i love my boyfriend but keep thinking about breaking up…

My boyfriend is a genuinely kind, caring person and treats me really well, which is why I’m struggling so much with this. He’s my first love and I still love him a lot. No complaints as him as a boyfriend- he’s great.

The issue is that I’ve had ongoing doubts for months because I feel like we’re stuck in a cycle. He struggles a lot with motivation, consistency, and direction in life, and I often feel like I have to push him to do things (career plans, gym, goals, etc.).

We’ve had multiple conversations about it and things improve briefly, but then go back to how they were before.

I also feel like we have pretty different values and lifestyles. I come from a family that’s very driven, family-oriented, and big on food/culture/traditions, whereas his family dynamic and mindset around life are quite different. I’ve started noticing differences in work ethic, ambition, and general approach to life, and I can’t tell if I’m overthinking that or if it genuinely matters long term.

He’s recently started taking steps to improve (signed up to the gym and is starting therapy soon), so part of me wonders if I should just be patient and support him through this phase.

What confuses me is that when I’m alone I constantly think about breaking up and feel this heavy feeling, but when I’m with him I feel happy and comfortable again.

I can’t tell if:
- this is a normal rough patch/phase
- I’m overthinking and self-sabotaging
- or if deep down I know the relationship isn’t right long term

Has anyone experienced this before? Did things improve, or did the doubts eventually mean the relationship had run its course?