I’m grateful for your detailed response, Jennifer. I believe there’s a fine line between knowing when it’s appropriate to stay and immediately try to hash things out and when the best thing for both people is to inject some time and space into the situation. I think it’s often highly dependent on the people involved. I once dated a woman, someone who was very mature, kind, and insightful, who found it very upsetting to try to actively work through a problem in real time from beginning to end. She needed time to reflect on her thoughts and feelings about a situation without having to deal with the pressure of having to defend her ideas on the spot for any sustained period of time. I don’t like giving up on a problem whilst in the middle of trying to solve it, but I had to respect her wishes (and personality), which meant putting issues to the side for a bit and attending to them again a little later. No two relationships are ever the same as each other. Thanks again for your thoughts :)