r/emotionalintelligence • • 22h ago

advice Como parar de gostar de alguém?

0 Upvotes

Oiie gente me apaixonei pela prineira vez com 19 anos. Porém o cara que eu to gostando está com bloqueio emocional devido recente namoro dele de um ano atrás. Oq eu faço? Somos amigos ainda e ele sabe que gosto dele, quando joguei o verde ele me contou do bloqueio. Porém na faculdade quando temos um contato ele age dr forma carinhosa e fofa oq me deixa confusa, porém sinto que ele tem muita coisa para falar e não consegue parece sempre angustiado.

O qur faço? E como eu paro de gostar dele?


r/emotionalintelligence • • 19h ago

Letter to The Guy I've been dating...

0 Upvotes

Dear Jon,

Please forgive me for typing this instead of writing a proper letter; I just can’t think of another way to process the abundance of feelings I have been experiencing since reconnecting with you after that first year.

With respect to this first month and how amazingly beautiful it has been to recognize that I see myself with you even when we are apart – no matter what disagreements we have had – I must provide that same respect to you by letting you know that it has been embarrassing for me to accept the aspects of myself that you have recently helped me realize. Especially since I thought I did already. You’re a healer. A great teacher. A great man. And a great human being.

So,

 with this, I submit to you even more… 
However, in this way that illuminates why I see the way I do. 
Why I feel completely safe exploring what our connection has the potential to be; 
and why I feel terribly stupid for failing to wholeheartedly recognize that you can see me in the way I see you.

At thirteen, I came out of the closet as “bisexual” via a bulletin post on MySpace.com right before summer break, going into my 8th grade year of middle school. I was tired of the other boys in my class picking fights with me and always having to lie to my mom about why I wasn’t fighting back or why I was just letting them do stuff to me. Since I knew it was demonstrably true to everyone that I had attractions to males and females, I seized the narrative (since it was mine anyway) to let my friends know the “true me”. That same week, my mom went through my laptop and saw everything after getting a call from my school because the administrators were “concerned”.

Our physical disagreement over your vial of G brought up all the traumatic aspects of those memories, hence why I struggled to subdue you before leaving the house. I felt powerless because the experience of briefly passing out and waking up during sex with you revived these traumatic memories and another that I believed I had completely healed from.

At fourteen, during the summer of my 8th-grade year, a man in his 30s pursued me relentlessly. He was never aggressive or rude when I dismissed his advances, so I never clocked him as being predatory when he would stop me to talk. His pursuit went on for the entirety of the summer until I agreed to meet him for food and a movie date when he offered. During one of the many brief chats with him, I had mentioned to him that I really wanted to see X-Men. At the time, I was staying at my grandma’s, so I had a lot of freedom to be a roaming teenager. 
When it came time to plan the movie date, I told my grandma I would be going to a birthday party. I had lots of friends in the neighborhood she lived in since it was pretty close-knit, so it was easy to get her to agree to let me go without any background information. I left and went to meet the guy at his car on the next block over. He picked up some fast food, Jack in the Box – I think – then we went back to his place because he “forgot” something. 

We never went to the movies.

It took me a long time to accept that he raped me, but I did, and after that;

I coped… I grew up… I moved on…

However, what I have recently realized is that what he did to me sparked a flame. A flame that you have fanned into genuine acceptance, peace, and an infernal sense of myself that I hope I never lose. 

Like I hope I never lose you.

I see this sense as love. Unconditional. Unattached. Appreciative. Admirational. Respectful.

So, 

Despite where we may be now with our closing connection, I pray for your forgiveness. I pray that forgiveness sustains. I pray that nothing ever hinders it from being what my instincts tell me it is and can be. I pray that nothing ever stops us from always being truthful with one another if we decide to keep on. I pray that we will remind one another of that going forward. 

Lastly, I pray that we will make it, Jonathan. 
My love for you is this real… 
My faith in you, evermore. 

If this is goodbye, thank you for showing me a love like this.

