Comments

I understand that you're going through a difficult situation. Relationships are complicated, and I think it's important to give yourself some time to process everything that's happening.

Personally, I wouldn't delete the pictures. Just because a relationship has ended doesn't mean that part of your life needs to be erased. Those memories still belong to you, and they were once meaningful. You don't have to keep looking at them, of course, but I don't think you need to pretend that none of it ever happened either.

As for long-distance relationships, I've actually spent years in one. My partner and I have gone through periods of being together, spending years apart, and eventually finding our way back to each other. We're currently planning to live together again. I think what matters most to me is knowing that this is someone who listens to me and understands me. And honestly, when you find someone like that, I think it can be incredibly difficult to let go.

Regarding this new person, I'd recommend not rushing into anything. Relationships can teach you a lot, but they can also be emotionally exhausting. What I mean is that if things don't work out with this person, you might end up feeling even worse, not necessarily because the relationship itself was bad, but because it would feel like yet another painful experience in a sequence of them.

I think it's important to give yourself time to recover rather than trying to replace one person with another. Getting to know someone, understanding how you feel about them, and allowing things to develop naturally takes patience. You don't have to figure out whether you want to be with them right away.

The same applies to your previous relationship. Ending things because of distance doesn't necessarily mean your feelings will disappear. You might find yourself missing him, or even wanting to get back together if circumstances ever change. But you also have to acknowledge that the relationship ended for a reason, and that the distance was something you couldn't keep dealing with.

There's a saying in Spain: "Un clavo saca a otro clavo", which literally translates to "one nail drives out another". It's the idea that you can get over someone by finding someone new. But I think there's a problem with that mentality: the hole is still there. You're just trying to fill it with something else. The wound hasn't healed; you've simply found another way to distract yourself from the pain.

My advice would be to take things slowly with this new person. Enjoy their company, get to know them, and see what develops without putting pressure on yourself to turn it into a relationship. You can be interested in someone without being ready to love them, and those are two very different things.

Another thing I'd like to point out is that you're essentially relying on your friend to introduce you to new people with the intention of finding a romantic partner. And while there's nothing inherently wrong with that, I think approaching it with a matchmaking mindset can be quite limiting.

You might get along wonderfully with someone and start thinking, "Well, we were introduced because we were supposed to be a potential couple, so I guess this is where things are going." But that's not necessarily how relationships should develop. You could have an amazing connection with someone without it having to become romantic.

I'd actually recommend putting yourself out there more generally. Try sports, group activities, hobbies, social events, and places where you can meet people and make friends, both male and female, without the pressure of finding a partner.

Because when you're actively looking for someone to fill that romantic void, you can end up settling for practically anyone who shows you affection, even someone who might not be particularly good for you. And you risk making yourself vulnerable to people who might take advantage of the fact that you're looking for emotional validation.

Otherwise, you might end up using relationships as temporary patches, jumping from one person to another whenever the loneliness becomes unbearable. And eventually, you'll find yourself repeating the same cycle all over again.

I think learning to enjoy your own company and building connections that aren't necessarily romantic is just as important as finding someone to love.