Hi @Sherbert_Swan
I see that this is your first post here on ReachOut, and I wanted to say welcome to the online community. I am so very proud of you for opening up about this; we're all here for you! And I hope what myself and others have to say may help you a little.
Relationships ending can be really hard, regardless of how they ended, and it's very valid to struggle with moving on from it too; I've been there myself. I also understand wanting to begin a new relationship with someone, do you feel like you're ready for a new relationship? I'm curious to know during the past 12 months, have you been seeing a counsellor/therapist? They can really help with processing the end of a relationship, among other things.
The dating scene can absolutely be tricky to navigate and, honestly, quite draining, repetitive and a bit disheartening at times when people lose interest, ghost us, or just have a completely different lifestyle, interests, etc, than ourselves. Finding the right person takes time. I do recommend joining online/in-person groups that focus on your hobbies and interests, you may potentially find a new partner that way, and you'd be able to establish a connection by having a shared hobby/interest. For me and my current relationship, I was looking for friends in an online LGBTQIA+ space and hit things off immediately; we've been together for 14 months. I know that it can really hurt when people we're interested in lose interest in us and want nothing to do with us, but please know that while it may seem like most your age do drugs or smoke, etc, there are many who don't!
ReachOut does have a few articles on romantic relationships here that may help you! Kids Helpline and Headspace are also available to talk to as well, or you can even see a GP and discuss what has been happening and go from there😊
In the meantime, it's important that you look after yourself by practising some self-care, whether that looks like eating a favourite food, listening to music or even whipping out a fun bath bomb and treating yourself to a relaxing bath: TLC is so important!
Hope to hear from you 😁
- Matcha_Toad 🐸🍵💚
