Is It Better to Block or Ignore? (Ignore Is Better Here's Why)

We are over the era of text messages. While the messenger platforms such as Whatsapp and Facebook make it easy to connect and share multimedia, it makes it difficult to disconnect.

When you are not on good terms with someone, and yet you see their posts and watch them smiling or having fun without you, it might be hurtful. 

Hence, blocking that person or ignoring their account can help you stay at peace. But how to decide which one to do? It shall depend on the situation and the kind of person you are dealing with. 

Keep reading to find out the appropriate way to deal with nasty people in your life.

Reasons to block 

If the person in question is your ex and you had a hard breakup after a long relationship, it is better to block.

Blocking them will give you an upper hand. It will show them that you have made up your mind and there's no going back in time. But know your heart well. If you are fickle-minded, this might not be the best available option. Keep reading to find out more.

#1 No going back 

If you are certain that you don't want to give this person another chance because you have had enough, blocking them is the right choice. Such a situation occurs when the person has done enough damage, this damage can be mental, financial, or physical. 

Always keep yourself as the priority. Remember, if you don't treat yourself well, nobody else will. You must never stand anyone who doesn't admire you for all your qualities.

#2 Actions were unforgivable 

If you have had your sets of highs and lows with this person, their one action has crossed the higher mark, and you see yourself drowning, run to the shore to save your life.

Never be with someone or tolerate someone who won't lend you their life jacket. Taking it or not should be your choice. But the person must be courteous enough to provide.

When the watermark is above the range, and the actions are unforgivable, it is best to block them. It is one of those do-or-die situations. And you are still to experience the beauty of life.

#3 You want to dump them 

If you have had a change of heart, that is, you want to split apart, but they won't understand, blocking them might be the bold and harsh road to take.

Be cautious that the person doesn't suffer from depression and has well-wishers close to them. You don't want to do any damage. 

Before blocking, send them a final message that explains your reason and purpose. Don't be condemning in your tone. If possible, be the greater person and acknowledge that you are sorry that this has to end.

#4 They are disgusting 

If you find the person repulsive, that is, if their action disgusts you to the extent that you will never be able to put up with it, don't think twice before blocking them.

Society is full of disgusting people who behave in ways far from our wildest imaginations. It is always sensible to keep a distance from such people. Honestly, when I spot such a person on my feed, I block them right away.

#5 They stalk you 

If you are annoyed by this person because they are stalking you and feel unsafe, do not hesitate to block them. Ignoring them in such cases isn't the wisest option when safety is concerned.

If you are curious to know why they are stalking you, you might consider giving them a chance to explain. However, if you do not have any mutuals, it might be a red flag, and it's better to make the decision immediately.

#6 They are harmful 

If this person is harmful or toxic, they have had habits or bad influence on you, and it is better for your well-being to keep your distance from them. If you feel that looking at their posts or stories will affect your mind and shake you from the right path, don't hesitate to block them. 

People are toxic if they are too indulgent in non-social activities such as drugs, alcohol, or other forms of evil; beware!

#7 They are pestering you 

If you don't know this person well, but they are trying to send you lewd messages or referring to your pastor doing anything which is taking the better off you, block them at once. Life has enough ill rewards to offer, and you don't want to add to the list.

#8 They threatened you 

If this person is someone who has threatened you, you must report and block their account.

This threat might be of any level. If you have shared pictures with them and they threaten you to expose them, don't be scared.

Tell them that you will report it to the police. Take a screenshot and block them. Cybercrime is a serious offense; if they have some brains, they will never commit such a crime.

#9 You want to forget them 

If this person is your ex and you are trying to forget them, but keeping the avenues to reach you open makes it difficult, don't rack your brains hard before blocklisting them. Remember, you must do all that is in your capacity to move on in life. Staying at the same place shall make the entire journey stagnant.

Reasons to ignore 

If you are just heated up now but know that you will calm down later, you might not want to take a very harsh decision. In such moments, it is wise to neither reply nor blocks the person. Instead, ignore their presence until you are in a better disposition.

#1 Keep the window for explanation open 

If you did not get closure or feel that there has been a grave misunderstanding in an otherwise happy relationship, you might not want to make harsh decisions. Ignoring the person rather than blocking them keeps the window for future explanations open. 

You want to keep that option available if you have had good memories that you would like to cherish with them or the ones that you will not be able to forget easily.

