she said we need a break

throwaway account

for context I (19M) and i guess ex, idrk (19F) decided to take a break at the end of may, during that conversation we shared many tears and practically cuddled the whole conversation, at one point she even said “you’re still so handsome when you’re crying”. basically we’re taking a break because she feels she is not ready to fully commit, she also claims she needs to love herself in order to love another person, which i agree with, however she was the most confident woman i’ve ever met, which is one of the main reasons i was so attracted and in love with her.

fast forward to 2 days ago i texted her for the first time in about a month and half asking if we can talk about our relationship, i told her i cannot get her off my mind and she replied with “idk what i can say or do, im sorry” so i asked how do i know when she’ll be ready for us to start again, in which she replied
“im sorry, but i cant keep letting myself fall in these situations. you're an incredible guy and ive never felt so loved by someone, but i cant love you without loving myself.” i asked if that meant never and she said she doesn’t want to give me false hope for a future. but then after a few more words she said “im another life” i asked if that means never and she said “that’s not what i meant, i just meant further down the road”

so reddit, what do i do? do i wait for her? is she just letting me off gently? i’m struggling understanding this situation and what she means.

thank you for reading