<human>: It was only a couple months, but I truly liked this guy. About a month into us casually dating, I finally bit the bullet and asked if we could be exclusive. He said he wasn't ready for a serious relationship, but was willing to continue hanging out to "see what it might develop into". I respected his honesty so I kept spending time with him, but ever since that talk I had this very obvious wall up so as not to make him feel any pressure, and also so that I wouldn't let myself get to a point where I could get too hurt.  
  The awkwardness began to build to the point where when we were alone, any real conversation was almost impossible. I was so self conscious about pushing his boundaries that I couldn't even be myself. Despite this, he would continue to invite me to special events like a weekend with his family for his moms birthday. 
      So last weekend we decided to stop talking for a while at least. This is a real bummer for me, I felt such a connection at the beginning and had such high hopes about something real coming from it. Now I'm worried I won't be able to form a real relationship with anyone, which sucks because I've been feeling incredibly lonely lately and just want that best friend type of feeling I've had before with a boyfriend. Anyone been through the same? Any advice on how to get out of my head when being around someone I really like? Thanks guys.

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<bot>: awkwardness due to inability of me to relax my guard ruined something with a lot of potential. How do I avoid this in future connections I feel with men?