I don’t want to end things...

My boyfriend of two years has serious struggles with his mental health, which has caused a lot of stress to our relationship. We have managed so far, but it has not been easy because he has a lot of issues related to depression. There are more bad days than good, but I have been okay with this because I know we love each other. A few days ago, out of the blue, he told me he wanted to end this relationship because he didn’t think it was fair to put me through anything more. I don’t want to let him go because I think we can make it together, but he is adamant. He says his health won’t get better, and that it may cause more serious concerns for us both down the road, which is why he wants to end it now. I understand where he is coming from, but I also disagree and don’t know how to change his mind. How do I convince him that this is worth fighting for? I still believe we can work on this.
It’s hard to convince someone who is ill because you may have perfectly valid reasons for not wanting to go along with any decision, but the one dealing with the heavier lifting is still your partner. There are ways of coping with this, such as couples therapy, which can help you understand what you can both do to make things easier for him, but it can’t be done without balancing responsibilities. For it to work, he must want to save this relationship as much as you do. You can suggest time out, if that helps, because it may allow him to recalibrate where things stand and what he believes is important. Tell him you are willing to wait until he understands the situation better and give yourself some time to think about this too. There will be challenges for you both, going forward, so any decision that either of you make should be made with some awareness.

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