The fact I’ll die alone without ever feeling the love of a woman besides my mother and without a child saddens me. So, as kind of a consolation, I want to know… How does it feel? Being in love and being together, the sex part, just living together and all that…
No, learning to love yourself first is not a prerequisite for finding love or happiness. But it sure makes it a hell of a lot easier to know what’s best for you.
Do consider therapy if you have a way of procuring it, I know it’s expensive, or the next best thing in my opinion is to go and grab a notebook from the dollar store and just start writing your thoughts down. It’s going back and reading those thoughts that really helps with self actualization and reflection, imo.
I wish you luck, OP, you deserve happiness and I believe you can find it, but you have to be patient with yourself and other people. Becoming vulnerable to others, although risky, really helps expedite the process.