I think of it like this… and this may sound crazy at first… when a person is fleeing, they are feeling scared and for whatever reason, their brain thinks safety is found in running away. If YOU help the person get away, then you become a source of safety instead of threat. You become someone they don’t have to get away from.

It might look like this…

Person running away: “I need some space. I don’t want to talk for a week.”

Person learning not to chase: “I hear that you need space. How about I send you a quick text in TWO weeks?”

This can work. But you’ll have to get good at handling your own anxiety along the way.