging for you. Any of these strategies for resolving sexual tension among friends might help you keep your friendship strong and keep things from getting awkward.
Think back to all the reasons this is a terrible idea.
There must be something wrong with them for you to decide against sleeping with them. You’ve come to a conclusion that, for whatever reason, continuing is pointless. Whenever you find yourself in a scenario where there is a lot of sexual tension, try to remember why that is unhealthy.
Remind yourself of all the good reasons you didn’t do it. Consider all the potential harm that your involvement would bring on. You can prevent it more easily if you keep in mind the reasons why you should refrain from doing so.
Don’t give in to the temptation; resolve never to do it again.
Use restraint in whatever you do. You should keep your word if you tell yourself you will never do something. Try not to let the chemistry between you two get out of hand.
Determine that you will not participate in any way, shape, or form, and then stick to that choice. Once you’ve made up your mind, it’ll be far less difficult to maintain your friendship status.
There should be no physical contact.
To put it simply, this is a massive regulation. Friend-on-friend sexual tension can make it difficult to maintain physical distance. They are a reliable ally. As a rule, they’re not too far away. Sometimes you want to give them a big hug or spank them for being so darn cute.
Of course, that’s not possible. If you want to keep things platonic, you should stay away from physical contact. Having sexual feelings will only intensify with physical interaction. Keep your distance from them physically for your own safety.
There will be no flirting.
This is going to be really difficult. Flirting occurs subconsciously when there is sexual tension between two people. So this certainly complicates matters for you. If you’re not careful, flirting can lead to all sorts of unpleasant situations.
The best way to diffuse sexual tension between friends is to ignore their approaches. You should also be wary of your own flirtatious behavior. If you want to avoid any awkward situations, it’s best to keep your flirtatious remarks to yourself.
Avoid spending time together alone.
When there is sexual tension between friends, spending time alone together can be extremely risky. Where is the safety net to catch you if you mess up with that person? The tension between you two is already high but will only increase when you’re alone.
As a result, you shouldn’t spend too much one-on-one time with them. You shouldn’t spend any alone time together under any circumstances. A buffer is required. If you want to maintain your friendship, it’s best to either bring another friend along or simply avoid the scenario entirely.
Find a friend to help you.
Someone in your circle of friends probably, is the source of your sexual tension. If so, tell another person in the group. Don’t do something that could damage your friendship without first consulting them.
It’s wonderful to have a third party that can spot sexual tension between pals and put a stop to it. In the event that things grow heated, they can come to your aid and quickly remove you from the situation. Include a friend to make things simpler to handle.
Stay away from anything that could make it much worse.
It’s likely that there are many “trigger moments” in which the sexual tension becomes practically intolerable. You’ve probably already seen a few. Avoid being in their company if there are moments when you feel uncomfortable doing so.
Avoiding aggravating circumstances can make it simpler to bear. You won’t have to worry about being vulnerable with your friend as often, which will be good for your friendship.
Find a new partner.
A fantastic approach to reducing sexual tension among friends. Let’s face it: if you can’t be with them, you shouldn’t be with anyone. Eventually, you may even forget about those feelings altogether if you have someone to dedicate your loyalty to.
Just stop thinking about me and go out on a date. Even better, include them in your regular group of friends’ hangouts. Your partner’s presence will ensure your loyalty and divert any potential sources of conflict away from your friendship.
Don’t ever fool around with them sexually.
When there is sexual tension between friends, the worst thing you can do is make sexual jokes. What you don’t want is for people to have any sexier ideas about you than they already do.
Making sexual jokes will only get them thinking about having sexual relations with you. If you do this, you’ll start fantasizing about them more sexually. Keep your sexist jokes to yourself.
Just ignore it.
Indeed, at this point, this is your only option. If you’ve resolved to do nothing together in order to preserve your friendship, then you should just disregard the situation. Put the sexual tension between you two aside and focus on the importance of your friendship.
At first, it won’t be easy, but you can get through it. If the pressure begins to feel too much to bear, try shifting your focus. If you can take your mind off of it, you’ll be able to ignore it more easily.
It’s not easy to deal with the sexual tension between friends. But, if you’ve decided to keep things platonic, you might find the following advice useful.
Related articles you might like: How To Recognize and Deal With Sexual Tension at Work, Managing Sexual Tension with Someone You Like, 15 Signs of Sexual Tension Amongst Coworkers