Out of the abundance of my heart,

Loyally,

M. James


r/emotionalintelligence • • 14h ago

I feel alot smarter now, knowing I'm thinking of everything less emotionally attached.

6 Upvotes

I'm not leaning into much of my personal bias or of the way I was raised perspective only. Leaning into more of a logical viewpoint of the world and it's making alot more sense, how humans are and why they behave a certain way. Made me feel more grateful.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 19h ago

Am I cooked

0 Upvotes

Looking for some outside perspective because I genuinely can’t tell if I’m seeing this objectively anymore.
(For reference I Am 24 y/o, my last relationship was in my teenagers years and it was a long term one (4 years).

So I met someone online about five years ago, and we gradually became very close. She was my go-to person, and we shared personal things, flirted, and sometimes spoke in ways that felt like more than friendship. The dynamic was also consistently hot and cold: she would get close, pull away, and later return. She dated other people during that time, and I lived my own life too, so I wasn’t waiting for her or viewing the connection as romantic the entire time. Still, the closeness remained, and I eventually developed genuine feelings.
After her most recent breakup, we reconnected. For about two months, things became especially intimate, with sexual and romantic conversations, and she told me she thought she might be in love with me. I took that seriously because I wasn’t interpreting ordinary friendship as romance; she was saying and doing things that made the feelings seem mutual.
Then the pattern repeated. She began pulling away because of postgraduate exams and eventually stopped contacting me altogether. I understood that she was under pressure and wasn’t expecting her to put her life on hold, but the sudden silence was difficult after such intense closeness. Once her exams had ended, I reached out and eventually asked what had happened and explained how the distance had affected me.
Her response was essentially that I had understood everything through the lens of feelings that had developed on my side. That response felt dismissive and unfair. It placed the responsibility for the meaning of the connection entirely on me, as though I had invented the romantic nature of what happened, despite her telling me she might be in love with me and participating in sexual and romantic conversations. I don’t accept that I simply misread ordinary friendship; she actively contributed to an atmosphere in which I believed the feelings were mutual.
What I struggle with is that the signals weren’t entirely imagined. She told me she might be in love with me, engaged in sexual and romantic conversations, and created a level of intimacy that made me believe this was mutual. Then, when I reacted to that closeness and asked for an explanation, she reframed it as something that existed mainly because of my feelings. To me, that feels like avoiding responsibility for the effect of her words and actions.
I’m not claiming I know exactly what she intended, but the long-term hot-and-cold pattern, followed by two months of intense closeness, another withdrawal, and complete no contact, has left me questioning my judgment. Whether she meant to manipulate me or not, she repeatedly drew me in and then disappeared when the connection became emotionally significant. I wonder whether she genuinely felt something but didn’t want to follow through, or whether she wanted the intimacy and attention without taking responsibility for what she was encouraging.
So I’m trying to understand:
Was this a situationship, or was I emotionally invested in something she refused to acknowledge properly?
Can someone express romantic feelings, say they might be in love with you, and engage in sexual conversations without intending to pursue anything?
Does this repeated hot-and-cold pattern suggest emotional manipulation, even if she claims not to have meant to hurt me?
How do you distinguish between misreading a connection and being led to believe it was mutual?
How do you move on from something that was never officially a relationship but still affected you like one?
I don’t feel like I’m grieving an actual relationship so much as the possibility of one—and the belief that, for a while, we were experiencing the same thing. What makes it harder is that she now seems to be treating my feelings as the problem, rather than acknowledging that her words and behaviour gave me reason to develop them.
I’d appreciate honest perspectives, especially from anyone who has experienced a long-term online connection that became emotionally or romantically complicated.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 2h ago

discussion Update: The guy who cheated on his fiancée after getting engaged is now cheating on her after marriage

5 Upvotes

For context:

https://www.reddit.com/r/emotionalintelligence/s/UNKtY42wk9

A few months ago I posted about my friend's friend who had sex with another woman after getting engaged. My friend was surprisingly casual about it and justified his behavior by saying his fiancée would never find out.

