Hello Anonymous – it appears to me that you have a healthy relationship with your boyfriend despite some of his issues / your reactions. A bit of solitude when things get to be too much always seems to help. Some people feel lonely and anxious when they’re alone – so I don’t know if this is good advice for you, but if you’re someone who thrives on soul searching, time alone might help you during anxious times like these – journaling, long walks, meditation are all great things to get you back on track.

Another thing you could do is to try to narrow down on what’s causing the anxiety – when you lump them all together it might seem like an insurmountable situation, but if ask yourself what’s the one thing that’s causing you the most anxiety at this time, then work on improving that one situation, it might start to put you back on happy path. It doesn’t sound like it’s your boyfriend, since you’re figuring out a way to talk to him; so it could be one of the other things you mentioned -so ask yourself what one thing would make you happy right now… the first answer that comes to mind – for ex, living by the ocean, or having the perfect job – whatever comes to mind first may be the thing that’s causing you anxiety because it’s not happening for you right now. Once you hone in on what feels off you can try to course-correct your path. Even if you can’t do it right away, just awareness alone will get you a long way away from anxiety.

I’m glad you’re also considering therapy – good luck with everything!!