I think I discovered not even my female friends really cared I was a "nice guy" or "good" ex boyfriend.

ivlvs_veridivs

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The story of how my seven-year relationship with my ex-girlfriend completely fell apart, and how I ended up in the bathroom, almost throwing up from heartbreak, deserves a post of its own. So I'll stick to the point here.

Last week I started lurking around this forum because someone recommended The Book of Pook as a resource for improving with women. I picked it up, and while reading it I came across references to SoSuave. To my surprise, I was amazed that such an old site was still alive. Besides Pook, I also have Models, The 3% Man, Weapons of Mass Seduction, and Alabaster Girl on my reading list.

When my ex left me, I was in one of the most vulnerable periods of my life. About a year earlier, I had moved to another state, leaving behind my job, friends, and family because I wanted to challenge myself and start over. I invited my girlfriend to come with me, waited for her, and due to circumstances outside her control she arrived without a job.

That meant I covered everything for almost six months. Money was tight, and I had very little flexibility. On top of that, whenever anything went wrong (my car, my pets, my apartment, or any other problem) I had nobody to rely on. There was no support system. I just had to suck it up and deal with it.

After months of couples counseling, I finally decided I'd had enough of the constant bull****. I sat down with her to have an honest conversation about what was bothering me.

She ran.

To this day, I have no idea where she went because I immediately went no contact. The only thing I got was a text saying she was taking one of my cats and that by the time I got home, all of her belongings would be gone.

Without any support network, I felt completely stranded. I wanted to die. I seriously contemplated suicide several times, and I even called 911 more than once because I needed psychological help.

Eventually I remembered two female colleagues from a previous job. I invited them out—not because I was looking to date, but because I desperately needed someone to talk to. One of them was also pretty cute, and I knew she'd been somewhat attracted to me before.

The first time we met, I cried a lot. I told them I couldn't understand how she could leave me when I'd been a good provider, made her feel safe, and did everything I could to avoid making her jealous. I'm a reasonably attractive guy (not a model, but decent-looking) and whenever female coworkers invited me out, I'd invite my girlfriend too so she'd never feel excluded or insecure.

I supported her financially when she was unemployed. When her mother died, I was the rock she leaned on. I cooked for her, stayed faithful, and tried to solve every problem I could. I couldn't wrap my head around how someone I'd invested so much in could simply walk away.

The second time we met, I was more grounded. I still got emotional, but not nearly as much. Both of them told me I was basically the kind of guy women say they want: dependable, stable, and safe.

The part that made me laugh, though, was that both of them were stuck in objectively unhealthy relationships. One had been cheated on, and the other was convinced her boyfriend was cheating but couldn't bring herself to leave him. Meanwhile, I was the complete opposite of those guys, and I was the one who got dumped.

After those two outings, I stopped reaching out. I decided I needed to own my situation and rebuild my life instead of looking for emotional support from other people.

From my experience, women will often tell you they want one thing while ending up emotionally attached to something very different. Whether that's because I came across as desperate, needy, or emotionally overwhelming, I don't know. They never checked in to ask if I was okay, and I never heard from them unless I initiated. Looking back, desperation and neediness are probably deeply unattractive traits, regardless of gender.

Today I'm in a much better place. I go out to bars by myself, I work out consistently, I'm active on dating apps, and I'm putting real effort into taking care of myself.

The biggest lesson I've taken away from all of this is that neediness, desperation, constantly seeking approval, always playing it safe, and failing to stand your ground are incredibly unattractive behaviors. Whether that was the reason my relationship failed is impossible to know, but those traits certainly didn't help me afterward.

As for those two coworkers, maybe we were never really friends to begin with. Interestingly, now that I've gotten my life back together and no longer need emotional support, they seem much more interested in reaching out and asking me to hang out.

Thanks for having me in.
 

Bokanovsky

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It sounds like you've learned the right lessons.

Regarding your last point, you have to understand that women are just wired in a different way. They think differently, and they feel differently too. Women can be used as a support network. There are plenty of guys who use women to their advantage, financially and otherwise. But it requires a different approach. A "heart to heart" talk ain't it.
 

