I just got out of a long term relationship and have no clue how to interact with people anymore.

I (26M) just recently got out of a 9 year relationship and I'm struggling with trying to meet new people.

Some back story on why I have no social skills.

Ive always been fairly introverted and never been the greatest with approaching people, but I used to have quite a few friends that I'd get out and hang with.

Throughout the first year of the relationship with my ex I ended up disassociating with pretty much everyone, getting rid of all social media and stopped doing a lot of the things I enjoyed. We always did everything together so i didn't notice the issues there until way later. She had self esteem issues and it made her uncomfortable when I'd talk to or spend time with friends, whether male or female, so over time I just stopped talking to everyone.

After 9 years of avoiding developing any meaningful relationships or even having a conversation that amounted to more than "how are you today?" I'm at a loss as to how to approach people and hold a conversation, especially with women, considering I've been "trained" to avoid talking to or interacting with women for so long, it still feels like I'm doing something wrong just by trying to get to know someone.

I really don't even know what I'm asking for advice on since I'm at a loss on so many aspects of relationship building. I'd like to get back into dating and meeting new people, get out of my comfort zone, and get out more.

Any comments, suggestions, and advice would be greatly appreciated and if you want me to elaborate on or explain anything else just ask.



Submitted May 26, 2020 at 12:01AM

I (26M) just recently got out of a 9 year relationship and I'm struggling with trying to meet new people.Some back story on why I have no social skills.Ive always been fairly introverted and never been the greatest with approaching people, but I used to have quite a few friends that I'd get out and hang with.Throughout the first year of the relationship with my ex I ended up disassociating with pretty much everyone, getting rid of all social media and stopped doing a lot of the things I enjoyed. We always did everything together so i didn't notice the issues there until way later. She had self esteem issues and it made her uncomfortable when I'd talk to or spend time with friends, whether male or female, so over time I just stopped talking to everyone.After 9 years of avoiding developing any meaningful relationships or even having a conversation that amounted to more than "how are you today?" I'm at a loss as to how to approach people and hold a conversation, especially with women, considering I've been "trained" to avoid talking to or interacting with women for so long, it still feels like I'm doing something wrong just by trying to get to know someone.I really don't even know what I'm asking for advice on since I'm at a loss on so many aspects of relationship building. I'd like to get back into dating and meeting new people, get out of my comfort zone, and get out more.Any comments, suggestions, and advice would be greatly appreciated and if you want me to elaborate on or explain anything else just ask.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Add Comments, Posts, Links... etc.

Popular posts from this blog

The difference between being right and being understood

My boyfriend and I are 28. We’ve been together for about 1.5 years and recently moved in together. He’s a pretty patient and easygoing person (Type B) whereas I’m more particular (Type A). Of course there are two sides to every trait, and my Type A nature benefits us in some ways too. Like all couples, we have differences in perspective or preference. When this happens, he will usually say something like “I disagree (with your perspective) but fine.” I tend to push the issue in an attempt to get him to understand where I’m coming from. This escalates the disagreement into a fight because he perceives it as me trying to be “right”. I truly just want to be understood (and I want to understand where he’s coming from) so I’m looking for more of a dialogue whereas he avoids conflict and just wants it to be over as quickly as possible. His general approach is “agree to disagree” but that doesn’t make sense to me when it’s an issue that will keep coming up and requires compromise. I’m n...
Read more

My (27f) gf (27f) is getting tired of me not sharing intimate/ personal info about me

I’ve always been extremely private and introverted. We have more than a year together and we’ve been living together for like 6 months, we get along pretty good and I’m really in love with her, however I can not seem to open up... and I can tell it’s frustrating to her by the way she tells me it bothers her that she feels she’s the only one committed and the one that’s always sharing... At this point I don’t even know if it is that I’ve gotten too used to it, to the point I’ve became lazy to talk about myself or give any genuine personal opinion... it sucks, really, I need to communicate better... Where do I start? Tl;dr: I can’t be completely intimate with my gf and its frustrating her, I need to communicate better because I really love her... where to start? Submitted April 25, 2019 at 06:02AM I’ve always been extremely private and introverted. We have more than a year together and we’ve been living together for like 6 months, we get along pretty good and I’m really in love ...
Read more

My (23M) girlfriend (25F) relationship is confusing to me. I might be the problem, or maybe we are just incompatible.

I met my girlfriend after a few serious breakups that led me to change both intentionally and unintentionally over a few years. For better and for worse. She had just gotten out of an engagement with a verbally and physically abusive man who had a cocaine problem. We have been together about 8 months now. We hit it off and spent a lot of time together but she began to push our relationship as if there were a time clock for milestones. I was pressed beyond my comfort zone and went with it because of my affection for her. My living situation fell apart and I lost a few thousand dollars to shit roommates right around the time she and I met and she offered to let me stay with her. I agreed with some resistance. I pay for food, help her with bills, and throw money toward rent while trying to get back on my feet. As long as we have been together she has gotten more possessive, angry, and irrational. She is dealing with shit from her engagement and I feel shes looking for a level of seriou...
Read more