Hi all,
I appreciate any advice you can share. My girlfriend and I have been in a long distance relationship for 3 years now. The relationship has been difficult as I already kind of knew I’m not the best candidate for LDRs. I decided to try it anyways and now we are at a stopping point. The past few years have been extra challenging because I work extreme hours (80+ a week), I’ve been overly stressed, the pandemic, and just some personality flaws that make it harder. At the end of last year, I realized that my gf has been distancing herself more and more and eventually she explained that she felt extremely hurt by my behaviors, temperament, and lack of availability. Since then I’ve tried to be more attentive, sensitive, and have even normalized my schedule. The problem is now that I’m trying to do the right things, she tells me she is too hurt and bruised and scared to really try in our relationship. I can tell she tries in small amounts but it’s frustrating on the receiving end. I spent the better half of this year trying to mend the relationship but as of yesterday I decided it would be best to at least take a break for a few weeks to let some of the negative feelings pass. She agreed and said let’s see how we feel in a few weeks.
My questions are - do you think this break is ideal or should I just chalk it up as a breakup?
Also, should I be the one to reach out or should I just leave her alone and see if she eventually initiates?
Thank you so much!