Mike32ct

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Relocation can be very tough on a relationship, especially for the other person who didn’t choose or initiate the relocation. They often end up harboring resentment because of it.

Female friends are fine for company and emotional support, but don’t try to attract/date them after you’ve shown vulnerability. Unfortunately you can’t really have it both ways with them. It’s usually one or the other.
 

zekko

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The biggest lesson I've taken away from all of this is that neediness, desperation, constantly seeking approval, always playing it safe, and failing to stand your ground are incredibly unattractive behaviors. Whether that was the reason my relationship failed is impossible to know, but those traits certainly didn't help me afterward.
Falling apart over a woman is also not a good look. It's okay to be hurt and to feel pain, but you can't let it affect your ability to function. Men must be strong, and to be brought to your knees by a woman is not a sign of strength. I wouldn't recommend crying in front of women either.

As for your relationship, who knows? But the first thing I thought reading your story was that when you confronted her, she knew the jig was up. Meaning she had you providing for her while she got a free extended vacation. I also wonder if you showed weakness to her by wanting a support system? Maybe you even initiated the couples counseling?
 

BackInTheGame78

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You are right.

That's because they laugh at and make fun of guys who act this way on their group chats.
 

Pumax

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Women say things like this


It all depends of what a man really think of
 

BPH

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One reason more why most woman are stupid. I pretended to be nervous for a presentation, to make the one girl feel better, that even a strong guy among the group can get nervous and that its a normal thing, she didnt believe it first but I calmly insisted in a relaxed position, so you couldnt really tell if i was really nervous, keep in mind I even friendzoned her before. Few hours later, I was going to say bye to her, going to her direction (where the exit was), she literally ran away, same action as your girl. Few days later, I was the next with the presentation and also revealed my background + education, which was part about the presentation due to the about section, she sensed that i pretended to be nervous, because my background and education, professional exposure strongly goes against that narrative and the next days she hint at me several times to approach her. A red flag, I also knew that she had narcissistic tendencies, but her reaction was the validation I needed to confirm my believe. I can assure you didnt lose anyone meaningful she was very likely a narcissist anyways, based on her actions so far, it does indicate it.
Brother...you have such a distorted view of reality that I genuinely think you should have somebody evaluate you.

The first 3 lines are dedicated to convincing us that you weren't really nervous around this girl.

"She sensed that I pretended to be nervous, because my background and education, professional exposure strongly goes against that"

"the next days she hint at me several times to approach her"

"I also knew that she had narcissistic tendencies, but her reaction was the validation I needed to confirm my believe."

Translation:

I was nervous around a girl who friendzoned me, then told myself she wanted me to approach her, and finally convinced myself that she was a narcissist.

If anybody is the narcissist in this story, it's you. I don't know why you keep trying to make yourself out to be larger-than-life when you've shown us multiple times that you freeze when it comes to actually interacting with a woman in-person.
 

BPH

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I called you out many times for twisting words, and here we go again you do it again. Everyone will see that mismatch and everyone also knows that Narcissist twist words, which you keep doing again and again haha. Whats wrong with you for real?

To correct you 1000times again and smooth down you attention-seeking tendencies, and help through your disorted coping mechanisms: Here how it really went: I friendzoned her, she did not friendzone me, because she knew Im not the type of guy you can be friends with, but I assured her and I was genuine with it - She really had no friends at this point, I actually felt bad for her, my Intention was to get her through the Semesters with ease and no social stress, I did not want to contribute to it. We even had a talk that Men and Woman cant be friends, we both agreed, but I behaved like a Friend she later caught even more feelings. Among us she was actually the one who couldnt handle it in the end.
Please get help dude...
 

BPH

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OP, it's the same with gold diggers, there are countless videos of guys pretending to be homeless or broke, then showing up the next day with a Ferrari, and suddenly the girl is interested. Sometimes it can help to identify what kind of girl you're dealing with by artificially lowering your perceived value or not revealing every desirable quality you have right away. Its a common strategy real high value men do, and low value men dont or cant think of. As I did with the girl regarding the Presentation, this advice should help you in future for choosing the right Person in your life
You can have whatever opinion you want of me, but you shouldn't be giving advice.

