u/Dazzling-Hurry8031

Hi everyone, I need honest outside opinions because I feel really confused and I don’t know if I’m overthinking or just seeing a pattern.

I just got out of a 3-year on-and-off relationship. We’ve broken up multiple times before and always ended up reconnecting. There have been a lot of issues like jealousy, trust problems, and emotional ups and downs.

This time, he sent a long message saying:

our relationship is a “toxic loop”

trust is “shattered”

being with me gives him anxiety, especially about other men

he can’t keep trying to control the outcome

we both deserve something healthier

he wants to heal peacefully

he doesn’t hate me and wants to end things respectfully

So it sounded like a real breakup.

But his actions confuse me a lot:

He blocked me, then unblocked me just to tell me to block him instead

He kept begging: “please block me, I can’t stop checking your profile”

He said he doesn’t want to feel pain seeing my posts or imagining me with another guy

He said “no contact for a while” but also said he can’t say “forever”

He doesn’t want to end things with hate

He won’t throw away my things

His behavior before this:

When I blocked him before, he messaged me from another account

Then when I blocked that, he messaged me from a second account again

So I know he has multiple accounts

Recently, I also got a message from a random number claiming they got my number from a dating app (I don’t use any), and I suspect it could have been him or someone he knows trying to test me

What just happened now:

He was begging me multiple times to block him because he can’t stop checking me

I didn’t block him at first

I posted stories, and he didn’t view any of them for 2 days

Then I finally blocked him like he asked

Why I’m confused:

His words sound like:
👉 he’s done
👉 he wants peace
👉 he wants to heal

But his behavior feels like:
👉 he’s still emotional
👉 still jealous
👉 still checking / monitoring
👉 not fully letting go

My questions:

Does this sound like a final breakup, or just another cycle that might repeat?

Why would someone beg you to block them instead of just controlling themselves?

Is this real detachment, or someone who is still attached but overwhelmed?

Based on this kind of behavior, do people usually come back after some time?

Has anyone experienced something similar (multiple accounts, blocking/unblocking, testing behavior)?

Am I overthinking, or are these actually mixed signals?

I’d really appreciate honest opinions, even if they’re blunt. I just want to understand what this actually is from an outside perspective. 🙏

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u/Dazzling-Hurry8031 — 14 days ago

I’m really confused about my ex’s behavior and trying to understand the psychology behind it.

During our relationship and especially when we fought or when I started pulling away, he would get very angry—blaming me, accusing me of things, and even saying he would throw my stuff.

But now that we’ve broken up, his behavior completely changed. He’s suddenly calm and saying things like:

he won’t throw my things anymore

he wants things to end peacefully

he doesn’t want me to hate him

he wants me to block him because he doesn’t want to see my profile

At the same time, he still keeps things a bit open-ended and inconsistent.

What confuses me is the switch—how someone can go from anger and threats to being calm and wanting “peace” after the breakup.

Is this about emotional regulation, control, guilt, or something else psychologically? I’m trying to understand the pattern because it feels very confusing and inconsistent.

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u/Dazzling-Hurry8031 — 17 days ago