I am not a Netflix and Chill kind of girl, and I never will be. I’m not the girl you can just use and then toss aside when you’re done.

I want an all or nothing, passion-filled relationship. But I’m starting to wonder; does that even exist anymore?

I’m so over this new age, “almost relationship” type bullshit. I’m done waiting hours for text messages. I’m done chasing after men who couldn’t care less about me.

I’m through putting myself out there and giving my all to someone only to have them turn around and say that they never wanted anything serious. What a joke!

I’m tired of being led on and treated like a second option when I know I should be the main event.

I want a true, old-fashioned romance. I want phone calls instead of texts and dinner dates instead of casual drinks. I want someone who is going to sweep me off my feet and show genuine interest in me. 

I miss the days of men showing up at my door with flowers and opening car doors wherever we go. Is chivalry really that dead?

I want to be respected and desired. I want someone who will see my worth and treat me the way I deserve because of it. I want someone who won’t take me for granted or just use me to feed his own shattered ego.

I’m the girl you should want to fall in love with; that you can’t wait to take home to your parents and spend your life with. I have so much to offer to a future partner, but no one seems to care.

I have a huge, fragile heart that I continue to wear on my sleeve after getting hurt time and time again. And I will keep doing so until I find my very own prince charming.

There have to be at least a few good men still out there. There can’t only be fuckboys left in the world!

If you like this and want to read more, follow Erica on Facebook!

Honestly, the hardest part of a break up is the first few days. It’s like breaking an addiction or a bad habit. I have to slowly wean myself off of you.

I have to remind myself constantly not to pick up my phone and call or text you. It’s just become a habit at this point, and I start to do it without even thinking. Something happens and I grab my phone to text you about it.

Or I hear a song that reminds me of you while I’m driving so I get the urge to call you.

But I can’t anymore.

I may think that I do now, but in reality, I don’t miss you. Not really.

I miss having someone to tell me good morning and good night each day. I miss having someone to talk to about my day, good or bad. I miss having arms to hold me and lips to kiss me. And damn, I really miss the sex. 

But then I realize that none of those things are unique to you. 

I miss the idea of you. I miss who I thought you were; what I thought we would be together. I miss having someone to go on dates with. I miss the idea of the future I thought we would have together.

But then I remind myself that none of it was real.

The truth is…you stopped being my safe place a long time ago. You stopped caring about me and doing all of those things. You were lost to me a long time before it became official.

When we broke up, I thought I would be devastated. But when I woke up the next day, I barely felt anything different. I’ve been alone for so long, even when we were together, that I’m already used to the feeling.

Other than getting used to no longer talking to you or seeing you at times, not much has really changed for me.

My friends are all surprised by how well I’m doing, but I’m not. I’ve gotten so used to taking care of myself that I don’t expect anyone else to do it for me. I’ve come to realize that I’m the only person I can rely on. So I’m just doing me as I always have.

Eventually, I know I’ll find someone who will be able to give me everything I need, but until then, I’m perfectly happy going at it alone.

At least I know I won’t be let down.

“Most relationships fail because one person was being loved too much and the other wasn’t being loved enough.”

Something always felt off between us. Even at our best, there was still something missing. I always felt like I loved you way more than you loved me. 

And I was giving way more than you were ever able to give in return.

From the very first day we met, I had to prove myself to you. You were constantly searching for flaws and reasons to push me away. It was like you never truly let your walls down with me, and I’m not sure you're even capable to do that for anyone.

I saw all the red flags, and I chose to ignore them. And that is on me.

As more and more time passed, it became clear that we didn’t want the same things. You were too haunted by your past to ever really move forward or commit to anyone.

You never actually wanted a relationship. You always cared more about your independence than anything else, and you didn’t want to be held accountable to anyone. 

You weren’t willing to put in the effort required to make a real relationship work. And that’s okay.

Because I know that someone out there is ready for me. Someone will be willing to give me all the things you couldn’t. Someone out there is waiting to love me the way I deserve and won’t hold anything back.

