Hey everyone, thanks for the replies. I realized that the way I was dealing with the situation was very reactive, and I was falling into old, passive patterns. When I decided to become more empowered, I was able to express my feelings honestly and clearly to my partner, who agreed that he had been unfair to the relationship and to me. It did highlight some minor issues in our relationship - taking one another for granted, not making the effort to go out and have a good time together, and so on - and I feel that it's now much better and we can move on.

I did feel very hurt for a few days, but I found that the better I felt about myself, the less hurt I felt. This was an important lesson for me in self-respect, and I'm not afraid to ask for what I want in the relationship (I used to be, for a long time).

Thanks, everyone, for the replies and encouragement. They kept me going when I was feeling really low, and gave me the affirmation I needed to do the right thing for me.

x