“I need time to heal”. That’s what she just told you.
You try your best to understand what she means by this statement and learn what it means for you.
I have an answer for you.
This article will go over 12 meanings for this phrase, including examples so you can better understand what it might denote in different situations.
Let’s start digging, shall we?
1) She might want a break from a relationship
This is the case when she wants to take some time away from the relationship.
She might just want to cool things down for a while before giving it another shot.
She wants to explore her own interests, passions, and what makes her happy without having to worry about you or anyone else for a while.
Also, she might want to give you some space to figure things out for yourself.
She might also be afraid that if she doesn’t take this time alone or in reflection, she may not get it back.
This can be her way of staying present in a relationship rather than getting swept away by it.
2) She doesn’t want to deal with you right now
We’re sorry to say this, but this is an extreme case than the previous meaning of the phrase.
A girl might say she needs time to heal if she wants some space from you.
Maybe you keep bothering her, or the both of you have been fighting a lot lately, or something else occurred that is making her not even want to be around you.
She might not have a desire to be with anyone else at this moment (though it’s possible). She just needs some time away from you so that she could cool off for a bit and more clearly think about whether she still wants to be together with you.
She doesn’t want to be with you, but she doesn’t want to break up / lose you either.
Rather than say she needs time to heal, she might just say that you need some time apart.
3) She’s trying to test you
This is a tricky one, because even if she says she needs time to heal, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s not interested in you.
It could also mean that she does like you, just not at the moment.
Maybe it’s because she doesn’t have a lot of energy left for another relationship or maybe it’s because she has someone else on her mind.
For whatever reason, if a girl tells you this phrase, know that it isn’t necessarily a sign that you should give up on her.
She just might be waiting to see what happens or what other people do before committing to anything with anyone.
4) She’s still in love with her ex and needs more time to get over him
We’re sorry to say this, but in this situation, a girl will say she needs time to heal after she has already dated and broken up with an ex.
She’s still in love with him and wants to get over him.
But for some reason, it’s just not happening.
It could be that she feels lost without him or that nothing has filled the hole he left behind from their break up.
People make mistakes when they are in love and never know what is truly best for them.
That’s why it’s best to listen to her and not push her into making a decision if your company isn’t needed.
In this case, she needs more time to figure herself out again before deciding whether or not she wants you back.
What can you do about it?
Don’t rush her or try to convince her that you are the one for her – leave her alone for now and give her space so she can get over him on her own.
5) She’s heartbroken from a lost relationship
This is the case when she says she needs time to heal after a break up.
It can also be used when referring to something more serious like a rejection of some sort.
This is the most common scenario when she uses the phrase.
She’s upset that she and someone special aren’t together anymore.
She was really excited about them, believed that they were meant to be, and now they’re not together.
The result?
This makes her feel like her life is over, like a piece of herself died, or like it was all just a terrible mistake.
She needs some time to heal from this heartbreak in order to move on with her life and/or to find someone else she could love more than before.
That would make more sense, right?
6) She’s dealing with a difficult time in her life
This can be a tough time in a person’s life.
It could be the death of a loved one, the loss of someone who was very special to them, or something else.
Rather than say that she needs time to heal, she might just say she needs some time to herself.
She might not want your pity or sympathy (though it is okay to offer), but instead wants you to leave her alone for a while.
This doesn’t mean she isn’t ready for you or your love again.
This just means that she needs time to deal with what is currently going on in her life.
7) She’s just not interested in you anymore
Even if a girl says she needs time to heal, this doesn’t necessarily mean that she still has feelings for her ex.
She might just not be interested in you and doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.
Sometimes people get together with people they aren’t that into because they need someone or don’t want to be alone.
The best thing you can do is to pull away a bit yourself.
It’s a psychological fact that when we fear we’re going to lose something, we want it 10x more.
This is where “nice guys” get it so wrong. Women have no “fear of loss” with a nice guy… and that makes them pretty unattractive.
If you want your girl to become obsessed with you, then check out this excellent free video.
What you’ll learn in this video isn’t exactly pretty — but neither is love.
8) She just wants to slow things down a bit before deciding what she wants in life
This is the case when a girl says that she needs some time to heal after breaking up with you but before deciding whether or not she is going to pick you back up again when she feels better.
