Keep her texting engaged when she's gone quiet or slow to reply

Busy looks like: delayed replies but still real substance when she does text, or an actual explanation (work is crazy, dealing with something). Checked out looks like: one-word answers, no follow-up questions from her, replies that don't move anything forward, taking 6+ hours on a day she's usually quick.

The second one sometimes recovers, but it usually means she's either lost steam on you specifically or she's in contact with someone she's more interested in. Either way, your job isn't to convince her to care again. It's to give her a low-pressure opening to re-engage, and then actually read whether she takes it.

When things are fading, asking more questions or trying to dig deeper just confirms that you're the one carrying the conversation. Instead, send something that works on its own. Share something specific that made you think of her, drop a quick observation that's just funny or interesting, or suggest something concrete to do. The move is to introduce new momentum instead of asking her to generate it.

At the same time, don't pretend nothing's shifted. A message that acknowledges the slowdown lightly, then pivots to something actually engaging, shows you notice and you're not needy about it. That combination often brings people back.

After you send a solid re-engagement message, give her two days. If she doesn't reply or only sends another half-hearted one-liner, you have your answer. Don't send follow-up texts, don't send a check-in message after three days, and don't explain why you're stepping back.

If she does reply with real substance and energy, jump back in. But if she stays distant after you've already given her an easy way to re-engage, then stop initiating. Either move to low-contact (only reply if she reaches out) or let it fade completely. The only exception is if she explicitly says she's going through something. Otherwise, continuing to push just teaches her that inconsistency works.