Walking on eggshells in Love: When sensitivity and mismatched desire strain a relationship

I am always walking on eggshells when I am with my boyfriend and it’s exhausting, I never know when I may do or say something to anger him, and this always makes me second-guess myself or stop myself from voicing an opinion. I know he loves me, but he is also extremely sensitive, and this has begun to affect how I interact with him. I sometimes feel as if I am losing my identity by being with him. How do I get him to stop this? We love each other and I don’t want to break up with him, but this is not going to work if I start to panic all the time.

He needs to know that this is causing serious harm, and that it may damage the relationship permanently. If you can’t be yourself with someone who claims to love you, it’s a red flag you are ignoring at your peril. Relationships get stronger only when there is honesty, and walking on eggshells is like subterfuge because you are being compelled to be someone you aren’t. If you feel as if you are losing your sense of identity, this will only get worse until you both address what is going on. Being sensitive is not a problem, but being sensitive to the extent that you can’t allow someone else to behave naturally is definitely an issue. Talk about it without fear if you want this relationship to evolve. If he doesn’t see that or understand your perspective, there is no future with this person.