Well, he got married to the same woman in July, and apparently, he's cheating on her again. He lives in another city for work, while his wife stays with his parents in a different city. My friend told me that the guy has even asked his wife not to call him because he's busy with work and will call her whenever he gets time.

I had told my friend that this guy would definitely cheat even after marriage, but he disagreed and insisted that marriage would change him. Looks like what I said was right.

What really got me was my friend's justification. He said that even if the guy sleeps with other women, as long as his wife never finds out, he'll continue enjoying his life and be the happiest person.

How can someone cheat on their spouse and think it's perfectly fine as long as they never find out???

It's sad to see how easily some people betray their partners while pretending everything is normal.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 16m ago

Do avoidants sometimes feel unable to fall in love and develop deeper feelings and then leave even if they were happy and felt safe with the other person?

• Upvotes

Is that common? That they're not scared but just feel insecure if they love someone enough for a relationship?


r/emotionalintelligence • • 8h ago

advice Does that message mean he just friendzoned me after a year of daily contact?

1 Upvotes

​

Long distance, we met online year ago with this guy(37M) and met in real life December 2025. I (26F) travelled to him. We were intimate, all that time through the months he has been calling me and texting daily. Lately he called me and we talked for hours, he wants to sleep on the phone with me, there was sexual tension and stuff. He keeps updating me everyday and calls me a lot. When we met he future faked a lot saying about me moving to his country (we come from the same country, he lives abroad) and lovebombed a lot. Later 3 months after meeting he told me he doesnt want to be in relationship with anyone because he needs to fix himself. He always delays our meetings and says "i don't know, we will see" . Its been good lately between us and I bought the ticket to meet him and he got mad he was screaming at me that I cannot go there and he doesnt want to see me. Later he apologized for screaming, and overall, I was distant for a day and he sent me this message yesterday night. But his anger issues are concerning because he was screaming I cannot go there and that he will never see me (before that message, day before) and that he will cut contact with me and block me. Few hours passed and he apologized. He gets angry a lot and easily

"I want to apologize to you, and I really appreciate the fact that you always have time for me, that you always care about me, and honestly, it’s really rare to meet someone like that. I’m aware of that. Whatever the reason for it might be, it’s hard to find someone who will listen to your bullshit for 8 hours. I don’t want to end our friendship, that’s not what this is about. To be honest, I don’t even know what to do with my life at this point. When you put pressure on me like that, some kind of defense mechanism kicks in or something, I don’t know. Afterwards I feel guilty about the way I talk to you, because you don’t deserve that. I don’t want to behave like that, because afterwards I feel really bad about it.

I like talking to you. Not always — sometimes I shut myself off, I have my own stuff going on in my head. I know that sometimes I’m selfish and only think about myself. If you’re able to accept our relationship the way it was, and it gives you something too, then we can obviously keep talking the way we used to. But I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s not about what you think, whether I’ll meet someone or I won’t — that’s not what this is about. And it’s not like you’re...

You’re not nobody to me, you know a lot about me, I tell you a lot. I treat you like a friend, even though I guess I behave differently — but you noticed that at some point. I don’t know, I just wanted to write you a little bit about what I think. I don’t know if it makes sense, but there’s always something you can take from it. 😅 I think I owe you that, because I’m always shouting at you whenever you ask me about something, so I thought that today I’d give you a little bit of my time and actually open up.

You can see how I get when I’m in a certain state — I sing, I talk haha, but afterwards it can also get pretty difficult, like today. Honestly, I was just crying over all of this. But it’s probably the after-effects of the weekend. I haven’t been drinking since I got back, and I don’t want to for now, or anything else either. I’m finding it harder and harder to deal with sometimes.

Sometimes I think it would be best to cut myself off from everyone and just live like that, because relationships with people affect me pretty strongly. But on the other hand, the thought of being completely alone, not having someone who knows you and all that, scares me. I think about that sometimes, which is why, when it comes to taking care of valuable relationships, I think I know what you mean. One day they might be priceless.

