After I come back from school and work, my girlfriend and I usually get on a call and talk about our day. I usually finish talking about my day in about 1–2 minutes. After that, she often starts telling me about a conversation she had with one of her coworkers.
The problem is that these stories usually stop being a simple summary of her day and turn into long, detailed stories about her colleague’s drama. They often involve multiple people, different scenes, and follow-up questions. After an exhausting day, I really do not have the energy to listen to an intense multi-character story with a lot of drama.
I care about her and I want to be supportive, but I also feel drained and overwhelmed by these conversations. I don’t want to be rude or make her feel like I don’t care about her day.
I did try to bring it up with her, but she says that she's always the one getting the buttend of my school-work stress. How do I set a boundary without hurting her feelings? and is this even a valid thing to expect from her?