32F and 24M relationship advice

TL; DR: My boyfriend and I’ve been just arguing a lot lately, so I asked him if we could take a break. We are in a LDR. And I am planning on talking to him in about two weeks. I’ve been thinking a lot, and I was just looking for more inputs from others besides my lesbian friend’s lol

It’s a bit long but what do you think about this? I’m planning on reading this to him.

Hey, I want to talk about what happened because the way things unfolded didn’t feel okay to me. My issue wasn’t the necklace comment—it was that when I said I didn’t feel good about what you said, you got defensive instead of trying to understand me. That made me feel dismissed. And later on, yeah, it did bother me that you noticed what necklaces Dez wears when you don’t usually notice my tops or clothes. It just made me feel a little unseen.

When I tell you I’m hurt, I need you to care about that first—not argue back or focus on my tone. When I said I needed space, I was overwhelmed, and hearing “you asked for it” honestly made me feel like you didn’t care about how I was feeling.

I know relationships change, but I’ve really felt a shift with you. You used to talk to me so sweetly, even when you just woke up. Now I hesitate calling you because your tone feels irritated and I don’t want it to turn into an argument. I don’t want to feel like I’m walking on eggshells. Even small things like asking about your dad’s planner or my jeans become arguments, and it makes me scared to ask you things at all.

I love you a lot, and that’s why I expect effort from both of us. When I tell you how something made me feel, I need you to not shut down or say “I can’t do anything right.” I just need you to acknowledge it and try to fix it with me. I don’t want “sorry” just to end the argument—I want us to actually improve.

And about Instagram—it’s something small but it matters to me. You used to post me without me asking. Now I feel like I’m waiting for you to do it, and it makes me feel like you don’t want to show me off anymore. It’s small, but it means a lot to me.

Overall, I’m asking for better communication when we argue and more effort to understand my feelings. I’m not trying to fight or break up. I just want us to grow and for both of us to feel cared for. If we’re both willing to try, I really believe we can make things better.