I sense no despair in
@just4fun posts... just realization of his situation and how he entertains himself in that situation. I applaud him for his approach and honesty ! ! (insert clapping hands emoji here)
When you care and try to sort out the problems (via talking to SO, counseling, or whatever) and it still doesn't seem to work then best to have "Whatever" attitude otherwise you go crazy.. this assumes that divorce is not an option... or at least not an option you want to take (Financial, Children, etc)... so next best thing is to be a thorn or ignore... both have pro's and con's...
In the past, when my SO was seeking a compliment, I would always give an observation.. ie: do these jeans make me look fat ? I would reply, Honey, I don't think the jeans have anything to do with that.. it's what's inside the jeans...
and like clockwork, a huff and puff followed by a day of silent treatment... it was a nice break for me...
Everyone has their own coping skillz however, so what works best for one, may not for the other.
Relationships require lots of work and compromise.. if either party is not willing to do those, then what's the point. I'm not trying to be harsh... just my experience and what I've learned FWIIW....