Am I 24 [M] wrong for wanting personal space in a loving long-distance relationship with a 24 [F]?
I’m 24M and my girlfriend (24F) and I are in a long-distance relationship — she’s in Hyderabad and I’m in Gurgaon. We genuinely love each other a lot, and she’s honestly a really sweet and caring person. But lately I’ve been feeling mentally exhausted because she always wants us to stay on call.
My work-life balance is already pretty bad, so most days it feels like I’m either working or talking on the phone. I barely get time for myself anymore. I’ve tried explaining this to her, but she gets upset and says things like “what else do you even have to do?”
We already talk throughout the day — short calls in cabs, after waking up, texting regularly, etc. But she also wants us to sleep on call almost every night and gets upset if I want to do something else.
For example, one night I wanted to watch a movie after work, but she wanted us to just sleep on call. The next day I planned to go play sports with friends (all boys), and because her party got cancelled, she wanted me to stay home and spend Friday night on call with her instead. I still went out to play, and now she’s angry and barely talking to me.
The thing is, I’m someone who enjoys socialising, travelling, sports, gym, movies, etc. I’m young and I don’t want to lose my individuality or hobbies. At the same time, I really love her and don’t want to hurt her.
Am I wrong for asking for personal space and time for myself? How do I handle this without making her feel unloved?