Do you tell your boyfriend you want to be left alone? He can't read your mind. Women often say about men, they're "just supposed to know." It would be nice if men always knew the right thing to say and do (and it would be nice if we could do the same for them), but that's not reality. You have to tell him.

My boyfriend often tries to make me laugh when I'm angry or upset, and that's not what I need then. It actually makes me feel worse, or resentful. I need someone to listen, or to leave me alone, and I began telling him this, and he's better about doing that.