Ex said he misses me and things have been hard

[minute_perception]

Ex and I dated for a year and we broke up almost 6 months ago. When he did, he expressed a lot of doubt and still does to this day. He cried too when we broke up. He was initiating a lot of contact recently, wanting to see me and clear the air but I declined. I ended up responding to one of his messages once and for all about 2 months later. He replied to what I said and then said it has 'been very difficult from his end. He felt it was the most appropriate thing was to break up, which has been really hard and he misses me all the time. But what's the alternative?'

[boltnrun]

Did this message from him just happen?

Did he say he made a mistake breaking up and he would like to get together to discuss possibly getting back together?

[minute_perception]

1 minute ago, boltnrun said:

Did this message from him just happen?

Did he say he made a mistake breaking up and he would like to get together to discuss possibly getting back together?

Happened tonight yes. He didn't say he made a mistake/wants to get back together, no. 

[boltnrun]

So it's up to you how long you want to remain in this limbo "hoping".

[Jibralta]

35 minutes ago, dustycloud said:

He replied to what I said and then said it has 'been very difficult from his end.

He probably isn't getting as much interest from other women as he hoped he would get, and is running back to his sure thing (you) for an ego stroke. 

[Batya33]

The clear message is he doesn’t want to be with you.  But he does want to be able to vent to you about how confused he is.  Do you have the time or energy to be his sounding board ?

[SooSad33]

Sounds like guilt.  he just feels bad.. about a lot.

But, he ended things, so that was his answer to everything 😕 .

If you are still hurt over it all, I suggest you do NOT get into all the reminders again & ask him to respectfully back off.. If you are all over this, you can agree to at least be friends- if you both can handle it?

Not sure being involved again will work out, since he's obviously been dealing with a lot, so is not in his right mind, at this time.

[No1]

People like this are horrible. I know because I used to be one. But let me see if I got this right. This guy misses you so much that even tho he knows you are still available, he does not want to be in a romantic relationship with you? So here is the deal with that. Words are just words. I can say all those words but if it is not backed up with action, then they still remain as words and have no meaning. 

Does he miss you? Probably... Does he regret breaking up with you? Possibly.. Does he want to be with you despite telling you that he might have made a mistake and that he misses you? Not a chance. 

So what he could be doing is just keeping you strung along until he falls for someone else. Right now you are what he needs for his ego. You wont hurt him, you are there, you are understanding, you cry, you are always available to him and he knows as long as he tells you those things. There is no way you are going to want to meet someone else. Maybe he is trying to keep you all to himself until he is ready to cut you loose. 

Could I be wrong? Yes, that is possible but no matter if I am right or wrong, this is an example of why you should just let an X remain an X. For every day you are available to your X, its one less day you get to spend with the true love of your life. You asked what is your alternative. Let him go. You tell him that you have to move on with your life and tell him to have a good life and you let him go. He has had his 6 months to get back with you and he hasnt made an effort to do so, so what does that tell you? 

Cutting him off is the best thing you can do for your future. Might hurt briefly but in the long game, this is best for you. Make room in your life and in your heart for someone better, for someone that actually wants to be with you. Thats your alternative.