Pathetic...

[vertical_sky]

I thought I had come to grips with a break-up that happened in the early fall. I've even been seeing a guy for a couple of months that is intelligent, goofy, and treats me with respect and kindness. I had cut off my ex when we broke up, but we've still had a conversation about once a month online because we play the same virtual game. The last two conversations (January and December) I mostly just listened to him talk about his life and inserted "That sucks" or "That's nice" occasionally, trying to be distant but friendly so he couldn't accuse me of being immature/psycho to our mutual friends because I ignored him.

Yet about a week ago, I started having these very vivid nightmares about him moving on to someone that all our mutual friends liked better, and I've woken up crying and disoriented. Since then, I feel like I'm back to stage one of the break-up. I suddenly miss him terribly, and I have to restrain myself from picking up the phone and calling him any minute I'm not pre-occupied. I try to distract myself.... I work out, I play video games, I go out with friends, and yet in the back of my mind there's a constant loop going "You miss him, you miss him, he's moved on and she's better."*

I feel so pathetic and miserable, and I hate that I have these feelings. Why do I have these feelings?? How do I stop missing someone who told me flat out he thinks I'm crazy and is sooooo much happier not dating me?

*For the record, I have no solid proof he's moved on. The mutual friends that are closest to him say they have no idea if he's seeing anyone. I just assume he is.

[Lemmington]

Well, one way I try and stop getting myself obsessed with people is to just think badly of them, and when I think "well, I can live with that", I immediately think of all the problems that the other person may cause as well, and I try and get sort of annoyed with them. Then I end up ignoring them.
IMO you shouldn't be caring about the other person he is going with. You said your mutual friends like this person better than you, well, what I say to that is to loosen up on what their opinions are for a bit. Don't care to the point that you are uncomfortable with how they see others compared to you, you are your own person.
Stop thinking that "she's better", erase the popularity ranking list in your head. What others think doesn't have to apply to you as well. I know the feeling of wanting to go back and seeing that there might be a small chance you would succeed. Usually, it takes a LOT of effort to actually do this, and you'd be better off finding someone else.
Stop thinking of him, and it's only you who can do this.