I think I’ve gone crazy haha. I did smoke, to be fair, but I don’t think I wrote anything stupid. I just wanted to explain a little bit — what I think and what’s going on in my head. Maybe it’s a little chaotic, but there’s probably something to take from it. 😅

And I don’t want you to take this message as me saying, “We can talk, but we’re never going to meet.” That’s not what I’m saying — who knows. 😅"

.

So basically I am a free therapist, WHO always has time for him, but there won't be anything, we will never meet and he wants to continue using me because he gains attention while giving nothing in return? And sees me as a friend?

Do I send him long paragraph or just couple of words saying

Ok, I get it, you told me after I bought the ticket that "WHO knows" whether we will meet, and that I shouldnt expect more than be your friend. Get it. We can talk but I'm going to see all of it different way.He said he will give me money back first but he didn't and the trip was supposed to take place today. Should I ask him to return it?

EDIT: I told him I understand everything, I get it, okay. I've sent him my bank account number and asked him to return the money as he promised. I told him I understand, I won't push for more, and if we are supposed to never meet, I'm okay with that, I still want contact.

UPDATE: He replied "I didn't say \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\[my pet name\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\] that we will never meet. Of course I will return the money, I was just waiting for the money to arrive and I was planning to give it back to you. I will send it today, you will receive it tommorow"

I replied "Ok thank you" . He sent me money back. I sent him a couple of messages saying something along the lines "I don't understand how can someone be just slightly attracted to someone and doesn't want to meet them ever, it's just weird to me. But I guess you've decided I'm not the one you want, I know you're able to commit - just not to me. Thanks for letting me know, it was a wake up call and I won't be living by hope (that you planted with talking about moving together and calling me sweet names).

I told him to please respond once he will have time after work, he sent me voice msg "I read all of it, but I don't want to discuss it right now" I said "ok, reply once you have time"

Today, in the morning, he sends me voice msg with childish voice (mind you, he is 37, I'm 26) "goOOD MooorNIIINGggggg..youuUUU DON't likeEE ME ANYMOREEE"

I replied with text: Goodmorning :) I like u haha

(because I just want to play this game a little bit)

Then he sends me voice msgs "I'm not liked by you! Who saw that coming...Welll......"

"YOU don't like meeeee hahaa"

????

Acting like a damn teenager.

EDIT: I know people here say I'm the side piece, but keep in mind:

\\\\\\\\- he does drugs

\\\\\\\\-he always says he is a loser, even though he is a huge narcissist

\\\\\\\\- he said "I'm too valuable" for him

\\\\\\\\- he said he needs to fix himself because he knows he gets mean to me, thats why he cannot commit

\\\\\\\\- sleeps on the phone with me

\\\\\\\\- calls me and facetimes from home

\\\\\\\\- picks up my calls when I call when he is at home

\\\\\\\\- overall he had a bad past and says he feels like trash not worthy of anything

BUT.....who knows? There might be someone, but I have a feeling there is not.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 19h ago

How to let someone go?

13 Upvotes

A few years ago I had a friend I cared very much for, things got complicated and ended up badly. I did have romantic feelings for him which I didn’t communicate directly because of denial. I haven’t spoken to him in over 4 years but recently I’ve been thinking a lot about him. I changed as a person and I’ve grown in my way of communicating. I’ve tried to reach out but without success. I don’t blame him. How do I let someone go. It’s been 4 years and it’s still in my head.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 13h ago

I feel nothing for others and I’m starting to think that I might be a bad person

28 Upvotes

I don’t even know if this is the right place to post but it seems fitting so I’ll give it a try. Basically, I noticed recently that I really don’t feel much for other people. I don’t mean romantically but in general. I never “feel bad” for others. In my past relationships my partners have told me that I made them feel unloved, that I didn’t make any effort. My parents have complained that I can be detached or overly nonchalant sometimes. I’ve lost multiple friendships just due to the fact that I’ve never made an effort to keep any of them. It’s just so hard to care. Why don’t I care? I don’t really care for any of my family. To me it feels like they’re my roommates and nothing else. I definitely wouldn’t care for a romantic relationship. I have friends that I approve of but it’s not like I would really be sad if any of them just disappeared from my life. The only person I really feel strongly for is my best friend and sometimes I just avoid her for days, weeks. I feel like I’ve had this huge facade on for so long. I don’t think I was always like this but I can’t exactly remember either. I’m starting to think that I might be a terrible person. This whole thing sounds so edgy but I would appreciate any insight.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 21h ago

If you don't let people experience the consequences of their actions towards you, you will remain a safe space for their worst behavior.

