So I just got out of a 5 year relationship.

I have been going out a couple of times now and it just dawned on me just how bad my skills with women have become and how much I have to learn. When I observe other people and how they interact with each other, it is just overwhelming how much I lack behind in social skills. (My ex and I were not really social people and we rarely went out).

I am actually pretty familiar with the process of learning something new. I have taught myself guitar and are able to play complex classical guitar pieces and read sheet music. I also work out and have learned how to do the different technical compound movements through trial and error. I know what it is like to absolutely suck at something and that it is a natural part of learning something new.

When it comes to improving my game/social skills, however, it just seems so overwhelmingly difficult because I am dealing with other people that actually have a mind of their own and are able to judge you, not some inanimate object like a guitar.

When learning to play the guitar I can clearly see step by step what I need to do in order to improve, but with social skills it is much more unclear to me. It seems like there are a million ways of doing it "right" and the more I read about it, the more confused I get.

I just can't help shake the off the nagging feeling that I am some kind of lost cause that just can't be fixed. That all my efforts will be futile.