Please I need genuine advice, nothing cliche. I’m genuinely struggling.
Im 17, a virgin and never been in a relationship. Most, if not all of my peers are having sex and in and out of relationships and I kind of feel left out, but at the same time I know I’m preventing myself from so much nonsense. I think most teenage and early adulthood relationships end in regret in the long run because of the amount of stress and hurt that comes with it, due to the overall lack of maturity. I’ve tried to get into relationships, but again, I can always immediately tell that there’s a sense of maturity that is missing. I’ve also been in situations with men much older than me. Anywhere between 22- early 30s, but I can never go far with it because I’m aware of how wrong it is and I experience this internal guilt and insecurity because of how young and inexperienced I am. Plus, I feel like these men are usually driven by lust rather than genuine love. Most young men tbh.
With all this being said, I’ve decided that I think I’m going to wait till marriage. I feel like it’s much more rewarding to be seeking long term intimacy and relations with someone rather than short term relationships to fulfill some type of fleeting sexual desire or “loneliness” or even societal validation.
Btw im not like a prude or anything like that. I’m a normal teenage girl. I go to parties, have had sexual experiences, drink occasionally, do dumb stuff etc etc etc… and I’m a fairly pretty girl, but apart of me feels like maybe I’m overthinking and going to regret not experience my teenage and young adult experience to the fullest. I’m only going to be beautiful and youthful for so long yk. Maybe the nonsense is worth it.