In this case, she might just want to slow things down for a bit so she can decide what she wants in life.
Think about it.
People change and grow throughout their lifetime, and sometimes you can need some time to heal before deciding whether or not you want to be with a certain person.
It could be the case that she wasn’t ready to date having just broken up with someone else.
Or perhaps she was ready but then realized that you weren’t right for her romantically.
It just depends on her and what happened.
There isn’t anything wrong with her saying that she needs some time off to think herself through before deciding whether she wants to date you or anyone else.
9) She has trust issues
Sometimes a girl will need some time to heal after breaking up because she has trust issues with you or other guys in general.
This is more common with girls who have been cheated on before, have dated guys who have been shady, and/or are insecure in themselves.
If this is the case, she may just be needing time to heal because she isn’t sure whether or not she can trust you again.
In this situation, it’s best to respect her feelings and give her some time before trying to pursue her again romantically in order to get back together.
She may just need time before making a decision on how she feels about you again.
10) She already has someone in mind
Be careful, my friend.
She has already moved on, and you’re just one of many options for her.
As difficult as it might be to hear this, you might as well find out now instead of wasting time trying to get her to love you.
It could be that she is just saying she needs time to heal so that you don’t think badly of her while she gets herself together and figures out what she really wants in life.
It could also be that she is trying to use this phrase as a subtle way of telling you that she isn’t interested in seeing you anymore.
She might feel bad doing this and feels like it is better to give you the brush off early on, rather than stringing you along forever.
You might be one of many guys who want to go out with her.
She might not have been able to tell you no and was just trying to get out of a difficult situation by saying she needed time to heal.
11) She’s a tease or playfully messing with you
Finally, she might just be messing with you.
Sometimes when a girl says she needs time to heal, she really doesn’t mean she needs healing – it could just be a playful thing.
It could be that she likes the attention and isn’t really put out by anything going on in her life.
Rather than being serious, she instead is just having fun leading you on in hopes of getting an ego boost from the idea that someone cares about her.
She wants you to know that she is important to her and that someone cares enough about her to stay by her side and support her.
12) Girls need time to heal for many different reasons, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t like you
In theory, the phrase “I need some time to heal” sounds like a pretty straightforward thing.
You can read that as “she’s hurt or she needs time to get over something before anything serious can happen between you.”
Sometimes this is the case, and sometimes it isn’t.
Instead of making any assumptions, you should instead respect her feelings, give her some space and then ask her what she means by this statement.
She might just want some time to think or she might be over you.
Regardless, try letting her come to you emotionally rather than making guesses at what her intentions are behind this statement.
How to respond to “I need time to heal.”?
The best thing you can do to respond to the phrase is let her know that you understand how she feels and that you are there for her whenever she decides it’s okay for her to come back.
This means that if she needs a few days off from being with you, then don’t ask when she’s going to be ready or beg her to see things through with you.
Rather, just let her know that you are still around and waiting for her when she is ready.
Also, if she has already given you clear signs that she isn’t interested in being with you, then let her know that it’s not a big deal and that you are fine with the fact that she won’t be available to be with you until whenever.
Even in this case, it is still good to be polite and respectful and give her space when she wants it.
If possible, let her know that if she ever needs to talk or hang out just to give you a call.
Even if she claims that she is completely fine and doesn’t need your help, it is still good to be there for her when she wants you.
She might just need some reassurance from time to time that she can count on you and that you are the kind of guy who has her back.
If possible, let her know that even if the two of you aren’t together right now, you would still like to be friends.
Wrapping up
The old saying “time heals all wounds” may be true, but there are also times when it takes a lot longer for wounds to heal.
It doesn’t always have to be time that heals the wound, but sometimes time simply passes and you have to wait for some healing to happen before you know whether or not the two of you will end up coming back together romantically.
I hope this guide helps you understand what some girls mean when they say that they need time to heal because it can be one of the more ambiguous and confusing phrases that a girl might tell a guy in order to try and get herself out of a difficult situation.
If you ever hear a girl say this phrase and wonder how to respond, hopefully, you now know what it means and what the best way is to react.