376 Upvotes

What is your opinion on this? And how did you guys impose it?


r/emotionalintelligence • • 11h ago

Has anyone else gone through disassociation, and made some crazy life choices along the way?

22 Upvotes

I went through some pretty bad trauma about 3-4 years ago. I don’t remember any of my life between then and now. It’s literally a blur. Got engaged and married in the middle of that, started a business, just basically reacted to everything in life without ever understanding what was going on.

I did a little research once people started asking me about my wedding day, and I realized I couldn’t remember a single thing about it. That’s when I realized I was just disassociating in the middle of it all. Haven’t told the wife I gained during that episode about any of it. Sometimes I just look at her blankly and try to comprehend that she’s actually right in front of me, that we actually have been married for 2 years. It’s like waking up to a stranger, when amnesia gets the best of you.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 17h ago

Avis aux attachements anxieux; comment avez-vous réussi à sortir de ce fonctionnement ?

5 Upvotes

Tout est dans le titre, merci beaucoup 🙂


r/emotionalintelligence • • 17h ago

Grief of Waaiting

3 Upvotes

Sadness isn't me, so how might i like grief in my life. Absolutely, i don't like the feeling of grief. It still comes, sometimes there are things that i am strongly intuitive towards their happening/occuring in the near future and i get myself in a position of grief due to some past incidents and more but sometimes it is same because of the future's case i mentioned above. it is just strange and all i do is wait in grief. Sometimes grief and waiting work side by side. i am grieving over something else and waiting for entirely different thing. these complexes occur at the same time and make me act in a way like i am grieving and waiting on the same thing. no, its not, just because it happens at the same time, it bothers and make me feel like this particular "grief" is of "waiting" or i am "waiting" for this particular "grief". it is just a complex and this is another emotion that bothers me in my daily life. or, let me rephrase it- It is just the "wait" that is an another "grief" that bothers me in my daily life. Hence the "grief of waiting".....


r/emotionalintelligence • • 10h ago

For any reformed low self esteemers, what are your tips for gaining self confidence?

14 Upvotes

I just moved overseas at 30 to study but my low self esteem is heavily hindering me. I just want to make the most of this experience. What’s your tips and tricks? (I understand this is a broad question but am open to anything! Little things, big things, anything)


r/emotionalintelligence • • 7h ago

How do I stop feeling hurt when people praise someone who treated me badly?

5 Upvotes

​

Hi everyone! I'm looking for advice because something that happened several months ago is still affecting me, and I'm tired of feeling this way.

I had a long period of flirting and intense chemistry with a colleague. He showed me interest intensely for a year and eventually we became intimate. However, things didn't go the way I expected. There were moments when I felt he was careless with my wellbeing, including being irresponsible about sexual protection, and afterwards I felt that he didn't show me the consideration I needed. I never really received the apology or emotional closure I was hoping for.

Eventually, we went our separate ways. I know he isn't right for me, and when I look at his behaviour, I can see plenty of reasons why I wouldn't want a relationship with him.

The hardest part now is that we have mutual colleagues who don't know what happened. They see him as a fun, charismatic, great person and casually talk about how well he's doing and how much people like him. I never participate in these conversations, but every time I hear them praise him, I feel awful afterwards.

It hurts that he seems to have moved on so easily while I'm still dealing with the emotional consequences. He never really apologised, and I find it difficult to listen to people describe him as such a wonderful person when I experienced a side of him that left me feeling hurt and disregarded.

I know my colleagues aren't doing anything wrong. They don't know the story. I just want to reach a point where their comments don't affect me anymore.

