The internet has backed a partner after they snapped at their boyfriend for wanting alone time on their day off.
Published to Reddit‘s r/AmITheA**hole forum, a significant other under the anonymous username u/Sexycupcake0218 shared their story in order to get the opinions of the “AITA” community. The viral post has over 7,000 upvotes and 1,000 comments.
The original poster (OP) began their story by describing the couple’s work schedules. They both work day shifts and are home after 6 p.m. every night. Their boyfriend has off Saturdays and Sundays whereas the OP has off Sundays and Mondays. They planned this so that each of them has the house to themselves for one day each week. They planned the other day off together to spend time with one another.
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They explain that they have different interests, but spend time doing each other’s hobbies together a few times a week. He loves being active and participates in physical activities outside while the OP prefers gaming and spending time inside.
The OP described when the conflict occurred, “So he stayed up stupid late last night and called into work this morning. 9/10x I wouldn’t care. But it’s Monday. It’s my only day to myself. And he is constantly bugging me to go work out with him, or go on a hike or generally to just be active because he’s bored. Again, 9/10x wouldn’t matter and I’d spend a few hours doing whatever he wanted. I need this day to just be quiet, and dark, and me time. I am 100% on the opposite end of a social person.
“I just want my one day to be alone, to recuperate for the week. I look forward to this one day the entire week. I’m definitely annoyed, and definitely showing it, even though im trying not to. I have tried explaining this, ive tried being nice and just telling him I need some me time and he’s just not listening. I pretty much snapped and told him to just leave me the f**k alone for a bit,” they continued.
The OP said their boyfriend is still “sulking” from their argument.
In a recent edit to the post, they explain that their boyfriend tends to call out of work on Mondays, sometimes it’s two a month as his job allows this as long as they are “ahead of schedule.” It typically doesn’t bother them as they can still get their alone time.
Newsweek has reached out to u/Sexycupcake0218 for comment.
Newsweek has published several articles regarding conflicts in relationships including a man slammed for not letting his girlfriend go to her sister’s wedding, a woman who doesn’t want her friend’s fiancé to join their vacation that divided the internet and a woman who was told to dump her boyfriend for refusing to cover dinner.
Major differences between introverts and extroverts
Extroverts
People who identify as extroverted typically enjoy putting their energy into the outside world: the people, places and things around them, according to Healthline.
Extroverts love participating in projects with others at work, school or with friends. They enjoy trying new things and are innovative and impulsive. Extroverts find spending time alone can drain them as they “recharge” when they are with other people. They also find it easy to make friends and are very optimistic.
Introverts
Introverts can be shy as they enjoy focusing on internal thoughts, feelings and moods rather than seeking out external stimulation, per verywellmind.com.
They tend to “recharge” when they are by themselves, according to Indeed. Introverts can also be good listeners and acknowledge the lives of others. They typically don’t enjoy “small talk” or other conversations. When they converse, they prefer smaller groups. Introverts like giving other people a chance to volunteer before taking on a project.
Redditors’ responses
“[Not the a**hole] – this may not be a popular opinion, but as an introvert with a partner who also works from home full time, I need my time. You have every right to want your own time without him trying to get you to do stuff with him when he called into work (for staying up too late – not even because he was genuinely ill), and it should have been your day to relax and recover,” u/lifetooshort4bs wrote in the top comment receiving over 14,000 upvotes.
“[Not the a**hole] – the fact you have asked him to give you space and he won’t respect that boundary puts him in the wrong here,” u/shadow-foxe explained.
U/blueheronflight replied to the comment above, “I’m one of those people that presents as an extrovert but find it draining. Alone time is so essential to recharge and not be “on” all the time. [Not the a**hole].”
U/DgShwgrl gave some advice to the OP, “[Not the a**hole], if you try explaining something nicely and you’re being harassed in your own space, what other options did you have? Strongly suggest you choose a weeknight when the emotional reactions have subsided to explain how much you value your own space to decompress at the end of the week, and see if that helps you in the future.”
