i feel guilty for having dated my ex in the first place

so i dated this dude when i was 15-6, it was only 4 months and 3 were long distance. FROM THE GET-GO, my friends told me NOT to date him, that they didn't like him. i didnt tell my parents about this, and it goes against my culture, beliefs and everything. he wasn't a nice person, at all, he was mean, controlling, emotionally abusive.... and yet i stayed with him. and i let him kiss me and touch my chest as well. i don't know why. we broke up 2/3 months ago, and i've just been feeling *so* guilty and like, bad about dating him. i feel it was my fault. (because it was). i feel guilty and like a bad person. nobody in my family or my friends liked him. yet i stayed with him and let me touch me. i feel dirty. what do i do

Reply 1

Zarek

You can’t change the past but you can learn from it for the future. Mistakes are normal in dating and it’s not so serious.

Reply 2

londonmyst

Focus on your future ambitions, not your past regrets of a short teenage relationship with a jerk ex.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and there is nothing for you to be guilty about.

Remember that you have gained some very useful life experience from dating your ex.
This new life experience may well give you the ability to help someone else who will come to you in the future asking for advice.
Or enable you to recognise the signs early when someone close to you is secretly dating a very nasty person and may need support to end things safely.
Good luck!

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by londonmyst

Focus on your future ambitions, not your past regrets of a short teenage relationship with a jerk ex.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and there is nothing for you to be guilty about.
Remember that you have gained some very useful life experience from dating your ex.
This new life experience may well give you the ability to help someone else who will come to you in the future asking for advice.
Or enable you to recognise the signs early when someone close to you is secretly dating a very nasty person and may need support to end things safely.
Good luck!

ok, thank you for the advice 🙏