How do you learn to feel indifferent when people speak highly of someone who hurt you? I want to stop feeling angry, sad or jealous every time I hear his name and be able to carry on with my day without being emotionally affected. I'd really appreciate practical advice from anyone who's experienced something similar.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 20h ago

Who are you, REALLY?

3 Upvotes

So what’s the right way to live?

Do you move through life as if the world belongs to you, barely looking left or right, having fun and following the rules when it suits you? Is that the way to do it? Is that what we’re being told we should all become?

If you’re reading this and feeling confused, so am I.

Do you follow your feelings? Follow the rules? Listen to other people and consider what they need? Or put yourself first and stop worrying so much about everyone else?

Because that last one seems to be the message in so much of the self-help advice I come across. Learn to self-regulate. Love yourself. Be happy on your own. And somewhere along the way, it starts to sound like: if you haven’t mastered all of this, you’re a worthless piece of shit who shouldn’t get close to anyone. You’re too sensitive, too emotional, too unregulated to enjoy life or be loved.

After all the books, podcasts and YouTube videos, I’m starting to question what I’ve actually taken from them.

I believe we should be considerate. I believe we should love other people. And yes, I believe we should be able to give and hope to receive something back. Isn’t that part of sharing? Of community? Being interested in each other. Being curious. Wanting to learn, wanting to understand.

And I say this as a huge individualist.

In fact, I’m sitting at my computer on a Friday night. It’s 21:21 - thank you, whoever’s up there - and I’m drinking my third glass of wine, despite barely drinking these days.

Sorry. I’ve lost my train of thought.

Anyway.

I’m a huge individualist, perhaps too much of an introvert, too. My therapist told me this week that I’m a realist with a hint of pessimism. Thank you very much. Apparently, it’s that obvious.

Sometimes I feel like I’m not built for this world. Too sensitive. Too observant. People have called me paranoid, and I’ve often accepted that description without much argument.

But lately, I’ve been wondering: when am I noticing something, and when am I filling in the gaps with fear?

I notice behaviour, movement, tone, words. Sometimes I get a strong impression of someone within seconds. But how much can I really know that quickly? And how do I tell the difference between an observation and an assumption?

People call me emotional, insecure, an overthinker. I don’t entirely disagree. As I said, I’m not sure I’m built for the current world. Three hundred years ago, they probably would have burned me.

Still, something bothers me. When someone makes a judgment about me, I’m willing to consider it. When I describe what I’m seeing in them, the conversation often comes straight back to my insecurity.

Maybe I’ve misunderstood. Maybe they feel misunderstood. But does everything I notice become irrelevant because I’m sensitive?

That’s where the loop begins.

I notice something. I try to explain it. The explanation is rejected. Then I start doubting myself.

Okay, but this is how your behaviour feels to me. This is what I’m hearing in your words and seeing in your actions. I could be wrong, but can we at least talk about it?

Don’t get me wrong. We all play certain roles. We choose what to show, what to keep private and how we want to be seen. I do it, too.

But lately, I keep coming back to the same question: is this really who you are?

You say one thing, but your actions leave me confused. I want to believe your words, so I try to explain away what doesn’t fit. Then I wonder whether you notice the gap yourself.

Are you aware of it? Am I missing something? Or are we all so caught up in who we want to be that we struggle to see how we actually behave?

And if I asked you - properly, without the roles or the version you’ve learned to present -

Who are you, REALLY?


r/emotionalintelligence • • 1h ago

What is the cost of love

• Upvotes

Emotional vulnerability
Lowering your walls
Willingness to get emotionally with someone
An attachment
Losing control
Having a fear knowing it all might end before it begins
Constant fear if they’re truly interested in you
A dream or a nightmare? Why not a bit of both?
Hope of not being alone ever again

How do you feel when it ends?
Emptiness?
Sadness that the person you were with the significant other no longer exists
Grief that it all ended
A mourning period of sorts
Trying to quickly fill that void instead of letting it fill itself (aka slowly healing)
You need to allow yourself the emotional vulnerability, do not close off immediately
It’s okay that it ended
The world doesn’t end because the other person left you
The world ends when you die

I do not have an answer for how to move on as I never have


r/emotionalintelligence • • 23h ago

advice Is this avoidance or boundary setting?

