Many women are natural caretakers. They want the best for those they love and strive to make sure everyone is happy and comfortable. There’s a fine line, though, between a caring girlfriend, an overprotective one, and a straight-up jealous one. Overprotective girlfriends mean well but sometimes go overboard in how they show they care. If you think you might have or be an overprotective girlfriend, see how many of these 8 actions you check off. Here are 8 signs of an overprotective girlfriend.
1. She needs to know who, what, when, where, and why.
An overprotective girlfriend wants to make sure you’re safe and ok no matter where you go. That’s why she wants to know all the details of where you’re going. She’ll go through all of the “w” questions to learn who you’re with, where, what you’re doing, and why. This line of inquiry will remind you a lot of a worried parent. The difference between this and a jealous girlfriend is that the latter will start fights over your answers and try to get you to change your plans if it makes her unhappy.
Check out: 5 Signs a girl is jealous and likes you
2. She introduces herself as your girlfriend.
If you have an overprotective girlfriend, she will beat you to the punch when it comes to introducing herself as your partner. You might or might not have planned to introduce her as such, but she wants whoever she’s meeting to know that she’s on your side. This immediately sets the scene so that others know she’s in your corner. Be careful with this trait, though, as it definitely overlaps with jealousy.
3. She jumps the gun.
Overprotective people see – or think that they see – danger before anyone else does. They’re like the extra jumpy gazelle in the group that’s always looking for the tiger in the grass. Sometimes, they are right and warn you about something or someone that isn’t the best for you. Other times, they make a big deal about the threat of death when it was just a mouse moving through the field. In human terms, this would be her freaking out about something she sees as bad for you when it turns out to be harmless. An overprotective girlfriend will realize her wrongs eventually and apologize, though, unlike a jealous girlfriend.
4. She’s suspicious of change.
Change is unpredictable. The routine is broken and we have to figure out how to adapt to a new situation. This is no bueno for an overprotective girlfriend. She already has her methods in place for making sure everything with you and your relationship is Gucci. She doesn’t like curveballs because she can’t practice for them, and this is exactly why she will never accept change as inherently good. She’ll need to pick apart the situation and analyze it extensively before jumping on board.
5. New friends are no friends.
You’ve got a new friend? And an overprotective girlfriend? Oh, that isn’t going to go well. New friends are seen as threats by an overprotective girlfriend because they fall under the “suspicious change” category. She’ll want to meet and grill them before you two start hanging out too often. This is another action that overlaps with jealousy – especially if it’s a new female friend you’ve made – so be wary of how she approaches the situation.
Check out: 10 Signs she likes you if she does this
6. She investigates everything.
If you’re interested in taking a new course, she’s going to investigate the institution, cost, reviews, and description before you even have a chance to send an inquiry email yourself. If you might apply to work at a new company, she’ll know their vacation policy, health insurance benefits, and starting salary options before you do. This internal researcher in her just wants to make sure that the situation is safe and sound – plus, beneficial – for you before you get your feet wet. It comes from caring but can be a little overbearing, so don’t be afraid to gently tell her to let you deal with certain things now and again.
7. Your comfort is her priority.
Overprotective girlfriends aren’t just trying to protect you from bad people or social situations – they’ll even want to protect you against the tiniest microorganisms, like viruses or germs. She’s going to make sure you’re warm, happy, and healthy at all times. If you sniffle or show discomfort, she’ll be all over the situation to make sure you have what you need to get comfortable. This may remind you of a maternal instinct, but she isn’t your mom, she’s just your loving, overprotective girlfriend.
8. She’s a worry wart.
Being overprotective isn’t always the best for the person doing the protecting. In fact, it’s a whole lot of stress when you’re always worried about someone you like or love. Being overprotective will make your girlfriend a worry wart. If she’s with you, she’ll be making sure you’re ok, but if she’s not with you, her mind is going to run laps around where you are, what you’re doing, if you’re ok, and if you need anything. Do her a favor and shoot her a text saying you’re all good but will be busy later so she doesn’t start thinking the worst and going nuts if you can’t talk to her for some reason.
Check out: 10 Signs she’s constantly thinking about you
Conclusion:
Being overprotective comes from caring too much, but it’s easy to overlap these actions with jealousy or with being controlling. So, how many did you tick off? If it’s just two or three you don’t have to sweat it, but four or more may feel a bit overwhelming to the protected person at times. We also have a post on the “7 Types of Overprotective Boyfriends” if you’re interested to check that out. Overall, it’s important to know or to remind your girlfriend that there are some things out of our control and that love and care can also be shown by trusting that the other person also knows what’s best for themselves. So there you have it 8 signs of an over protective girlfriend.