Relationships often feel as though they’re just barely balancing between happiness and disaster. As women our instinct is to always be trying to understand what our man feels and to ensure the relationship is satisfying and fulfilling for both of us. That’s not that difficult if your man is the type to always share what he’s feeling. If you’re involved with a man who holds his feelings closer to the vest, it’s a challenge. If you can sense that he’s pulling away emotionally and you’re fearful that this is just the beginning of the end of the relationship, you need to take action now. If you love your man and you want a loving, committed future with him, there are things you should be doing now to ensure he feels closer to you again before it’s too late.

Trying to bridge the emotional distance between you and your man begins with understanding what caused it in the first place. Men typically pull back from their partner if something has occurred that has changed how they view the woman they love or the relationship in general. Most women don’t fully comprehend that most men are just as sensitive as we are. If you two argue or if you do something that bothers him, his reaction may be to pull back. He may be holding resentment or anger and if that continues it will eat away at the foundation of the relationship until it’s damaged beyond repair.

Take some time today to think about what has transpired between you and your man in the past few weeks or months. Is there an ongoing conflict that you two are ignoring? Have you been pushing him towards a more serious commitment even though he’s expressed hesitation? Or have you done something that upset him? Even though a man may tell you that he’s fine after an argument or painful emotional encounter with you, he may not be. It may be festering within him and that’s what’s causing him to pull away emotionally .

Unlike women, men aren’t always completely comfortable talking through their issues. What tends to work much better if you feel him creating distance is to make the relationship lighter. Less drama is a very good thing at this point. Treat him more as a friend and take the pressure off of him for now. Make time each day to spend with him. Ask him about his job, his interests, and his life in general. Don’t push him to talk about the issues the two of you are facing. If he starts to feel more comfortable being around you and he’s not facing the threat of having to talk about his feelings, he’ll become more open. If you can relax, he’ll follow suit and he’ll instinctively feel a stronger connection to you again.