Wasted Youth.

Here's the story, I'm 27 years old now, and 2 years ago, my first real love of 5 years dumped me. We had met as freshmen in 2006 and spent all of our time in university together. She was sweet, kind hearted, beautiful, and we spent most of our time together until we graduated in our degree.

Back then when i was 20, i was so immature,naive,low self esteem and self respect, and i vent all that negative emotion mostly towards her. I said all the stupid things when i let emotions rule me....back then i wasn't smart enough to realize this until it's too late, i destroyed what we had..i'm the guy that doesn't always realize the error of his ways at just the right moment. i take advantage of her kindness and take it for granted. She was very sympathetic, patient, giving n loving, n I’m too stupid to notice that, I disappointed her n yet she always put up with me. I was a douchebag, asshole n ungrateful bastard, and i still cant forgive myself for that.

Then on July 2011, she told me that we had grown too far apart. She told me she loved me "in a different way," now. She love me, but not as same as she used to. I didn't want to believe it. I begged her to stay with me. I promised to spend more time together and make it like things were when we first met, and change who i used to be, but she insisted on breaking up. I was devastated. She was the only girl I've ever been with. I spent so many nights crying myself to sleep, driving to secluded places and slamming on things and screaming until my hands were numb and I was out of breath, but as time went on, I realized and started to accept being without her.

I'm doing my best to move on, but being without her made me realize that I wasted so much of my youth. From 20 to 25, the time when most young guys are supposed to have fun and party and chase girls, I was stuck with this one who wouldn't even stick around.

I never learned to flirt. I never even learned to ask a girl out or even talk to her because I spent all my time with my girlfriend, and it's killing me inside. I want to meet someone new, but I'm 27 now and I feel like I'm still in fucking highschool! I can't even look a girl in the eye and ask for her name or say mine. 

It's so hard moving on alone. I'm trying to look to the future, but every day alone is more hope out the window. I feel like a ship adrift at sea; like a blind man trying to get out of a maze. Every day, I feel more and empty and dead inside.

The hardest part for me has been to look around and see everyone else around me - my friends, entering the "married and bred" phase of their life and here I am, effectively - as you feel - an 18 year old again.

I want to meet someone new. I want to go on a date again. I want to feel wanted and desired again, but I have no idea where to begin...So please god, help me.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

This sucks. I never expected to have this problem growing up. But I did. And i just realized i've been dealing with this most of my life.

I feel like my social skills have been delayed for so long. I wonder if I will ever catch up. I wonder if I will ever be "normal" like other people. I wonder if I will be able to have normal friendships and to connect with others normally.

At first, the problem wasn't me. I used to think I didn't have any friends because of my social skills. But then I talk pretty normal, sound pretty normal....I think I am pretty normal. Except I think i'm kinda smart but then I am not nerdy or geek or anything. And i have my own passion which is music. Particularly in rock music. Whenever it comes to rock and roll, i suddenly become the energetic, confident, expressive version of myself, it's like my alterego. I'm not afraid to let loose and go crazy when it comes to that. And Kurt Cobain is my all time hero. 

I guess it all started when I got bullied, more to verbal abuse. I withdrew for a number of years. People labeled me with unwanted labels and reputations. I didn't deserve that. The problem wasn't me. Kids can be so cruel and it hurt a lot.

I developed trust issues. I became shyer from being told to shut up and being told I was boring, uninteresting, any number of names etc. I began to withdraw more to protect myself, I became more unfriendly to protect myself from rejection and hurt. It became harder for me to see who I could trust and who I couldn't trust.  I became more and more uncomfortable around people automatically.  I would cast myself automatically as a reject, outcase, I would act like I didn't belong and didn't fit in.

I had started to OUTCAST my ownself. To victimize and put myself down before anyone else did. I was doing this internally without realizing it. After many many years, I had begun to do to myself, what was done to me. I was self-destructive. I was bitter, angry and emotional. I did not understand what had happened. I did not consider anyone a friend. Only 1 or 2 people that i ever considered as my best friends, and 1 of them was my ex gf. It's sad but true. I could not trust a person's intentions. I glossed over words like "friendship", "bond", "fun" because they were too painful and I told myself they didn't apply to me. And because of that, my girlfriend who have been together with me for 5 years finally left because of my negative behavior, personality and attitude. I dont blame her, she deserve to be happy anyway, with someone who positive and better person.

Currently I'm learning to observe people. It has been a long road. I don't have difficulty making contact or making acquaintances but I can't seem to take it farther than that. I have the most difficulty with people who don't need my help, with people who are put together.

I was perfectly normal as a young child, fun, engaging, interesting, I reached out to people. It was only after being teased, labeled, stigmatized, beat down, hurt, and rejected over and over that I became like this. Overtime I developed behaviors and attitudes that led me down this path, and the weird thing is, I was even aware and conscious of it, but i really dont know how to control it.

I have been used many times. I have been manipulated and deceived by so-called friends who knew that I am a nice and good person and who used that to their advantage. I am tired of being used. I am tired of people who bail on me the second they get what they want, and people who only think of me  the second they need or want something. After all deep down, i think i'm really a nice, kind hearted person, do i have to break bad so the world will notice my existence?