| So here's the situation. I started dating a female friend 2.5 months ago. We were friends for 7-8 months prior to that, so we know each other pretty damn well considering our school/work schedules are exactly the same. We even started a small business together. Right from the start, she told me she is tired of always jumping into relationships and she really needs some time to just be happy with herself since she has low self esteem from past relationships. This spawned from a conversation she and I had about how you need to love yourself before you can love someone else. Little did I know we'd end up being interested in each other at some point.
So, things started off really well. Great frequent sex, she was very affectionate, and we both really made each other feel good. But after a month, she started to act weird. Sex stopped, affection levels dropped, etc. She definitely wasn't cheating on me and didn't have interest in some other guy, and I have confirmed this with 100% certainty. I confronted her about her actions and she kind of blew me off and told me I was reading too deeply into things. But I really do have a sixth sense for this kind of thing, and I knew something was wrong.
Finally, two days ago, I noticed she was REALLY acting weird. I sat her down and told her to explain herself. She was reluctant at first but eventually started crying and just said she can't date anyone right now. She said she wants to be with me but she can't because she has so many personal issues. She said that she doesn't want to have sex because of these issues, one of which is that she had an abortion several months ago and is still very strongly affected by this incident.
Now that I've bored you to death with the background, I want you to tell me if I did this next part right and if it might turn her shit around:
I told her that I care about her very much, and for that reason I think it's best that we take a break from each other. She seemed upset and was reluctant to agree, but I reminded her that it's only a break and it would be for her to take time to find happiness with herself and resolve some issues. Once the break is over, we would talk about how things are going and go from there.
She asked if we could still call and text each other. I told her that's not a good idea since it would just make it harder for both of us. She argued with me a bit on that, but I told her that it just can't happen. We have 5 weeks until class starts again, and during that time we will not be forced to see each other. Therefore, I told her we would talk about things again in 5 weeks.
Last night she texted me and asked about our business we started and if I wanted to continue working on it with her. I didn't reply. I figure she sent that text because it was the only thing she could really say that would have a chance at getting a response out of me, although I could be reading into that too much. She hasn't said anything since then.
So, here are my questions:
1) Did I handle this entire situation properly? For the sake of my own learning experience, I want to know if suggesting a break was my best option and if I executed it properly. I feel like I did, but I'm open to feedback.
2) I have to admit, aside from her inability to get over her issues, she was an absolute blast to date and she's an amazing friend. I don't want it to end here, although I'm prepared to lose her if she can't fix her shit. But do you think this "break" has a good chance at making her get her head together and trying to fix things?
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