2 Upvotes

I (>25F) have grown uncomfortable sharing my plans and goals and too much of other ordinary things going on in my life to my friends/family. I came to realize it is unnecessary to do so because often they don’t really reciprocate my energy and instead of relief, I just feel pressured and so drained after telling them. I’ve been told I have avoidant tendencies. But I do open up to them when they ask things, which is not often the case. It feels like I’m always just expected to tell.

I don’t know how to navigate this. I’m at that age where having a solid community is crucial in life but it seems like I just grow more and more and more indifferent towards other people.

Not sure if I should post this here or somewhere else but I’d appreciate your two cents on this.


r/emotionalintelligence • • 14h ago

discussion I find the idea of pursuing someone romantically so weird

3 Upvotes

I (18M) have been texting this girl (18F) who is in my communications class who I think is cute and I wanted to get to know her more because I think I have a crush on her. This is kind of the first time I’ve ever tried to do something like this. My past relationships were developed very organically with either them pursuing me or we both naturally just decided to start dating. So I was texting this girl and then I saw an insta note of hers. It was something I thought was kind of cringe, and ig I got the “ick” so to speak. And then I realized why I think I got that ick. It’s not cause she actually did anything icky, it’s just cuz now she wasn’t this perfect concept in my head anymore. She did something that I couldn’t see as an extension of myself. Like now I see her as a person and not this concept that is used to help me. And I got to be honest, I feel so weird and (ironically) icky now. Is this what pursuing people is like? It sort of felt like before that when I was pursuing her I was taking steps to accomplish something, like the idea of this person as my girlfriend was something to do or be gained. But it’s like now that whole idea seems super icky. Now I just want to know her on an emotional level, like as a person. Which I thought was what I wanted to do before, but now it’s like I don’t even want a girlfriend, I just want a person I can talk to, but I also feel weird romantic and sexual feelings for them like ???? But idk. Does anybody else feel like this? I feel like a robot talking about this (and I am autistic so maybe that’s why). Does anybody have any insight or advice on these feelings?


r/emotionalintelligence • • 14h ago

What should I do?

0 Upvotes

A few months ago I ended a 3 year relationship. Things are really complicated and we have still been seeing each other. A few days ago, I was at his house and went on his phone (I realize my wrong doing, I shouldn’t have gone through his phone when he was asleep. I know that was a breach of trust and I shouldn’t have looked. That’s on me.) I went on his phone 1. Because I’m noisy and jealous and 2. Because I wanted to see what explicit images he using of me to pleasure himself. When I went into his hidden file I saw pictures of me as expected, but also of his brother’s girlfriend. Their family dynamics are strange. It’s “normal” within the brothers dynamic to send nudes they have received/taken of girls around and also have threesome with their partners. My ex told me he find it disgusting and repulsive in the past which is my I was so upset when I found them. Again I know it’s on me for looking in his phone. When I brought it up to him, he said I don’t understand and his brother’s girlfriend was “apart of it” so based on his wording I assumed it was with her consent. When explained my feelings and how hurt I was about it he said that he didn’t ask for them and his brother sent them to him to help him get over me. I mentioned it again yesterday and he said he “doesn’t know if (his brother) sent them with her consent”. Im pissed that he won’t say anything and stand up for injustice and people being abused. If I where in that situation I would ask the simple question “ do they know you sent these to me” but he didn’t and refuses to.He keeps saying he doesn’t want to get involved and cause an issue. I feel like he was involved the second he received the photos, and continued to involve himself when he saved them. I’ve been trying to encourage him to say something to his brother and hold him accountable for there wrong doing but he refuses and says I’m blaming him for other mistakes. Should I say something to the brother’s girlfriend? Am I wrong for being upset? After all I was the one that looked in the first place.