50 Ways to Tell Someone You’re Not Ready for a Relationship

There are many reasons why you may not be ready for a serious relationship.

Maybe you just broke up with your ex and need some time to heal or maybe you want to focus on your career and don’t have the time or energy for a relationship.

Or maybe you’re just not sure what you want right now.

Whatever your reason may be, it is perfectly fine to admit that you are not ready for anything serious and there’s no need to force yourself into something you’re not comfortable with.

What is important is to be honest with yourself and your potential suitors.

If you’re not ready for a relationship, it’s better to say so upfront rather than lead someone on and then dump them later.

It might be hard to break the news to someone you really like, but it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.

Don’t miss: 10 Examples of How To Let A Guy Down Easy After Leading Him On

How to Tell Someone You’re Not Ready for a Relationship?

1. Being in a relationship would be too much for me to handle right now – emotionally and mentally, I just can’t do it.

2. This is going to sound really bad, but I just don’t think I’m emotionally available right now for a relationship.

3. I think you’re amazing and I’ve really enjoyed our time together, but I’m not looking for anything serious right now.

4. I don’t want to lead you on, so I think it’s best if we stopped seeing each other romantically.

5. I know you’re ready for a relationship, but I’m just not there yet – can we just stay as friends?

6. This is tough for me to say, but I don’t think a relationship is what I’m looking for right now.

7. Relationships are just not my thing right now – maybe in the future, but definitely not now.

8. There’s nothing wrong with you, it’s just that I need to focus on myself right now, and being in a relationship would complicate that.

9. The timing is really off for us – maybe in a few years it will be different, but right now I just need to be single.

10. Can we just slow things down? I like being with you but the thought of a relationship is a bit daunting for me right now.

11. I know you’re an amazing catch and any other time I’d be all over you, but I’ve been hurt recently and I need some time to recover.

12. I need to focus on my studies right now, and a relationship would just get in the way of that.

13. It’s not you, it’s me… I’m just not ready for a relationship right now.

14. To be honest, the thought of being in another relationship scares me right now.

15. Until I work through my commitment fears, I can’t let myself be open to something serious.

Don’t miss: 10 Reasons Why Guys Disappear and Then Come Back

16. I don’t want to lead you on or give you false hope – a relationship right now is just not what I’m looking for.

17. To be honest, I’m really not over my ex yet, and jumping into a relationship would be unfair to you.

18. Being single gives me the freedom to do what I want and when I want and I’m not ready to give that up just yet.

19. It sounds selfish, but right now I’m just not ready to share my life with someone else – I need to focus on myself.

20. My life is pretty complicated right now and I can’t handle anything else, so a relationship is out of the question.

21. If things were different, then maybe we could give it a shot – but right now I just can’t commit to anything serious.

22. A relationship is a big commitment and I just don’t think I’m ready for that right now.

23. Sorry, this is going to sound really bad, but I’m just not ready for a relationship right now.

24. There are circumstances in my life right now that make it difficult for me to be in a relationship.

25. I don’t know if I’m ready for a relationship because I still have some unresolved issues from my last one that I need to figure out first.

26. There’s nothing wrong with you, and I hope you know that. It’s just that dating and relationships aren’t a priority for me right now.

27. A relationship requires a lot of work and effort, and at this point in my life, I’m not sure if I’m up for that commitment again.

28. It might seem like I’m afraid of relationships or commitment, but that’s not it. I just know that right now isn’t the right time for me.

29. I don’t want to lead you on or give you false hope, and that’s why I’m telling you now that I’m not ready for a relationship.

30. Once I’ve sorted myself out, who knows, maybe we could give it a shot? Until then, let’s just enjoy each other’s company without any pressure.

Don’t miss: 50 Hook Up Messages to Text Your Friend With Benefits

31. This might seem sudden, but I’ve been thinking about it and I don’t think I want to be in a relationship right now.

32. How do I say this without sounding like a jerk…I don’t think I want to be in a relationship right now.

33. It’s not that I don’t like you, it’s just that I don’t want to be in a relationship right now.

34. Being in a relationship right now would be too much for me to handle – emotionally, mentally, and physically.

35. There’s nothing wrong with you, it’s just that relationships aren’t a priority for me right now.

36. I need some time to work on myself before I can be in a good, healthy relationship with someone else.

37. I think you’re incredible and I’ve really enjoyed our time together, but I need to be honest with you: I’m not interested in pursuing a romantic relationship.

38. Can we still be friends? I hope you understand that this is nothing personal, I just don’t think I’m ready for a relationship right now.

39. I’ve been through a lot lately and I’m just not emotionally available for a relationship right now.

40. Maybe we could date casually for now and see where things go, but I’m not looking for anything serious right now.

41. Part of me wants to be in a relationship with you, but the other part of me is just not there yet.

42. I appreciate your interest in me, but I’m not ready to be in a relationship right now.

43. This has nothing to do with you, I promise. It’s just that I need some time on my own right now and getting into a relationship would complicate that.

44. This has nothing to do with you, but I’ve just come out of a long-term relationship and I need some time to heal before I open myself up to someone new.

45. I don’t want to hurt you, but I know that if we got into a relationship it would end up hurting both of us in the end because I’m not ready for anything serious.

46. I don’t know what the future holds, but right now I’m not ready for a relationship.

47. There are a lot of things going on in my life right now and adding the stress of a relationship would be too much for me to deal with.

48. I don’t want to lead you on, and I hope you can understand that I need some time to figure things out before I can be in a committed relationship.

49. I’m really flattered that you would want to be with me, but I don’t think it would be fair to either of us to pursue something when I know that I can’t give you what you deserve right now.

50. I want to be honest with you because I care about you and value our friendship – I don’t think I’m ready for anything more than that right now.

Read next: 37 Creative “I Need Space” Text Message Examples