If this person is interested in growing the relationship you all have, they’ll be willing to listen and support you because you all can’t grow in your current relationship until you can heal from the previous one. He may be willing to help you through this process and you all grow and heal together.

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1. background I 20F was broken up around Christmas time. I was at my lowest I have ever been in that break, I was a wreck. I need to put myself together before school starts. Though I was still not in the right headspace, I was able to finish my semester with good grades. I have put off talking to people during the semester.

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2. During my spring break, my friends introduced me to one of their childhood friends after months of begging. I figured, why not? It's my break, work is winding down, and I feel great. I had low expectations talking to this guy (20F) and was not expecting to go far.

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3. the problem Surprisingly, the conversations went well, and I enjoyed talking to him. Fast forward, and we are now dating. Here is where the problem sets in:

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4. I expected pain from my previous relationship to come and go, but I did not think the summer blues were going to hit me this hard. It is even harder bc I am in a long-distance relationship (different colleges and hometowns), but the drives are doable. This means I have ample days/weeks to myself and my thoughts. The pressure of college, jobs, internships, fading friendships, and the past of what I have done to get me to this point hit me like a bus.

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5. I'm scared to talk about this to my current s/o bc they want to hear about your s/o's past relationships, and that's why that's even a thought in their mind. I don't want it to come off as "oh,h I miss those days, I remember when we did this, etc".

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6. This healing process, while being in a relationship with someone healthy mentally, is hard for me. I do want to communicate how I'm feeling and why I'm like this, but I don't want to scare them away or put thoughts of doubt in their mind.

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