He doesn’t love you.

I’m sorry, and I wish there were a nicer way to say it, but there’s not. At least not in a way that you might actually comprehend.

I’m sorry that I had to be the one to break it to you, but then again, I’m not. I care about you. Even though I have probably never met you in my life, I care so much about you, because I know exactly where you’ve been. I know the anxiety you’ve felt when he didn’t text back, again. I know the extreme disappointment you’ve felt when he’s rescheduled your plans, again. I know you’re trying to make it work, but you’ve got to stop. Stop trying to justify his behavior.

He is choosing other things and other people over you, and there is absolutely no way you should be okay with that. Yes, you are individuals and you’re supposed to have your own lives, but he should still be making time for you.

If he loved you, he would make it known. He would text you and ask how your day was. He wouldn’t cancel plans - Every. Single. Time. When he loves you, you will know.

I know right now it feels like you don’t want to imagine – can’t imagine – a life without him. But the only thing that will happen if you continue to love someone who doesn’t love you back, is that you will begin to lose yourself. You survived without him before, and you will survive without him after.

You’ve got to distract yourself from thinking about him all the time. Find something that you love, that relieves stress, and do it until you see progress, whatever that means to you. You may learn you cope best by working out or playing a sport, or by creating art, by getting lost in books or that new Netflix show everyone has been talking about. Or you may even find that you will cope with this pain by writing, by trying to help others. (You never know, it worked for me!) I know it won’t be easy; what’s easy is to lie in bed in your sweatpants, staring at your phone, waiting for him to do something. But you can’t do that anymore. You’ve got to be strong.

You have so many wonderful characteristics inside of you, some of them you may not even know yet. You are strong, and you can do this.

He doesn’t love you, but you will be okay.