I can relate. I used to be engaged/married for a total of 10 years to my High School sweetheart. We had allot of very serious relationship issues, despite really caring for one another. Unfortunately, we were unable to work those issues out before the marriage ended; however, we stayed civil for the sake of our daughter, we both learned a great deal about ourselves after we went our separate ways, and have since gotten back to being very good friends. One of the things I learned about myself was that I'm an introvert (w/ ADHD, and some other social issues/barriers), and more importantly, I learned what that means for me. I'm very passionate in new relationships w/ people, and in life. I also need huge amounts of time alone to recover my physical and mental energies after being social. I prefer to be alone most of the time. If I'm socializing, I would rather it be at an event than on a p2p basis, unless the conversation can keep me mentally stimulated. When in a relationship, I start out hot and heavy, but after a year? when things have settled down and I've become very familiar with a person, I start to become burnt out with being around them 24/7. Exaggerating, of course, because I work all day, etc. I've literally just moved in with an amazing woman after a year of dating, and it's going very well for us as a couple, but right now I'm struggling with feeling smothered. It sounds like allot of your (OP) struggles may come from A) not finding the right person B) finding people that don't allow you to recover C) not allowing yourself the time you need to recover One of the things that enables a lasting relationship is finding someone that you are compatible with, someone who understands you, and allows you to be the person you need to be for you. Also, consider the idea that you do not need to be in a serious, full-time relationship for the relationship to be healthy and enjoyable. Maybe you'll find someone you love that you can "pal around with" once in a while., and that works for both of you. Friends with benefits, but more.