Hi everyone,
My ex and I dated for three years and had an amazing relationship. We moved in together to start graduate school in June, but by the time the semester began in September, I noticed her getting overwhelmed and stressed more often (she’s in law school). Despite this, we still did things like normal and even went on a trip during winter break and communicated like usual while we were at home (she would regularly start convos saying she loved me and missed me).
When we got back to school in early January, everything turned upside down. On the first day back, she said her first day of class was super stressful so I gave her space. A few days later, I texted her asking if we could have a conversation that could help me understand how to balance giving her space while also showing I’m there for her. After this, she caught me off guard by proposing we take a two-week break in our relationship where I wouldn’t show affection/say “I love you”. I understood, but told her I was a bit surprised (especially by the last part). After that, she intervened and said she didn’t think the relationship could work because despite loving me, she “couldn’t give me what I needed.” We agreed to remain roommates/friends and there was still mutual love for one another.
The next two weeks, I took the time to rediscover my hobbies/reconnect with old friends, which made me much happier. This happiness led me to write my ex a note explaining how much better I feel about myself and would love to have a conversation about potentially working things out between the two of us. I told her I would give her all the space she needed but didn’t want to give up the opportunity to continue making memories together. I wasn’t expecting much, but I was still gutted when she replied with a note of her own that said “I’m frankly too stressed to commit to a romantic relationship and need time to work on myself, too.”
The following two weeks have been brutal, but I’m trying everything I can to stay upbeat. We still talk and laugh with each other around the apartment, and her parents (who are the only people that know about the situation) still text me regularly.
The only part that is concerning is that she’s deleted some of the posts of us together on Instagram while leaving a few others up (oddly, it’s one of us kissing). The whole situation is still so fresh and confusing to me and all I want is some clarity so I don’t have to keep sitting here until June (when the lease expires) wondering if I’ll never see her again after that.
It pains me to see her stressed, but I believe this relationship is worth fighting for in the long term. I have no idea if she feels the same way, but it feels like there were wayyyyyy too many great memories and not enough bad ones to cut things off for good.
TLDR: My girlfriend broke up with me and said she was too stressed to commit. What are the chances she comes back?