^^ The solution? Don't give so much of yourself away.
Seriously, i dunno if it's good or bad but in the past year i have developed a solid ability to keep my emotions in check. I'm not talking about denying my emotions but i feel like any girl i meet has to EARN her right for me to open up to any great degree. This doesn't mean i'm a heartless bastard. I still feel these emotions.
However, nowadays when i feel them strongly it's a very pleasant surprise because i've become used to keeping a level head and not getting too emotionally involved with anyone unless they deserve it. This thread is a great example of what can happen when you get emotionally involved with people who aren't right. Self-pity, despair, depression, a sense of hopelessness, lack of self-esteem.... these are the traits that riddle many of the posts from the people in this thread.
I'm not claiming my mindset is better, however i am claiming that it is more stable. The flip side to this is that i don't often feel these emotional fixes. I cruise along, have fun in the meantime but don't develop these emotional connections and brood over someone i can't have. Think of it like hills and valleys... emotionally you get the beautiful view from the peaks of the hill, then you fall down to the bottom and have to climb all the way back up to the top again. My approach is more like a vast green field with a few small rolling hills, never too high, never too low. One day i'll see that mountain i wanna climb and haul ass to the top!
When you realise that there are soooo many people out there you can meet, you become much more capable of 'nexting' someone who isn't right for you. If they treat you bad? Fuck em. Look at what Shnouzer did. Thats a great example of how to keep your head high and keep your respect. How many of you cling onto whatever you have because you think you might not find someone else? All this does is lower your self-esteem, you are worth more than that - believe it.
Being single shouldn't be being ALONE. Being single means you aren't in a committed long term relationship. Get out there and meet people, play the field, have some fucking fun and enjoy the moments of freedom while they last. Have you ever been so involved in getting to where you are going that you miss on the fun of getting there?
Put yourself in the moment and think about what you DO have, not what you DON'T have.
Life's too short to be negative.
Adikkal