r/selfhelp•
Ok-Low3240

I feel strong sexual desire for an older ex-coworker and I want it to stop

Sharing: Challenges & Setbacks

I (20 M) met a 36 year old woman at work a few months ago, we became close friends very quickly. For unimportant reasons my job tools were not working and since this was not my fault but the employer´s there was no way I could be fired and I started hanging out with this woman expecting to eventually get it off with her. Days passed and we became pretty close to each other, I had my first blunt with her, we went to a world cup party together and we had a good time. A few months ago she missed a few days of work, and when I asked her why, she told me about her battle with depression, her self- harming thoughts, she sincered herself with me. From then on a somewhat strange relationship began brewing, we were never a couple, but we would share very intimate details with each other, for the first time in my life I felt seen, she would tell me about her life and her kittens about her exes and so would I; she was cultured, smart and funny; I find cultured and smart women incredibly attractive; she would constantly tell me how we were supposed to meet each other, how we were soulmates (I need to emphasize, we were not a couple), how she saw herself in me and wanted to help me, she took me to my first therapy session, she told me about how she never knew anyone like me. At times it felt as if we wanted to save each other from our drowning even though we did not know how to swim. It was a very intimate relationship in the small time it lasted, but she was very volatile and independent , and I am someone that needs constant reassurance, this often caused discussions between us and only then would she point out how we looked like a relationship more than a friendship, sure, I was the one that drew her and cooked for her, that hugged her, but she never said no to anything, even though I asked her, repeatedly. I spoke with my friends about her, and they told me how she was most likely taking advantage of me, this was a constant topic of discussion for a month and a half. two weeks ago I was fired from my job, she and I kept texting promising to see each other again, at times I would go and picked her off at the office. We were making plans to go out and spend the day together last sunday, she never picked up my messages, and we did not talk as much as before, my friends pointed out how she was most likely avoiding me, I was mad and my mind was not clear, so I agreed, I lashed out and said how meeting each other was a mistake, how I hated her at times, how she really was not that special to me. That broke her heart, she said I was selfish, that in her worst moments she did her best to muster love for me, how she felt dissapointed, how she felt she never really knew me, how I expected her to be a girlfriend, a friend and a savior and how she was going to distance herself, she blocked my phone number, this happened a week ago. Since then I have seen my therapist and my friends and I´ve spoken with them, honestly?? I felt relieved, sad, but relieved. truth is, the way I treated her was the way I wanted to treat another ex-fling, I truly loved this woman, but it was not a healthy type of love, ever since I was 17 years old my only purpose in life has been looking for a savior for my own problems, thinking that a girlfriend, a relationship would save me. the point of waking up every morning since I was 17 was waiting for weeks to see my Ex- crush, after we stopped seeing each other my life objective was seeing her again, and pick up from where we left off, I learned from a friend of mine that she never really felt anything for me, and that made me feel great, it made me feel that a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, but by then, I was already infatuated with this other woman, and when this happened, I ain´t going to lie, that feeling of peace overcame my being again, it was a depressing peace, but it was peace. I cried a lot, I miss her, a lot, but I trust this moments of happiness and peace, that is what tells me that distancing myself is the best thing to do and that I am on the right path. There´s only one problem, speaking with a friend of mine, she mentioned how she was really hot, that she had a phenomenal figure, and that damaged me real bad, it´s all I can think about now, not about her, but her body, about how attractive she was, about how we never got to have sex, and I don´t want to feel that way, I don´t want my growth to be stunted because I am horny. I feel that I know what to do, and that something is to decentralize women from my life, but I don´t know what to do, what should I do?

Posted Sep 21, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC

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