Going off my last post, the guy I’m dating had told me on Thursday night that he wasn’t doing well and needed space. It was hard but I did. I honestly thought I’d never hear from him again, but I had started to accept that.

Thankfully today he is talking to me a little bit, he had just needed the weekend away from all technology and socializing. But I can tell he is still struggling. And in my head, it feels like “oh no he doesn’t really want to talk to me but feels like he has to”, and that’s when the need to want to ask if he’s mad at me, if he doesn’t want to be with me kicks in. But I know that would be shitty of me to ask when I know he’s struggling with his own life.
How do I ensure I don’t overwhelm or smother him when I just want to be selfish and seek validation?