It'll get better, jim. I was solitary for a long time, wouldn't date or hook-up or anything. When I did "jump back in" so to speak I apparently wasn't ready because I made a couple really bad choices.
I'm still solitary location-wise though there is someone in my life I care about who lives too far away. Maybe that's one way I can be very very careful still.
I wouldn't recommend my style of "easing back in" because I think people do need other people. We just have to be very careful if we're getting what we need or what we think we need, and it takes time to sort out "you."