<human>: Provide a brief overview of the text.

So I'm trying to do the whole casual dating/sex thing but I really suck at it. I'd like to connect with someone without anticipating what's going to happen the next month, the next week. I think maybe my values are getting in the way and I'm disconnecting if I feel like I'm compromising them in any way.

Maybe my values that drive me towards growth and improvement need to be reviewed because right now they seem to be an obstacle to me connecting with others. I try to optimize my life by cutting people out that take up too much of my energy or add no value to it. I try to foster the relationships I already have. But being in a college town as a grad student that is 5 years older than the average student, I'm constantly surrounded by people just like that and I can't bring myself to care about anyone. It doesnt help that the people I do have friendships with have almost all moved away. I'm not better than anyone, but I think there's definitely a life stage transition somewhere in the mid 20s when you start to realize that a quarter of your life has already gone by.

I'm also trying to be the best partner, the best person, best professional I can be. All of that could *possibly* lead to a fulfilling future but I'm definitely not having a fulfilling present. It's making me feel really alone, no matter how many people I surround myself with and even with my most recent gf (24) I felt alone, which really wasn't her fault. 

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I'm a counselor now and fatigue sets in when I'm caring for someone else, being open and vulnerable for someone, all of my waking hours: as a counselor, as a boyfriend, as a father... I just want to be selfish now and make a connection where I can take more than I give. I want to have sex without worrying where "we" stand, to have somebody humor me instead of the other way around, and to not feel so guilty for asking for that.
<bot>: feeling lonely, but not for a relationship. I just want to make connections without worrying about where it fits in my life. Thinking about casual dating/casual sex but I feel bad about it. Looking for insights or feedback.