I'm genuinely not trying to be rude here, I think you should meet with a therapist, guidance counselor, something.

In every story you tell you're amazing, and everybody else is below you, wishes they were you, or is actively trying to sabotage you.

There is something seriously wrong with that worldview, and you should not be trying to convince others to partake in it.
 

ivlvs_veridivs

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It sounds like you've learned the right lessons.
Definitely learned my lesson. At the moment I was in hell, now I really consider it a blessing and a wake up a call. She saved me from myself and a horrible relationship.
 

ivlvs_veridivs

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I also wonder if you showed weakness to her by wanting a support system? Maybe you even initiated the couples counseling?
Yes to both, she ran away two times, the last time I didn't search her again because I was far away and she had already moved.
 

ivlvs_veridivs

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OP, it's the same with gold diggers, there are countless videos of guys pretending to be homeless or broke, then showing up the next day with a Ferrari, and suddenly the girl is interested. Sometimes it can help to identify what kind of girl you're dealing with by artificially lowering your perceived value or not revealing every desirable quality you have right away. Its a common strategy real high value men do, and low value men dont or cant think of. As I did with the girl regarding the Presentation, this advice should help you in future for choosing the right Person in your life
Yes, our therapist called her out multiple times for her behavior and what she was doing to the relationship, her answer even was "I'm this way, and its his problem if he doesn't like it, I'm not gonna change." And stupid me of course accepted it.
 

zekko

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I've never been a fan of couples counseling, I don't know of any instances where it's been effective. I don't know, some guys here are advocates of counseling, so I guess YMMV.
 

Solomon

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Your EX is the classical avoidant type which a lot of women are, they take, take take and never give back and once you set boundaries or hold them accountable, they flee

You learned your lesson and we all been there I know I have, but one thing I want you to internalize is this. NEVER PUT A WOMAN IN A POSTION WHERE YOU DOING EVERYTHING AND YOU DON'T HAVE A FAIL SAFE. You were paying all the bills but didn't have enough for yourself I'm pretty sure once she left your money got better but never do this unless the woman is your wife or child
 

Doctor Europeo

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Bienvenido a SoSuave, hermano.


From my experience, women will often tell you they want one thing while ending up emotionally attached to something very different.
Yes, this is one of the basics. Ignore womens words but pay attention to their actions.

As for those two coworkers, maybe we were never really friends to begin with.
Girls have girlfriends and male friends. If a girl is not having sex with you, it because she sees you as a girlfriend.


From the rest of your post, sounds like you went through some hard times which were harder because you went exclusive with a 304 who was not wife material. She did you a favor by leaving you, you dodged a bullet. Im glad you are doing better now, Keep improving.
 

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Clockwerk50

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I've never been a fan of couples counseling, I don't know of any instances where it's been effective. I don't know, some guys here are advocates of counseling, so I guess YMMV.
I went to couples counseling once. It was after, as I've mentioned before, I had accumulated a significant amount of credit card debt without my partner at the time knowing about it. The way the counselor explained it to us was that the original foundation of the relationship had already been built. The purpose of counseling wasn't to restore that original foundation, but to build a new one on top of it: one based on new boundaries, routines, trust, responsibilities, and expectations.

The problem is that both parties have to want to rebuild the relationship. However, the person who was wronged and had their heart broken will often have a long list of new terms, conditions, and concessions. Meanwhile, the person who did the wrongdoing will have to give up a great deal of their own freedom, comfort, or habits just to begin the healing process.

I've only done superficial research on couples therapy, but one of the main studies I found indicated that 78% of couples therapy cases (roughly three out of four) are initiated by women. Likewise, around 70% of divorces are initiated by women. Those statistics alone don't establish who benefits more from counseling or who is at fault in any given relationship, but they can help explain why Rollo's Rule 7 states, "Time and effort are always better spent pursuing fresh prospects than trying to fix a failed relationship." If rebuilding the relationship requires starting over from scratch, it becomes easier to argue that men, in particular, may be better off not attempting to rebuild it at all, but instead investing that same time and effort into a new relationship.
 