You weren’t that person for me, and on some level I’ve always known the truth. It was just a matter of convincing my heart. 

I won’t make that mistake again. I won’t settle for anything less than I deserve. I won’t stand by anyone who makes me feel alone or unloved.

We didn’t work out, and I will always miss you and care about you. But at the same time, I feel a sense of relief. I feel free now that I'm no longer being pulled down by you. I know in my heart that this is for the best. 

I learned so much from you, and I will never regret the time we had together. I don’t blame you or hold any resentment. You’ll always hold a special place in my heart.

But for now, I need to let you go. I need to find that one person who will truly love me for me, and you just aren’t it.

If you like this and want to read more, follow Erica on Facebook!

This isn’t a relationship. It hasn’t been for a long time.

A relationship takes two people being there and caring for each other. It takes commitment and sacrifice. It’s about making compromises and stepping out of your comfort zone every once in a while. And doing things you may not want to do in order to make another person happy. 

The minute you enter a relationship, it’s no longer just about what you want or how you feel.

But you’ve sunk so far into your own self-obsession, how you’re feeling takes precedence over everything.

You can’t see anything past yourself and your own feelings. You no longer ask about me or seem to care. You haven’t even noticed how much I’ve changed or how distant I’ve become.

I spent countless hours pleading with you, begging you to see your hurtful ways. I waited patiently for months while you denied there was a problem and refused to take care of it. As that time went by, it only got worse. I hardly even recognize you now.

I didn’t want to be with someone who valued me so little that he wasn’t willing to make even a small effort. I was done chasing after you, and I’m done being the only person making an effort in this so called relationship.

I finally had to give you an ultimatum. I told you that I was tired of waiting and that you needed to go get help. And if you were still unwilling to take that step, I was no longer willing to stay. 

In the end, your stupid pride and stubbornness won out. You made it clear that you were more important to you than I was. 

So that was it. You won— no, your narcissism did. 

Now you’re free to love yourself more than you ever loved me.

But I won’t let this go that easily. Because the truth is, you didn’t win. 

As of now, I’m living my own life. I wouldn’t be caught dead waiting for your call or begging you for attention. I’m not relying on you anymore to be happy. I’m doing it for myself.

If you like this and want to read more, follow Erica on Facebook!

Any sane person would have left a long time ago. But I don’t know how to walk away.

More importantly, I don’t want to. I don’t want to give up on us.

The thing is… I don’t need you. I know I don't. I’m not staying out of desperation or fear. I’m staying because I choose to.

Maybe I used to, but I don’t rely solely on you for my happiness anymore. I believe in myself enough to know that I can be okay on my own. I just don’t want to have to try.

If I walked away now, I would have regrets. I would miss you like hell. And I may never get over you completely. But eventually, I would survive it.

Despite everything we’ve been through, I still see a future with you. I still believe that we can get past all of this and be good together again. I think we could be great.

I’m still holding onto the hope that you’ll realize what you have right in front of you, and that you’ll start to fight for us. I know that I’ve fought like hell, and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. 

What we have now isn’t a relationship because that takes two people, not just one person putting in the effort and feeling alone all the time. You continue to push me away and keep this wall up between us. If anything, it's only helped me to grow. It proves to me that I can do it on my own because I already am. 

If things don’t work out between us, I’ll walk away knowing I gave it my all. I’ll know that I did everything I could and that I didn’t hold back. I won’t blame myself or carry any guilt.

I’ll never regret loving you too hard or holding on too tight. I’ll never apologize for fighting the way that I did because to me, it was worth it. You have always been worth it.

Whatever happens, I know I’ll get through it. I know in my heart who I am and that I’ll be okay.

And for me, that is enough.

If you like this and want to read more, follow Erica on Facebook!

When depression sinks its debilitating teeth into the person you love, you barely recognize this new person next to you. He looks the same but everything about him is just…off. 

That warm, caring person you love so much disappears and is replaced by someone who just seems cold and detached. 

