I’ve finally put an end to a very toxic off/on relationship and I feel so liberated, which is why I live and breathe this sub. The issue is that my my toxic post-breakup tendencies are creeping in and I don’t know what to do.

Every time I am single, I notice that anywhere I go, I become hyper aware of guys and wonder if I’ll meet a guy/ if he’ll be checking me out, etc. I hate this feeling because I want nothing to do with men for at least a few months and don’t want my brain to be clouded by this mindset. I thought things were different this time because of how mentally hurt I was from my past relationship. I felt bitter towards men considering my dating history and my ex, and for the first few weeks, it felt so good to be independent and finally do things for me but it’s like I subconsciously want male validation to make up for my poor excuse of an ex; when in reality, I know most men do not value me like I deserve, dating sucks, men play games and how all of it just wastes my time 90% of the time.

My question is, how do I snap out of this? How do I start going places and not wonder if a cute guy will be there or if he is admiring/thinking about me? I’m so tired of men and games but it feels like part of me is wanting to jump into dating again when I know I shouldn’t.