My girlfriend and I have been on the up and down these past weeks, arguments and almost breaking up. The waters are treacherous at the moment we are both going through a lot. I find myself always having to adjust my behaviour to avoid being hurt which makes me treat people like shit. I’m more a closed book I keep everything to myself and don’t ask for help, my girlfriend hates this and says I need to communicate more. Whenever I communicate my problems it turns into an argument or the problems are overlooked. I have come to her expressing my feelings and she has said that she has been looking after her dog all day and that the dog is ill. I understand this and am trying to be supportive but how can I be supportive when I’m just there as the punching bag. She keeps using the fact that her dog is unwell as an excuse for the way she acts but it’s not good enough of an excuse my relationship is with her not the dog, it just feel like I’m putting my relationship on the line by things being overlooked and excuses being made which only make me feel worse because I have no one else to talk too.