Divorced w 3

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The story of how my seven-year relationship with my ex-girlfriend completely fell apart, and how I ended up in the bathroom, almost throwing up from heartbreak, deserves a post of its own. So I'll stick to the point here.

Last week I started lurking around this forum because someone recommended The Book of Pook as a resource for improving with women. I picked it up, and while reading it I came across references to SoSuave. To my surprise, I was amazed that such an old site was still alive. Besides Pook, I also have Models, The 3% Man, Weapons of Mass Seduction, and Alabaster Girl on my reading list.

When my ex left me, I was in one of the most vulnerable periods of my life. About a year earlier, I had moved to another state, leaving behind my job, friends, and family because I wanted to challenge myself and start over. I invited my girlfriend to come with me, waited for her, and due to circumstances outside her control she arrived without a job.

That meant I covered everything for almost six months. Money was tight, and I had very little flexibility. On top of that, whenever anything went wrong (my car, my pets, my apartment, or any other problem) I had nobody to rely on. There was no support system. I just had to suck it up and deal with it.

After months of couples counseling, I finally decided I'd had enough of the constant bull****. I sat down with her to have an honest conversation about what was bothering me.

She ran.

To this day, I have no idea where she went because I immediately went no contact. The only thing I got was a text saying she was taking one of my cats and that by the time I got home, all of her belongings would be gone.

Without any support network, I felt completely stranded. I wanted to die. I seriously contemplated suicide several times, and I even called 911 more than once because I needed psychological help.

Eventually I remembered two female colleagues from a previous job. I invited them out—not because I was looking to date, but because I desperately needed someone to talk to. One of them was also pretty cute, and I knew she'd been somewhat attracted to me before.

The first time we met, I cried a lot. I told them I couldn't understand how she could leave me when I'd been a good provider, made her feel safe, and did everything I could to avoid making her jealous. I'm a reasonably attractive guy (not a model, but decent-looking) and whenever female coworkers invited me out, I'd invite my girlfriend too so she'd never feel excluded or insecure.

I supported her financially when she was unemployed. When her mother died, I was the rock she leaned on. I cooked for her, stayed faithful, and tried to solve every problem I could. I couldn't wrap my head around how someone I'd invested so much in could simply walk away.

The second time we met, I was more grounded. I still got emotional, but not nearly as much. Both of them told me I was basically the kind of guy women say they want: dependable, stable, and safe.

The part that made me laugh, though, was that both of them were stuck in objectively unhealthy relationships. One had been cheated on, and the other was convinced her boyfriend was cheating but couldn't bring herself to leave him. Meanwhile, I was the complete opposite of those guys, and I was the one who got dumped.

After those two outings, I stopped reaching out. I decided I needed to own my situation and rebuild my life instead of looking for emotional support from other people.

From my experience, women will often tell you they want one thing while ending up emotionally attached to something very different. Whether that's because I came across as desperate, needy, or emotionally overwhelming, I don't know. They never checked in to ask if I was okay, and I never heard from them unless I initiated. Looking back, desperation and neediness are probably deeply unattractive traits, regardless of gender.

Today I'm in a much better place. I go out to bars by myself, I work out consistently, I'm active on dating apps, and I'm putting real effort into taking care of myself.

The biggest lesson I've taken away from all of this is that neediness, desperation, constantly seeking approval, always playing it safe, and failing to stand your ground are incredibly unattractive behaviors. Whether that was the reason my relationship failed is impossible to know, but those traits certainly didn't help me afterward.

As for those two coworkers, maybe we were never really friends to begin with. Interestingly, now that I've gotten my life back together and no longer need emotional support, they seem much more interested in reaching out and asking me to hang out.

Thanks for having me in.
I’d be curious to know what sort of frame you held that kept this together for seven years. Were the two of you in a mutually dependent (codependent) state of living? What was the posture, who ultimately led the relationship? Something broke when you put your boundary down so I am guessing she was leading, but just curious.
 
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