For the past 3-4 YEARS, I’ve ignored an ex. Our relationship failed after I gave him multiple chances to stop spending time away from me to instead take drugs and to hang out with his friends all day and night. I immediately dumped him after a few 6 months into our relationship. I was sick of his excuses and behavior. It was toxic to me. I ignored him. Blocked him on everything. Until, months later, a friend of mine dm’d me saying how he was begging him to tell me that he needed to talk to me again... that he missed me and that he was sorry. To that, I unblocked him to have a proper “closure” with him, making it very clear that I was happy with my relationship at the time, I was busy with school, and I needed him to be completely out of my life. After some explaining, he seemed to understand and respect my decisions. I told him how I didn’t want to be friends or anything at all because I internally felt a lot of anxiety from his presence. I felt SO relieved with how it played out, thinking this would be the last time I would EVER hear from him.

For the first year, I never heard from him. Not a peep. I had blocked him on everything. Then, I started getting friend requests periodically throughout the months. He’d find ways to send messages like “hey,” “talk to me please,” “i miss you” in a pleading manner.

Today, I temporarily unlocked him to see a message from him (bf told me he messaged me), and I saw that he said “hey.” Why is he still trying to contact me after all these years? I made it painfully evident that I needed to get away from him. I can’t be friends with him. I’m not looking to get back together. I’ve always wanted to remain disconnected, like strangers. Every time he pops up in my feed, I get feelings of worry, panic, and just general anxiety. Any word or picture of him causes me feel uncomfortable.

To this day, I’ve ignored him. I’ve never broke the streak of ignoring him (like I said in the beginning). The fact that he still contacts me (not getting the hint) bothers me. Should I say something? If so, what should I say? I’m afraid that if I do reply to him, it will only serve to encourage him more.

I wish now that he would completely disappear from my life as I had said clearly many years ago. I wish that he would move on with his life.