Confused about my [28M] feelings after an year of dating with my girlfriend [27M]

I have been in a relationship for over a year now. This is my first-ever relationship and we both moved to Dubai from our same home country for work, which is where we met each other. We got to know each other through Tinder, initially looking for companionship without any intention of things getting serious. However, as time passed, we grew closer and deeper into the relationship.

We’ve had our fair share of differences, mainly on small matters, like paying attention or using words carefully, which sometimes escalated into major upsets. I, personally, have been going through an existential crisis and moved to a new city, leaving behind my passion, just to succumb to practicality. Due to this, I’ve been somewhat lost when it comes to personal preferences, and all I initially wanted was the comfort of her presence. That’s it, I really didn’t have anything else to ask. Her, on the other hand, is incredibly determined with clear career goals. She also has a history of battling depression due to family circumstances and toxic relationships. Our disagreements often triggered the depression in her in ways that I did not see coming.

We also have disparities in our expression of love – she’s passionate and open, while I’m reserved and shy, often getting bothered by our surroundings when things get intimate. This caused misunderstandings, making her feel like she was putting more into the relationship than I was. This also started affecting her self esteem in a way that she felt she was throwing herself at me which I declined. It was not my intention but I understand how me being reserved might have made her feel so.

Ten months into our relationship, we went through our first break. She felt I didn’t care about her or her words in a series of events, and this hurt her deeply. She even went out with someone else during our break to reassure herself that she was desirable, which was tough for me. What bothered me the most was that she didn’t have a strong support system outside of our relationship, like a close friends circle, or family member. Determined that I can be a better partner, and to go up to my full potential, I convinced her back into my life over a few weeks.

I gave my all, and we restarted our journey of love. We both fell in love even deeper. She was still going through some tough phases personally and i was able to be of help in being her partner and supporting her emotionally.

In the past, I needed solitude and space, but with her, I was content being around her all the time. However, lately, I’ve been craving to be single, to have time for myself and my friends. I can’t explain this sudden change in my feelings. She’s suggested moving in together, but I can’t even think about it right now. She is someone who prefers to be around me 24/7, something I never bothered until now. Suddenly in a month, I’ve gone from someone who was thinking about introducing her to my family to someone who is relieved when she says she can’t meet today.

I still love and respect her immensely, and it hurts me when she’s hurt. I don’t want to hurt her, but I’m just so confused. I’ve recently made the tough decision to leave my job, and I’m facing financial issues, and she’s been my rock through it all. I wish to be the same for her and not be the reason for her next episode of depression. She has these instances of having nightmares every nights when she is mentally at a tought phase. When we had our first break, she was going through it, and now she has had it for two nights again.

Has my love for her faded? Is this just a phase I’ll get through? How can I deal with these conflicting emotions?

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

TL;DR : I was very passionately loving someone. We had a rough phase which we survived. But now suddenly I have started to feel different and I don’t know what to do about it.