Ever felt a sudden pang of disgust toward the person you are supposed to be attracted to? That, my friend, is THE ICK!

What precisely is the ‘ick’?

Having the ick is different from just doubting whether you want to be with someone. An ick is a strong gut reaction, either to the way a person acts or to the way they behave. It is the point at which all your attraction to a person turns into a feeling of disgust. There are various and numerous causes. It could be something as trivial as them being rude to a waiter. It could be for the dumbest of reasons. Quite literally. But once you catch the ick, it ruins your romance. All desire is murdered.

When you get the notorious ‘ick’, you will just know it. You may find yourself justifying why you should keep seeing them, telling yourself ‘but they are so sweet!’, while on the other hand, your gut instinct is clearly indicating that you are not feeling it! In spite of trying to rationalize your feelings, and convincing yourself that you really do like this person despite feeling cringed out, that feeling of the ick is one that is very hard to shake.

No, you cannot ignore an ick!

Despite your better judgment whatsoever, you just CANNOT ignore an ick. You simply should not since it is a gut reaction, and you should always listen to your gut feelings. Whatever you once found cute can become unbearable due to a physical quirk, or even their laugh. In fact, it tends to leave you feeling like you will never look at them the same way again. It is okay to feel that way. It does not make you a bad person; the gut just knows what is right for you.

Here is the advice: if you get hit with ‘the ick’, accept that you want to move on. For your own sake.

Cover image via @Unsplash