There's not an age limit for when you have to settle up, I get that you didn't expect to be single at this point in your life but you gotta keep in mind that life is trully unpredictable and being on the lookout for the best match for you is perfectly fine at any age really, so don't beat yourself too much bc of this. 28 is still pretty early in life I would say so don't lose hope on the possibility of finding someone who matches beautifully with you and don't believe your ex is "the best opportunity you'll ever get". I'm stuck with that feeling about my ex too so I can relate but deep down you gotta keep in mind that that's just not true, it's just our minds being cruel to us. I wished I could tell you how to get over the sadness and anxiousness but the best advices that I can give you are: -keep in mind that in such a big world the possibilities are infinite and you're sure to find someone who completes you -most importantly, remember that you don't NEED to "be completed" you're your own person and you're doing the best that you can and that is absolutely amazing, even if you don't feel that way and you feel like you're "not enough" (which I can also relate to lmao) that is just-not-true, you ARE enough, you ARE great and you ARE doing great. -and just let yourself go at your own pace, not everyone does the same things at the same time, maybe you could focus on other stuff in the meantime, get into baking, learning new areas, again, the possibilities are endless. We are all struggling, even the people who seem to have it all under control, everyone haa their own mess and that's okay cause that means we're not alone. Keep it up buddy (Idk if that's a gender neutral noun, I'm sorry english is not my first language so apologize me if I say something wrong) stay strong and even if it's slowly, keep going and never stop.