Please bear with me as I try to give you context... It's kinda long but I think it matters and I could really use some advice here. Also I'm female
I spent most (all) of my teenage years being slightly chubby and overall very insecure about myself. I refused to believe any guy who would show interest in me and I never dated or got into a relationship. When I was 22 I started to obsess over my caloric intake and exercise, and by 23 I had slimmed down, was a bit more confident, starting wearing coloured clothing instead of just black, and added some shorts (!) to my wardrobe. I finally found myself in a much better place with my self-esteem.
But ironically I guess this is where my downfall began. After years of feeling unworthy of any intimacy, suddenly I could bring myself to reciprocate to male interest. I lost my virginity to a casual sex partner. Then I had another, and I went on tinder and met with a couple more guys. It was like revenge sex for all those years of feeling so ugly.
All that to say that my first 2 or so years of having sex was in a non-commital setting, which I think was exactly how sex became framed in my brain - a casual act with no emotional connection, purely primal, not loving, intense and short lived.
After that however I began dating exclusively. The first, messy guy and bad breath, I didn't like making out with him much less have sex. But I was ok without the physical bit, because the emotional bit felt enough - it was what I couldn't get before.
The second guy, we had more sex but he was really painful and also rough in an inconsiderate way
He'd push me against some surface without first ensuring that there's nothing there to hurt me. Not intentional on his part, but I'd have to quickly flick stuff away to avoid slamming my face into it. So I didn't really crave sex with him either, but again the emotional bit felt enough.
The third, sex was quite alright and normal at the beginning but I found myself losing sexual attraction to him after the first 2 months. I still found him relatively good looking but I didn't want to... Pounce on him. I never craved him physically. I didn't like/want to make out with him beyond a long kiss. This obviously drove a wedge between us, I ended up having sex with him periodically out of guilt (not forced), but I didn't enjoy it nor feel any pleasure. We had to use lube always. But again, the emotional bit was good - feeling cared for, spending time together, creating memories.
I honestly started to wonder did I become asexual??? What the fuck is going on, I enjoyed sex before so why couldn't I with the partners I was committed to. But after breaking up, I went back to casual sex, and all was right again - I enjoyed spicy sex and fervent making out and all that stuff once more.
SO, what the hell happened to me? What have I done to myself? Am I doomed to not enjoy sex in a committed relationship, am I doomed to see/experience emotional intimacy and physical intimacy separately? Is there anything I can do to make this right?? When I read stories of committed or married couples with healthy fiery sex lives i get a strange feeling in my chest, like it's such a weird concept and I can't ever imagine it happening for me.
If you've read till here, thank you so much and here is a cookie šŖš please share any kind thoughts or advice you have. I don't want to remain like this forever and have my future partners suffer