He is extremely lonely right now, and is reaching out to you with an intent to quell that loneliness.

An ex that isn’t in a relationship, is an ex that craves companionship.

As a single person, this is an ex that is getting lonely.

Consequently, he thinks about relationships that he has had in the past.

It is easier for him to think about you, being that you are part of his past.

He knows what you are about and what your personality is like.

He is familiar with you.

When it comes to someone who is longing for companionship, it is easier go back to familiar territory.

A familiar territory is one from his past.

We don’t have to put out a whole lot of effort to woo someone from our past.

This is why an ex comes back into your life, even if you haven’t seen or heard from him in years.

Unfortunately, a guy with this motivation doesn’t have your best interests in mind.

He is reaching out to you after 3 years for selfish reasons.

Currently, he is lonely and has realized that the easiest route to quelling his loneliness is to reach out to someone from his past.

He doesn’t have any plans to be with you long term.

This is a short-term fix for him.

He is thinking that it is convenient to contact you now, while he is figuring out what to do with his life and his relationship woes.

This is why it is so important that you don’t jump into a new relationship with him right away.

It’s tempting to get caught up in the moment and make yourself excited.

You have never stopped loving him after all these years.

This tricks you into believing that he is being sincere and that he wants to be with you.

Getting emotionally invested in him yet again, makes you vulnerable to being dumped by him a few months later, when he finds someone better.

Avoid letting your emotions get the best of you, clouding your judgment in the process.

An ex that wants you back after 3 years is someone who has made an assessment that he can’t do any better.

He has already dating multiple people in the last 3 years and those dates went nowhere.

He got into a few actual relationships in the last 3 years that also went nowhere, leaving him feeling depressed and undesirable.

In coming back to you, he is resigning himself to a conclusion that you are the best he can do.

This means that you aren’t his first choice.

You are someone he is settling with.

Is this what you want?

Getting into a new relationship with this ex is going to make you obsessively question your value, which consequently affects your self-esteem, and the viability of the relationship.

An ex that is strictly coming back to you, with the intent of settling, is much less likely to be emotionally satisfied in the relationship, nor respect you.