In the scenarios my advice regarding "space" is always this, whether in the healthy relationship or the relationship on the skids, avoid it.
For a man to give a woman "space", is communicating by action "I don't care enough about you to fight for you" or the same thing "I don't have enough respect for myself to fight for you".
On these boards I often weigh whether it is proper to say enough or sometimes to say too much, but for the benefit of you and all other good men I will go ahead sometimes to speak plainly on these issues even to the point it may ruffle feathers and step on toes, but that is really nothing to me if the good men that need to see these things type out do indeed see them.
So now that issue I want to make plain is confrontation.
Know this, if the good man is not confronting his woman, and in fact confronting often, things are not going to go well in the relationship.
The truth is just this, a woman whether on purpose or in subtleness WILL push buttons to see the mettle that her man is made of.
This is the fact, and is part of the feminine nature and is exactly what her role is in the relationship, regardless of what it may upset or confuse the man, that is for him to deal with.
So over time, in the healthy relationship, the good man and woman will do the confronting mostly subtle, sometimes with little or no words, but sometimes with obvious words or actions.
In my situation, as I have often shared even to the point of getting so much feedback and private messages wanting to udnerstand, that if my woman is in some way acting sassy, or in some way showing disrespect or even in some way acting emotional or upset, I will deliberately make the point to engage her directly.
This is important to understand, as the good man that wants a healthy and happy marriage this is my responsibility to do this, much as to go to work or to be faithful or to be a good father, it is my responsibility to confront my woman, and confront her often.
Sometimes this is to stop everything and engage in direct conversation, to insist that whatever the issue is to either be dropped or resolved in some matter, or even to the point of lifting her skirt and pulling down her panties and giving her a well placed swat on the behind (which seems to get so much attention on these boards, but don't miss the more important picture!)
The important picture is, that instead for the good man to look at this confrontation in fear or trepidation, instead to see this just what it is, the opportunity to do what flows naturally from the masculine nature.
For once or twice when some timid man finally stands up for himself to his woman, instead of seeing her fly into some rage or some other thing which in his imagination has run away with him, when instead he sees exactly this, the woman is very happy and satisfied and emotionally connected and physically attracted and turned on once she sees the man she loves acting like a man, once the good man sees this cause and effect, all the past confusion and resenting and fear in him melts, and he is himself happy and satisfied and emotionally connected and physically attracted and turned on to his woman as well.
So the good man grows connected to his woman through his masculine strength, and the woman grows connected to her man through her feminine strenght.
And exactly this, since ancient times, is the ways of the woman will work to push higher the man, and the ways of hte man will work to push higher the woman. This is our sexual heritage, and we will do well to honor this structure, the masculine and feminine, to grow in sexual attraction and emotoinal connection as the good man and woman together.
But yes it takes courage, in fact much courage, as generations of myths and lies about a man needing to act more like a woman, and the woman needing to act more like a man.
And we have relatinoshiops where the man resenting his woman, withdrawing and hiding to pornography and fantasy, perhaps eventually trying to find some affair woman to make him feel like the man.
And the woman is resenting her man, hiding insecurity, complaining, and perhaps eventually trying to find some affair man to make her feel like the woman.
In all this, the spiral of resentment is layed out. The spiral of resentment exists because of dishonesty. The dishonesty exists because we allow fear to keep us from pursuing our happiness.
So the point of all this, Munast, to take the steps to decide if you want to save your marriage, and pursue happiness for both of you, to be willing and able to confront your woman this very day, even this very hour, on what is on your mind.
To be afraid is of no benefit and nothing to gain.
To have courage is the only benefit, and everything to win.
I wish you well.