I'm a 19-year-old guy seeking urgent advice about my relationship with my girlfriend, who is also 19.
Hello, I'm a 19-year-old male seeking advice about my girlfriend, who is also 19. We've been together for nearly three years, but our relationship has been filled with arguments. My girlfriend struggles with severe jealousy, which initially concerned me, but since she was in therapy, I hoped she could improve. Early on, I discovered troubling signs when I found out she was involved with other guys on Snapchat, which included exchanging explicit photos. When I confronted her, she insisted they were just old friends who were "gay" and that she didn't really talk to them. We had a relatively open relationship regarding passwords (a decision she requested), but my curiosity got the better of me, and I looked through her messages. I know it wasn't the best choice, but after she had checked my phone multiple times, I felt compelled to do the same. This led to arguments, which we eventually moved past. About two years into our relationship, a particularly heated argument escalated when she became physical and caused me to bleed. I felt vulnerable, being a man who didn't want to retaliate, so I tried to restrain her and told her to stop. This incident hurt me more emotionally than physically; it was painful to see someone I cared for act that way towards me. Through ups and downs, we managed to stay together despite her making threats that I don’t want to discuss in detail. Today, however, things took a turn for the worse. My best friend had a birthday celebration at IHOP and Skyzone, a laid-back event that included his ten closest friends, one of whom was female. I talked to my girlfriend about it to ease her concerns, and after a bit of persuasion, she agreed to let me go. During the celebration, she bombarded me with texts demanding I come home, but I informed her that I couldn’t just leave my best friend’s birthday. Afterward, I went to see her, hoping to reassure her of my loyalty and commitment. However, she became angry, accusing me of making her look bad. In a fit of rage, she got out of my car and slammed her keys against it to hurt the vehicle, which I cherish. With that background, I’m looking for advice. While she possesses some wonderful qualities, she can't seem to overcome these troubling behaviors. What should I do?