All of a sudden you have no idea how he feels about you. He seems to be lost in himself with no interest in you at all.

It’s nearly impossible not to blame yourself. But don't.

You start to wonder what you did wrong or what happened to make him fall out of love with you. Why does it feel like you’re the last person in the world he wants to be around? Try and remember that nothing is your fault.

Your self-esteem starts to diminish and you start to overthink and question every little thing. 

Does he love me at all anymore? Am I just a burden? Am I making him even more unhappy? Why is he even with me? Does he think I’m repulsive? Would he rather be with his friends right now?

The doubt is endless, but you can't let it eat at you. Remind yourself that he is dealing with issues of his own that don't have anything to do with you. 

You become desperate for that connection you once had. You would give anything in the world to hear him say those words that made your heart sing, or feel the way he used to kiss you that would make time stop.

So what do you do? 

Do you walk away knowing that you could be missing out on that incredible person inside him that you were so sure was the one? Or do you stay and wait it out in the hopes that the person you love will come back?

First, make sure you take care of yourself first and foremost. You are the most important thing. If it's a toxic situation then you need to do what's best for you.

But when the person you love falls victim to depression's storm clouds, just being there for them can have a bigger impact than you could ever imagine. Be there as a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on.

One day, when depression's grip grows looser, he'll return to the person he was and he'll be so grateful that you stuck around, and so will you.

I’ve felt the desperation and loneliness that comes from constantly struggling with depression. I know how hard it is just to survive each day.

If you let it, the sadness will take everything you have and leave you an empty shell of yourself. Words cannot describe how much it hurts to watch the person you love most battle that sadness. 

Every day I look at you and see the misery reflected in your eyes. It breaks my heart to watch you suffer and know there’s nothing I can do about it. I feel so helpless.

I want more than anything to be the one who takes away all of your pain and makes you feel whole again. I want to be the person who turns your life around and helps you slay your demons for good.

Realistically, I know that won’t happen. I know how depression works and how easy it is to fall prisoner to it. I know that giving up is so much easier than having to constantly fight, but I’m begging you not to.

When we met, I fell in love with someone who was full of life, love, and adventure. You didn’t seem to have a care in the world and that made me feel free. For the first time in a long time, I felt like the best version of myself. 

Now when I look at you, I hardly see that person. I see someone emotionless and defeated, sad and lonely. You saved me, and now I want to do the same for you.  

It’s hard not to blame myself. I’m constantly wondering what I’m doing wrong or if I’m the reason for your drastic change. Even worse, I feel selfish asking anything of you when you are so clearly hurting. 

I feel like more of a burden than a help to you and that breaks my heart more than anything else.

There are days where you seem to look straight through me as if I’m a total stranger. You no longer look at me with love in your eyes, kiss me, plan dates or seem to want to do anything at all. 

You shut down and barely even talk to me. It has been happening more and more frequently and it feels like you’ve stopped caring entirely.

I don’t blame you, but it’s destroying me all the same. I don’t know how to reach you. I’ve tried begging you to see a doctor or counselor, but your pride won’t let you. Or at least that’s the excuse you give me. 

I can’t help feeling that if you truly cared about me or us, you'd get the help you need in order to come back to me. 

You’ve fallen so far down the sinkhole of depression that you can’t see the world around you. You no longer want to pull yourself back up. I’m losing you a little more each day and I don’t know how much more I can take.

If you will let me, I want to be here for you. I want to love all of you, even the parts that you can't love yourself. I’d give anything to put your broken pieces back together. 

I’m begging you to please try and fight this. Do whatever it takes to move forward because I need you. I desperately miss the person I first fell in love with and I want him back. 

I love you with my whole heart and I’m not ready to lose you. I promise you that as long as you're trying, I’ll be here with you doing my best too. 

I refuse to give up on us until I know that we’ve both done absolutely everything we can to get through this. I just hope you’re willing to put your faith in me and try. 

If you like this and want to read more, follow Erica on Facebook!