18M here. First off dude i just want to say that you are already well ahead of me in regards to relationships. I mean its like ice skating you get blades strapped to your feet and are thrown out on to an incredibly slippery surface. Its uncertain, nerve wracking, and it takes incredible effort to get anywhere. But you know that's how it is for everyone learning to ice skate for the first time, and you are a fucking champ for getting a fair bit of the sliding around part done. I haven't even started Hell you did it while wearing the 500 pound backpack known as depression. Like seriously it takes courage to even stand with that thing because it feels like your spine will snap. You went out on the ice with it. Is there any shame in slipping up at your first time ice skating while carrying a weight that most can't even lift? That makes you superhumanly strong at the bare minimum. Also why base your entire life's happiness on the stupid sport of trying to get around on a frozen pond. I mean fuck I hate ice skating, would much rather have a snowmobile. "There is no other meaning to life but a relationship. Everything else is a distraction." in the ice skating analogy if everyone believed that ice skating were the meaning of life then frozen ponds would be covered in the skeletons of people who forgot that they also have to eat. Its really a stupid analogy now that i think about it but damn man there's so much more to life than relationships. Its literally one thing in a world of cool ass stuff to do. Also even if that is what you want (and I understand) you are comparing yourself to the pros. See the thing about being a pro is it isn't always because of hard work. You are comparing yourself to the lucky lottery winners of relationships. You are right that there are very few people (especially young people) in a stable lasting relationship. Why fret? You don't get mad when you don't win the big ass one-in-a-billion jackpot. And really that's what tinder is man: a lottery. Same for asking a random girl out. What you might try (And I'm not really qualified to offer any advice on this) is to not talk to girls just because you want them to be your girlfriend. Does that make sense? Like just treat them like a regular person. Don't pretend to be something you aren't. Don't do things for them that you wouldn't if you wern't looking to get something out of them. And really above all don't take anything personally. If a girl turns you down it just means the little flesh bag that is her doesn't really care that much. Doesn't mean anything in regards to you. Basically make it so that they can't "screw you over"

Here to talk mayne