AITA for not accompanying my girlfriend with severe social anxiety on an errand?

Not the A-hole

My girlfriend of about a year has crippling social anxiety. If we go out, it would not be uncommon for her to nervously shake or to shutdown completely. It breaks my heart to see her struggle with it. She is sometimes incapable of completing the simplest everyday tasks if it requires her leaving the house on her own.

I love her and because of this I will join her on running various errands, meeting appointments, etc. While I’m happy to do that for her sometimes, lately I have been insistent on setting boundaries. Somedays, if I have prior obligations or, frankly, am not feeling up for it, I will decline to help with whatever it is she needs companionship for. This never goes well.

As was the case yesterday when she was hungry and wanted brunch. I offered to make brunch for the both of us because I was also hungry but she said she would rather grab some food down the street. I did not agree to go with her there and instead started on brunch. While cooking, she left in a fury and texted me how I upset her and put my desires before hers.

She explained that she feels like a burden and that she cannot have gotten food on her own and needed me. I essentially accused her of having an entitlement issue that is completely separate from the anxiety issue. I stressed that she could not fault me for what I did and that I should feel free in a relationship to say “no”.

So, AITA?

Posted Dec 16, 2018, 11:11 PM UTC

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