The Struggle with Finding a Spouse in a Halal Way

Assalamu alaikum. So, a brother expressed his interest in me for marriage, and even though I felt a connection, I had to say no because it would've been long distance. The thing is, I'm really struggling with how to get to know someone properly. Texting and phone calls with non-mahram men are considered haram without a mahram present, right? But everywhere I look, it feels like people are finding ways around the rules, and honestly, it's starting to tempt me too. Just telling my mahram about talking to someone doesn't automatically make it halal, and I'm so scared of accidentally slipping into something haram. It's really sad because I genuinely liked him, but going back isn't an option now, even though part of me wants to. Sometimes I get so worried about my future-I want to get married, but this feeling of religious guilt stops me from having private conversations with men, and my mahram isn't really helping out. It's making me think my only choices are either a haram talking stage or staying single forever. I keep saying no to proposals because I don't want to risk ending up in something haram. This is mostly just me venting. I know how the truly halal method is supposed to work, but it feels impossible sometimes. I'm not really looking for solutions because it seems like there aren't any easy ones-maybe just hoping someone else gets how I feel?