"Ghosting" has become a popular term lately to define someone's behavior when they suddenly stop talking to you or responding to your text messages. Usually, ghosting is given a negative connotation, because the people who have been ghosted on are upset, hurting, and, more often than not, they might be denying the reasons that someone has ceased communication with them. This is attributed to sometimes being cowardly or immature, because you could just directly let the person know why you don't want to talk to them anymore.

But here's the real spoiler: no one deserves the right to your time.

Life is hard, making friends is hard, loving is hard, and, sometimes, leaving toxic people is hard. It doesn't matter that the person who is texting you relentlessly spent a few really good days in your inner circle. The moment someone begins to hurt you and make you resent yourself and your choices, you have the right to not offer that person any more of your time—and no, it is not cowardly to not tell them directly.

Sometimes, by responding to one of many texts, you are encouraging that person to continue haunting you even more; they might feel instigated by your response and continue to goad you into a harmful friendship or relationship with them. Other times, the person is honestly not worth your time anymore. We can't respond to text messages from blocked numbers. There is nothing wrong with that.

The most important thing to remember here is that you should love yourself before you ever feel like you need to share that love with someone else. The people who deserve to be in your life will be in it. You will let them know they are appreciated and show that you like their company with every text message, every phone call, and every dinner meeting that you attend.

As for the people who haven't earned that right, leave them behind. Don't let them coax you into keeping them into your life time after time that they fail you and make you forget everything that you are worth and everything that you are capable of. It is not your job to hope that someone "gets the hint" if they have already ruined you.

Now, here's my hint for anyone who is angry or upset that they are being ghosted —take back your time. Make it yours. If people aren't there for you when you think that they should be, even if it isn't your fault like much of this article has claimed, you also get to pick who is included in your life. Don't dwell on the person who doesn't want to be a part of your world anymore, because your time is worth so much more than that.

But, above all, just remember that our time in this life is limited. Spend it with the people who really matter, and don't let anyone who doesn't try to take that from you.