#2 Chance to go back and fix things 

If you want to give your relationship a chance to go back and fix things, that is, whatever happened between both of you can be overlooked, you want to avail yourself of this option.

It so happens that some mistakes, when committed by our loved ones, are pardonable. If this is one such mistake, but they haven't realized it yet, you want to ignore them for a while.

#3 Actions are forgivable 

If you can forgive the injustice committed by the other person, that is, you might not want to date them anymore or be their best friends. Still, you also don't want to estrange them completely. Ignoring them until the matter settles down will be the best course of action right now.

#4 You don't want to overreact 

You have always been known as a person who makes a fuss out of small matters of negligible importance. If this is one such instance, you would want to go against your better judgment and ignore the whole situation.

Sometimes, when we don't pay close attention or scrutinize the activities, the scheme of things takes a natural course and gives us a happy ending. 

#5 They are a people pleaser 

If you know that this person will find a way to get a roundabout and settle things again, it's useless to block them. Even if you block them, they will make new accounts and see that they get into your skin.

In such cases, the best course of action is not to give them much importance. When you block them, you show them that they matter to you. Instead, by ignoring them, you are being indifferent. They won't be able to affect you much after that.

#6 Hating them is difficult 

If you can't block them because you don't hate them, but you can't be with them either because you love them, but you don't want to show your love or true feelings for them, it is best to ignore them. 

In the process of ignoring them, you will be ignoring your feelings. In cases like this, it is best not to pay much heed to one's feelings lest it makes one vulnerable.

#7 They are kind but over-friendly 

The only negative aspect about them is that they are overfriendly. However, you don't want to look over that they are kind. They will never deny you help. Such people are glorious, and though you might not want to be like them, there's no need to block them from your life altogether.

Remember, we live in a society where we have to maintain some relations merely for the sake of it. A smile, even if plastic in nature, can work wonders!

#8 They are harmless 

You know that they would never do anything to harm you. It might be that you don't like them or they don't like you. But either way, you are aware that you are harmless to each other.

You aren't the kind of people who will think too hard about causing trouble in each other's lives. Ignoring such people is for the best. You neither care about their opinion nor do you have a desire to make a change in their life. 

#9 It's all in your mind 

Perhaps you have been overthinking the situation. The text, the gesture, or whatever is bothering you has not occurred to them yet. It wasn't something they had done intentionally.

Unless you are certain about a person's intentions, do not take an unruly approach or outrageous behavior towards them. It will only make you the bad person in this case.

#10 You are colleagues 

If you are colleagues, this isn't the time to block them. Maybe after you have changed cities or done away permanently with each other's company. I tolerated my ex's girlfriend. She would show the audacity to send me messages. She wanted to be friends with me, something I wasn't willing to do. However, I couldn't tell her that on my face because I knew she didn't like me either. She was doing it because my ex still had some soft corners for me. 

Did I block her? No. I ignored her as far as possible. Ignoring a person always doesn't mean you will leave their message on reading. It means you won't put in much effort. Hence, I would always send her an emoticon instead of wasting my words on her. You might want to consider coming up with such a strategy.

#11 You are strong 

If you have always shown yourself to be a strong person, you can't hide away from your problems by blocking them. You must know how to face it. 

Sometimes in life, we should accept weird people as challenges. It will teach you how to socialize. Remember, not every person is your well-wisher.

Besides, people mostly put up a facade. They don't show you their true colors. They will act kind before you and gossip about you later. Learning to ignore early will undoubtedly take you a long way in life.

#12 If you care for them 

If you genuinely care for this person and will always have a soft corner for them in your heart, you naturally won't want to block them from your life. Ignoring them for the short term will keep you updated with the happenings of their life.

It will give you a chance to open up to them again in the future when the right time comes. Say they blame you for something you are not guilty of, don't worry; the truth is never kept hidden for long.

#13 If you want to give them a silent treatment 

Say you want to make this person realize their mistakes. If this person has taken you for granted, you might want to give them the silent treatment until they realize their fault. Studies show that silent treatment works faster than words in some cases. 

If you feel giving them your words would only lead to arguments and worse the situation, ignoring them might be the right tactic here. However, when they urge you to communicate, be expressive about all you went through and ask them to mend their behavior.

Summing up 

To ignore or to block is an extremely tricky situation. One must realize that to avoid this either-or situation is the ultimate triumph. That can be done when you solve your queries promptly. Don't accumulate so much anger and frustration that words fail to bring it justice.