Search Results: building self esteem

I'm a straight single man but I don't really ever check girls out, flirt with them, or ask them out. I just always avoided love for most of my life. (21) however my first relationship happened at 18 and ended 2.5 years later. I didn't really want to ask her out (not because I didn't like her or want her but because as I was saying, I just don't like to be the one to approach women) I'm still single 6 months later while she dated someone less than 2 months after dumping me (family says she probably had this guy behind my back for awhile but I have no proof for that I give her the benefit of the doubt) I just don't know why but whenever I even consider it, I freeze up and quickly have to think of something else instead of continuing. My family thinks I'm weird and the other night my brother's friends and I were downstairs (its an apartment where they live downstairs and we live upstairs) one girl says you don't if I use the bathroom while you are in here and before I could respond the other friend said he's gay so it's fine. I replied with "No, I'm not gay. I'm straight" They were surprised for some reason. I don't dress like it or talk about men. I have only talked about females and how I want a girlfriend. So I had to explain to them my situation. Its just been on my mind nonstop that people think I'm gay or weird because I don't flirt or hit on girls and I don't make moves to ask them out and that im good friends with tons of girls but won't date them. I just don't like being rejected and I feel like it could and most likely will end with that result.(I've been working on building my self esteem up higher and confidence but rejection hurts the self esteem in a way that's hard to really avoid. You can't quite avoid being told "If you were the last man on earth, I'd be a lesbian" or "You're not my type" the last one sounds nice but when you hear it from 80% of the attempts you've tried in the past it makes you wonder if you are anyone's type at all)