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what does it mean when he says he doesn't want to break up but he is not sure if he loves you anymore?

198 Answers
Last Updated: 06/15/2022 at 2:58pm
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Brenda King, PsyD

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I treat life changes, women’s issues, and issues of aging using evidence-based treatments with healthy doses of warmth, empathy and humor to enhance healing and growth.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
May 5th, 2018 6:05am
He might be indecisive how he feels or how he want to proceeds. You need to see what works best for you, and make decisions accordingly. Your happiness isn't dependant on someone else's presence or absence
Anonymous
May 9th, 2018 7:16am
When it comes to relationships they all have ups and downs. And sometimes this will involve not feeling as strongly as you did before. This is entirely normal and this does not mean that there is anything wrong in your relationship. Nor does it mean that one of you made a mistake somewhere. Though in order to truly understand how your partner is feeling one must first understand their own emotions. This often times can help address why one is not feeling as strongly as they used to. There are of course various reasons why feelings could suddenly change. The most common reasons being: -It's simply a phase in which they aren't feeling as strong and that there no contributing variables other than human nature. -That you and your partner are growing apart. Which is okay as there will be many relationships like this in nearly every person's life. Those were the common reasons for a HEALTHY relationship. If your relationship isn't healthy, (fighting, abuse etc...) there are of course other less desirable reasons for feelings to fade. The best option is to really talk to one another and try to figure out why there was a change in feelings. I truly hope this is helpful.
HopeIsTheKey101
May 9th, 2018 11:22am
It means that he may be having some mixed feelings in the relationship. :)
Anonymous
May 12th, 2018 7:35am
It means that he is not sure where he stands at this time. He is confused about his feelings or what he wants. He needs to figure out his feelings first and ensure that he genuinely wants the relationship. He might also just want something to hold on to
Anonymous
May 16th, 2018 1:00pm
it probably means he doesn't want to be in a relationship but still wants to be friends. by him saying he doesn't want to break up with you it may mean he still wants to see you and be around you and for you not to hate him
meiixae
May 20th, 2018 12:13am
People can easily become attached. Even if they know they shouldn't be with someone anymore, they still can't help but hesitate. Also, there could be a problem with the relationship. If this is the case, it would probably be best to talk to him about it.
GAddams
June 24th, 2018 6:49pm
It means he has doubts, but he enjoys the comfort of what you have. You have decide if you are ok with that.
Allears247
July 25th, 2018 11:27am
It means that he is scared to break up because of the change it would make on both your lives, but at the same time the dynamic of the relationship has changed. Pretty much I don't feel the same, but I don't want to leave you either.
clumsyywatermelon
July 27th, 2018 6:55pm
It means that he wants to take a break to figure out what's really going on in his heart and mind. It doesn't mean that he doesn't love you anymore, it just means that he's confused and needs time to be sure.
wonderousKitty16
August 1st, 2018 7:52pm
It means he feels guilty leaving you but hes confused and not sure how to leave you so questioning his o n feelings but being selfish and honesty at the same time to get your input and see how you react
Anonymous
August 4th, 2018 7:33am
He is most likely more confused than he lets on. He feels the spark is gone but is unwilling to let go of something that has been a part of his life for so long. Holding on to such a relationship in the hope that things will resolve itself is not conductive.
Anonymous
August 15th, 2018 6:38am
Normally this comes a loss of romantic feelings, but still having friendly feelings. They dont wanna hurt you.
Anonymous
August 18th, 2018 8:26am
This can be tough on you as it’s not a clear answer and puts doubt and worry in your mind. Make time to sit down and ask why he feels this way and what you can both do to resolve and work on this. Perhaps a little a space or thinking back to how you both were at the beginning and start there again. Relationships take time and you and your partner are always learning about each other. Spend more time with friends and around positive people while he is busy and perhaps focus on him and talking positively to him when you both are giving each other your attention
Crystalline2Heavens
August 18th, 2018 8:31pm
Sometimes people start to feel the relationship isn't going where they thought it was going. Feelings change. Its a good time to talk to him to find out if the relationship is savable. If he says it is not, then he is not wanting to breakup because he is afraid to move on. In general people do not like change. It can be frighting to take the big leap and leave the relationship. Your a safe place in his life. Sometimes long term relationships move from intimate loving type to friends or even friends with benefits.
AnnaTope
September 12th, 2018 8:26pm
This seems to be the type of statement that a person expects you to read between the lines. Personally to me this means I still want to be with you But I’m not sure if I’m committed to you. In other words “don’t build castles in the air” I’m with you now but I don”t know about tomorrow. Pretty much the ball is in your court to make the decision if you want to be with someone that is half into you. Or do you want to invest your time with someone that is fully serious about you.
PainKiller101
October 7th, 2018 1:41pm
He doesn't love me romantically, but loves me as a friend and is afraid that he will loose me if we break up. He knows that everything thing will change after that. He might also think that doing so can hurt me. He is reay confused about his feelings and doesn't want to take any serious step such has beak up before he is sure. There are also chances that only wants a casual relationship with zero commitments and no feelings attached, just for the sake of fun. Or he wants to give our relationship another chance and things it's worth giving a second shot
sweetWriting46
October 13th, 2018 11:00am
This means he is confused. He might not be ready to leave you by having a Break up. At the same time he might not be loving you. He might be concerned about you. At the same time he is with confused mind loving and not thinking to have a Break up. He does not want to leave you and at the same time does not want to say Break up because you might get hurt if he say Break up and has insecurity of losing you.
