Hi everyone!

Last night me and my boyfriend decided to end things and stay friends. We have been together officially for 6 months (however speaking and going on dates for 9 months) and I really fell hard for him, so when I started seeing red flags or seeing him treating me badly, I would either blame myself or I would make excuses for him and stay because I thought he could have changed. Long story short he didn’t and I felt like it was best to end things and stay friends (because I still really care about him and I want him to still be a part of my life) because it wasn’t healthy for me anymore, even though it was the last thing I wanted and all of my feelings were still there but I couldn’t put myself in the position of getting hurt again because of how it affected me! Now I am focusing on making myself happy and becoming a more positive, confident person! Any tips or advice on how to handle this, as it’s my first break up with someone I would consider my first love! Thank you!