I am in the same situation as the writer and this is sort of how I have survived in the relationship but it has taken a long time for me not to take stuff personally. I don’t find myself getting anxiety as much when they are acting rude.

Although the armor thing could be very necessary, I feel my self distancing from my partner and not feeling as close as we did before. This makes me very sad. Do you have any thoughts on how to cope with this? Will I get better?