GEMINIALDRIDGE8D
October 13th, 2018 9:46pm
The only person who knows what he means by this is him. No one can tell you how he feels but himself. He may mean that he wants to be with you for sex, money, gifts, so as not to be lonely or another reason without the emotional attachments. However, he may also feel love and have feelings for you, but is not in the best mental place to explain how he feels, or isn’t sure how he feels himself but would like to take some time before making a decision so as not to make the wrong one. It could be one of many things, and you should really ask him what he means by this as soon as possible.
Anonymous
October 27th, 2018 6:43am
Probably he needs sometime. May be your partner is going through some tough times in life and i feel in a situation like that it's important to give some space. Let him/her take time and don't push it too much as it might tick him/her off and would cause more damage than you think. May be your partner is going through some tough times which is making him/her confused about your relationship. Whenever there is a possibility try to have an open discussion to understand what happened and what you can do to make it batter. Things might fall into perspective with time may be.
Anonymous
October 27th, 2018 8:02am
This has a lot of levels and depends on how you wish to look at it. Maybe the individual is getting mixed up. Love can be very confusing you think it's its all happy enjoyable and some kind of love story, but in reality love or relationships have to be worked at and people sometimes fall out and argue when in a relationships that's when you have to work at and you may doubt you're love towards someone. Maybe he was in this frame of mind the next day this individual could have worshipped the ground she walked on. Love ain't easy
rainbowstar
October 30th, 2018 2:26pm
That means he is confused about what he feels for you. But he have no right to take you for granted. As it's very natural that you want commitment and love in relationship. You should ask him to take time to think about it for few days or months and get back to you. His mind should be very clear what he wants to do about relationship with you. If he is confused then he should find out reason behind it and work on it. In this mental state you both can't make your relationship stronger. It's disturbing for you to be with a man who is not sure if he loves you anymore.
LittleMissJoy
January 9th, 2019 12:29am
Most of the time if someone you are dating has said this to you then i would say that this person is either not ready, unsure or afraid to lose you by breaking up with you but at the same time there is some uncertainty. I could only imagine how daunting this may feel for you to hear something like that but the best thing for you to do talk to him and find out what it is that he needs to do in order for him to realize what his feelings towards you actually mean. Support him as best you can and don't push or force this matter upon him, just simply show him the reason why he wanted to be with you in the first place.
ElectricJourney
May 12th, 2019 4:21pm
If he doesnt love you, it's hard, yes. On the other hand, if you feel like your connection is strong enough you could break up and continue to be friends. You dont always have to be dating to have a strong connection to someone. I broke up with someone a while a go and we still talk, we dont have any romantic feelings anymore but we still are super good friends. Sometimes just being friends with someone that you used to love can be challenging but in the end, they are still in your life. It's also sometimes important to let people go, letting go is hard but, it takes time and confidence in yourself to grow strong.
Anonymous
August 14th, 2019 5:06am
This could mean he doesn’t know whether to keep the relationship going. Although he’s not sure if he loves you anymore, the feelings he once had for you make it hard to let go. Having a relationship is a really nice thing to have, and makes you very happy. You get used to being with that person for some time. And ending the relationship would mean leaving someone who you loved, had a deep connection with, and made you more joyful than anything at times. He might be uncomfortable or even scared to go back to a life without someone to lean on.
Anonymous
November 16th, 2019 2:49pm
He is confused with how he is feeling at the moment, it is possible that he has doubts with either the relationship, you, or himself and he does not know what to do. It is good to give to communicate about this with him to figure out things, but it is also good give him space and time to figure out his feelings and make a decision. You may feel uncomfortable when he said he does not love you but does not want to break up, but what would you feel if you are in his shoes? What would you do?
Anonymous
December 26th, 2019 3:59pm
Believe him, if he truly wanted to break up he would call it quits. Sit down and talk about how you feel and why you feel this way with him. Make sure it’s all in good heart and do not argue. If he truly didn’t want to be with you he would have ended it when you asked. Perhaps to invite the spark back, go on an exciting date! Have alone time playing games or doing something more. Anything to bring back a positive vibe and overall loving attitude from your boyfriend/husband. Good luck to you. I hope all goes well.
Odunayo97
January 10th, 2020 12:51pm
I think he is just having a form of pity for me or probably tied down by what we have shared in the past.he doesn't want to hurt my feeling directly.or he is just having mixed feelings.have been in a somewhat similar situation.he is unsure what the future holds or he is trying to hold on to the relatioship and make things work as best as he can.relationship of this kind can be toxic in the sense that there is no love from the opposite side.the couple probably needs to talk it out and decide the next step to take.
Anonymous
January 25th, 2020 9:08pm
Maybe that he's figuring things out and just isn't sure about too much and asking something as simple as "do you long me" doesn't have a simple answer. Also he's probably just used to the idea of having you around so is afraid to breakup but doesn't feel the same way. I know it's hard but this is how it is and honestly wish there was a sweeter answer to this but there isn't. So if you decide to stick around there's a high chance of you ending up hurt. More than you'd be if he'd just break up with you in the first place
bellarina74
February 1st, 2020 5:26am
I would say that could mean that the other person is not sure they want to make a 100% commitment to someone. Sharing your intimate time with someone should be cherished. Being at someone’s beck and call is not really a conducive way to maintain a relationship. It sounds like you are trying to hang on and keep a relationship together and the other person is not as invested as you are. Establishing what you will and won’t accept in a relationship is important because you can then make more informed decisions regarding what and how you will do things.
Anonymous
February 7th, 2020 6:49pm
He is confused. Give him time. He doesn't want to break up with you, he still cares for you... Give him some time and make him know you love him! Then he will remember how much he loves you! Go out with him, go on a date, make him laugh, make him feel loved... he will probably reassure himself he loves you, if he didn't he would have already broken up with you! I hope you guys will be fine again soon. If it does last a lot of time, it could be for the better you seek help or break up... thank you!