When you read about zombieing, you won’t believe how horrible ghosting really is. “You’re being ghosted, girl? In a now-viral TikTok video, singer-songwriter Mariel Darling said, “I’m being zombied.” “It resembles ghosting, except that he returns from the afterlife and contacts you after a few months.” Sometimes the zombie even returns years after it abandoned you.
A Typical Dating Disaster: Zombieing
Although dating is not a new fad, it was not as well-known as ghosting. Over 1.5 million people have seen Darling’s video on TikTok up to this point. Whether or not the phrase was known to them, the idea resonated and is currently being discussed by TikTokers.
People shared their dating experiences and outrage with great speed. When they all zombie you at the same moment, have you ever noticed this? One individual commented beneath Darling’s video, “Like, why are four guys from my past all hitting me up on the same day???” Another person said, “Not me seeing this after I got a text from the guy that ghosted exactly a year ago today.” It was also mentioned that when you are happy and have moved on, zombies tend to bite you.
Why Do People Go Zombie?
Sounds like you? You might be asking yourself why somebody would bother being a zombie as opposed to, say, simply being open and truthful. According to Kate Balestrieri, PsyD, the creator of Modern Intimacy and relationship app Clarity expert, zombie-ing is an attention-seeking tactic. She told Refinery29, “They want to see if they can still get a reaction.” When they’re feeling unhappy with themselves, they use it as a means of receiving approval.
MindBodyGreen was informed by Jaime Zuckerman, Psy.D., LCP, that there are two kinds of zombies: those with insight and consciousness and those without. Most likely, the self-aware zombie ghosted you since they knew you weren’t interested but were too scared to inform you for fear of conflict. They might have come to regret their actions over time or come to feel a connection with you. The selfless zombie is more dangerous since they do not think about how their activities affect other people and come back out of loneliness or boredom.
How Should a Zombie Be Handled?
You might feel inclined to get back into the relationship if you are being zombied, particularly if you had deep affections for the zombie. A word of caution: if someone has already ghosted you, there’s no guarantee they won’t do it again. It’s best to avoid them unless they sincerely apologize, provide an explanation, and demonstrate that they are prepared to make an effort to earn back your confidence.
It’s advisable to leave a zombie on read if you think they’re only looking for validation and don’t care about your sentiments. You can even change their name on your phone to the tombstone emoji, as one TikToker did.
When evaluating the situation, follow your instincts, but remember that zombies will typically continue to do what they do best: zombie. Of course, people can change and grow, but do you really want to learn more instead of concentrating your efforts on those who will never truly go away from you?
