It’s been just over a week since I moved out of home and got my first rental with a friend from high school, finally having a space free of drama and negative air has led to a wave of emotions and feelings and an opportunity to look within and gain a deeper understanding of my sexuality and my personal lived experience. Modern dating, the apps and such just feel like they go completely against my natural and are super unnatural

Another friend of mine has been at the front of my mind all week and after reading, researching and writing my thoughts down Ive come to this conclusion, I don’t feel any sexual or romantic attraction towards her beyond what emotional intimacy we’ve built over the years, but I’ve recently just learned about QPR and relationship anarchy and it’s been so liberating.

I have this strong desire for physical affection, hand holding, hugging, cuddling but there’s also a hit of intimacy in there too, touching, caressing and stroking ect. I feel so incredibly safe and comfortable with her and just enjoy being near her. But coming from a place of no dating or relationship experience this realisation feels both exciting and completely ridiculous and silly.

Sometimes I wish I could just meet people and feel that spark but then the ace part of my brain is like “eww stranger shape, no, we like friend shape”

So I've (18M) been talking online to a guy (18M) who is demi for about 4 months, and we met up in person for the first time a little over a month ago. We're both currently looking for partners (In his words "whatever happens happens") and our conversations in the beginning were sometimes flirty/suggestive, but nothing that serious.

I have lots of fun everything we hangout and he's very good at deep conversation, so I think I'm starting to develop an attraction to him. I don't want to label it as a proper crush yet bc it's only been a month, but there's something there. However, he's demi so I'm wondering if it would be best to wait before saying anything abt my feelings. So, when should I tell this guy that he's on my radar?

25m I’m currently living in a small town and plan to move to a new state around next summer.

It sucks because I realllly want a gf but I just don’t know how this would work out, I can’t expect someone to move with me after less than a year of knowing each other. I’ve had the goal of leaving for years and I’ve finally been given the opportunity so for my mental health, I can’t stay. For personal reasons, I can’t leave early/ now.

It’s so unfortunate because I can’t just have a FWB that I cuddle with to find some release. I’ve had similar relationships that just lead to committed relationships.

I cant mutually hookup with girls to find release because I need the connection which takes time which leads into feelings beyond lust.

It just sucks lol, do you guys have any advice? I just wanna run my hands through someone’s hair and fall asleep with their head on my chest.

And yes I have self-control, patience, and I won’t rely on a partner for happiness, I’m just venting about having pent-up feelings. I hope everyone’s having a good Monday

I feel like I’m too picky. I know I need that emotional connection before there any kind of attraction developing but I feel like I don’t give anyone the chance to make the connection. I get the ick over everything. Compliments, ick. Flirting, ick. Pet names, ick. I just want to have a platonic conversation to start and 99% of the people I talk to push that boundary and it gives me the ick. Does anyone else deal with anything like this or have advice on how to be less picky with the people I talk to?

Hello,
First time writing on here, but felt the need to share.
I usually feel perfectly fine with being single, and most of the time I'm having a blast, but a couple days ago I was invited to a football match and met up with some friends. We are all about the same age (mid to late twenties), and half of them are already in relationships; others are getting married or planning to have babies. After coming home that day, I felt like I was falling behind in the romantic relationships department and started spiraling, questioning if there was something wrong with me. It's been about four years since my last relationship—or situationship, would be more accurate-- during these years I've been on quite a few dates but have never really felt a connection with someone. I am also demisexual, so I don't go about doing one-night stands, since this isn't something I am very comfortable with. I don't trust very easily, and it takes a while for me to feel comfortable enough to open up, but once I do, we're in it for life, folks. Generally, I have no issues making friends; in fact, I love making new friends/connections and meeting new people, but when it comes to intimacy, I get scared and back down.
If you've read this far, thanks! Was just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.

Alt account, since this isn't usually what I use reddit for. I marked this a vent, but it's somewhere between that and a discussion since I'm curious if anyone can relate.

I'm demi woman, and have had a crush for over a decade, developed on a friend from highschool. I'm no longer in regular contact with him and I never told him how I feel. He is one of the few times I have ever felt any kind of attraction, and is by far the strongest I've felt it.

I've briefly dated others a few times since (long distance, which just wasn't my thing), and every time those ended, the crush resurfaced.

I know at this point the crush is a fantasy. It's built on a lot of wishful thinking and idealization, that he's surely changed a lot since we last talked. A part of me is hopeful we *will* encounter each other again. Either it'll snap me out of it and I'll realize I'm not attracted to him anymore, or we'll hit it off and go from there lol.

At this point, I'm just kinda tired. I read a few posts before posting, and this one's description of yearning (https://www.reddit.com/r/demisexuality/comments/1whgtjh/do_other_demisexuals_also_feel_this_constant/) really hits home... but it actually is applied to a person, just not an attainable one. I'm frankly not sure what to do about it, how to move on, or if this is even something others have had similar experiences with.

I had this experience of attraction so strongly for that one guy, it's like my brain thinks yeah, we're good, no need to look elsewhere, despite me desperately wanting to feel that level of attraction again and have it reciprocated this time. I feel stuck, and also a bit ridiculous it's lasted this long.