While this wild new phenomenon probably sounds like something from a galaxy far, far away, we can assure you that it is actually occurring in your very own backyard! For all you know, it could be happening to you as you read this article and we want to help you learn to protect yourself from all the nasty orbiters in your life!

Orbiting is the hip new dating trend that is being used to describe a person who has ghosted you (the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication) and has suddenly started to like your posts and watch your stories while hiding in the shadows.

This specter from your past has made no attempt to apologize for their past transgressions and they have decided to become a fixture in your virtual life -- constantly making their presence know without ever announcing their intentions!

What can lead a person to act this way and do they truly understand the anxiety it causes the object of all this unwanted affection? Let us go over the basic dynamics of how this emotional terrorism works and some of the things that may contribute to this person orbiting in your life and eating up your precious time!

So imagine you had a few promising dates with a special someone. You are feeling excited and really see things going somewhere. You start making plans for the next date and they seem really into the idea.

The big date is a day away when you realize they haven't answered the text you sent them in the morning, which is weird because they always get back to you right way. Now you are playing a waiting game, just hoping they will finally text you after dinner -- but they don't. They don't even text you the next morning and it begins to come clear what is happening here. The date passes and you don't go but they never message asking where you are, even though you got ready just in case.

They never message again.

Weeks pass, and you have started to forget them until one day you noticed they viewed your story on Instagram and they even liked you posted! Your space feels invaded and on top of that, those feelings of rejection start to linger around you again. Checking Instagram and Snapchat is suddenly less fun and more stressful. You ask your friends and they tell it's happened to them more than a few times.

Orbitingcan be very triggering for people and lead to feelings of shame and fear as a result. No one likes a constant reminder of a time when someone was reckless with your feelings when you put them out there unguarded. It makes a person second guess a lot of the things that make them great in the first place.

You need to ask yourself:

Is that level of negativity what this orbiting person is trying to bring to your life or is there more to it than meets the eye?

For some, it will be a reaction that is more rooted in fear and they will grapple with the orbiters intentions in a different way. They may even become worried for their safety since this person doesn't seem capable of remorse or empathy. It seems rather unfair to have these people placing you in such uncomfortable situations for their own selfish reasons because let's face it, this experience isn't meant as a favor to you. Let's go over the basics, so we can help you take that power and gain control of this situation again -- so it doesn't spiral out of control!

Sure this all sounds bad, and you probably want to go digging further into this person's motives for orbiting and causing you all this grief and stress. So before we go looking deeper, we want to take the time to remind you there is a simple way to take care of this problem and stop these people from hijacking your emotions:

JUST BLOCK THEM

You owe these people nothing at this point, so there is nothing rude about just pulling the plug a moving on. It allows you to get some power back in this orbiting situation and have the upper hand by showing them how little they really mean to you. You will need to accept that you probably won't gain closure doing this though, and that is something that we as humans tend to crave. So we understand if that isn't an option for you, which is why we created this handy guide below to help you sort through this messy situation. Even if you are planning on blocking them, we recommend you continue reading so you know all your options!

While blocking these creeps is a helpful tip, there are a handful of people who this won't help with. As we all know, some people are just creeps, so when you block these people you may want to keep an eye on who is viewing your stories during the week. We live in a time when people can generate as many accounts as they want and that means if they are a weirdo they may have backup accounts. We recommend you watch for strangers watching your stories during that week, or friend requests from people you don't know.

You can usually spot a fake account by a notable lack of content and details. Feel free to block strangers during that period of observation because your safety is the most important thing here.

If you are really determined to block out, we recommend you set your account to private for a couple weeks so they can cool down and you can avoid more conflict. These are choices for you to make but you should remember that it never hurts to exercise some caution in these matters!

The big question at this point must be WHY!

We can't blame you for wondering that and now we are going to attempt to catalog the possible reasons people might turn to actions such as orbiting.

Are they all malicious? Do they want redemption? Are they just plain old confused?

With emerging issues like orbiting, they haven't been around long enough to have full studies done yet for conclusive answers, but with the assistance of our skilled dating advisors, we hope to shed a little light on the possible reasons people act this way. While gathering this data it became very clear that the internet is like the virtual wild west still and many experts are out there trying to fully understand the impact that it has on people and the new anxieties it is creating on a global level. The impact is undeniable, so the demand to understand these new issues is definitely there. Luckily for you, our dating experts have their fingers on the pulse of the scene and passionately believe that they know why people are drawn into these extreme scenarios and what they mean to them!

It will come as no surprise to hear that some people love to have power over others, and as a result, some people will play this elaborate game to achieve this. Whether you are dealing with men or women, it isn't always easy to spot this types of things. Sure, some will make it easy by being outright sleazy or offensive on the first date, but let's be honest, it would be nice if those people ghosted us, even a relief in some cases!

Orbiting is only upsetting when you actually liked the person, it hurts seeing them hide in the shadows of your life when you were willing to give them a much more prominent role.

Unfortunately, there are people out there who treat the dating world like a hunting ground and the experts believe that their Instagram by extension is like an online trophy room. Checking in on you is just a new way for them to stroke their already monstrous ego and the longer you let them do it is a reflection of how much you miss them even though they hurt you. So don't give a person who thinks that way have the satisfaction of thinking they have any control over you. Block them and show them who is in control of the situation and that orbiting isn't an option!

It may surprise you to know that some of your peers are just not very tech savvy individuals. It is easy to assume that in that age of electronic enlightenment there are some people your age who don't have the familiarity you do. Let's been honest, none of us actually read the instructions for Instagram and Snapchat we just learn it through osmosis. This process is really dependent on the user's exposure to the apps, how else will they ever learn that you can mute a story by holding your icon until the option appears, that feature isn't exactly intuitive. Perhaps they are not cyber stalking you but just don't know better!

When it comes to orbiting, it is best to remember that some people on dating sites have no intention of actually meeting people because they are secretly in a relationship. They are just in it for the attention and selfies, so if you try to make a date with them, they just disappear from the face of the earth. They would love to meet you, but they simply are not single, so they peep in for as long as you let them after the fact. So shut these cheaters down as soon as possible. Don't help them in their infidelities and you will sleep better at night.

Not everyone is blessed with social graces and some people have anxiety issues that compound that issue even further. While we don't condone ghosting, research has shown that the pressure of the real-life meet up is too much pressure for some people and they chicken out at the last moment. They never intended to hurt, in fact, they wanted to please you, but couldn't follow through. Now they are haunted be this lost opportunity and know they ruined there chances. So they watch from afar and hope you reach out eventually and continue orbiting until then.

There are some experts that believe the main purpose of orbiting is to serve as a gentle transition into another new dating tend that people are becoming aware of called zombie-ing! No this doesn't mean that your orbiter will one day attempt to eat your lovely grey matter out of your head. It is defined as:

A person who cuts off all contact but then repeatedly comes back after long absences. Different from someone who ghosts and never returns, a zombie pops up and says hi every few months.

Don't be too flattered when they pop back up, it usually implies that they picked someone else over you, but that fell through. They won't say that though, it will sound more like:

Sorry, but I was going through a rough patch.

We have all fallen for that old one before! So be on the lookout for these devilish little tricks!

Did we teach you a thing or two? If you still haven't learned your lesson, then why not take a peek at our other fabulous relationship advice guides NOW RIGHT HERE!

Ever wondered what "capering" is? Find out now by reading our article HERE!!