A relationship with an insecure partner isn’t easy to navigate. However, you can spot one quickly using certain signs to avoid further complications.

Life coach Stephanie Lyn has detailed all the signs to look out for in a highly insecure man while explaining the challenges you may face while dating them.

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They struggle with vulnerability

Stephanie says the lack of ability to get vulnerable is a major sign of insecurity in a man.

Confident adults don’t fear showing their true emotions and they aren’t worried about being judged for who they truly are.

While vulnerability in a person can stem from different factors such as their upbringing or wounds, you wouldn’t want to date a man who isn’t working towards healing.

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Competition/perfectionism

Insecurity can make a person compete with others constantly as they always want to be better than others. They believe they aren’t good enough and try to prove their worth by drawing comparisons.

This also extends to perfectionism, when a person focuses a lot on looking or feeling a certain way as they feel inadequate otherwise.

It’s hard to be in a relationship with someone if they try to one-up you at every given chance only to prove themselves as better.

Reluctant to seek help

If your partner is reluctant to seek professional help or acknowledge issues within themselves, it only means they are highly insecure.

The life coach says it takes a strong person to say they need help and the aversion for help shows they aren’t as confident as they pose to be.

They are prone to addictions

People with underlying insecurities turn to substances and other forms of addictions seeking an escape from reality as they can’t accept they are flawed.

An insecure man can’t accept compliments

Another tell-tale sign of an insecure man is his inability to accept compliments. They either joke about it or struggle to say “thank you.”

They tend to downplay their achievements and deflect praise directed at them. This could also be a habit the person doesn’t have awareness about.

They feed on validation and hate criticism

They feed on validation from others and it’s never enough. They always want more to fill the void within and fail to realize it’s their responsibility to make themselves feel good.

Insecure men have a hard time taking criticism regardless. They often look at it as a jab at their character and are sensitive to feedback with fragile egos.

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They isolate themselves

A person’s decision to isolate themselves socially or their life situations also leans toward insecurity as they don’t find the confidence to go out in public, bogged down by the fear that they can’t take care of themselves.

Insecure men fear failure and success

Insecure men, unlike healthy individuals, do not know how to handle the emotions that come with failure or success and become anxious when they have to overcome them.

They lack the understanding of failure or criticism and their importance in growing as a person. So, insecure people rather choose to shut down or isolate themselves instead of facing them and learning to be healthy.

Stephanie Lyn is a Life and Relationship coach, who uses her years of experience to help and heal people by actively vlogging about narcissistic abuse, codependency, past wounds, and more.

She also has her podcast called Heal, Survive, Thrive to support people through troubled relationships and offer tools to heal and grow.