How do you know when to break up?

So, I need help. For over a year now, I’ve been in a long distance with a guy. We had some hurdles in terms of interests and future plans, but we really connected and he’s helped me through so much. I really care about him.

But I think I’m losing the connection fast. We are supposed to meet up Thanksgiving break, but I feel more and more distance from him. He hasn’t been terribly available either (his life is not in great shape at the moment). The sparks used to be pretty strong, but my interest is pretty low. This has all happened in the past month and a bit.

I would dismiss it as a phase but that’s kind of how I realized it was over with the guy before (though there there wasn’t much and he was a jerk): a fading and then a clear sense of some crucial piece being missing. In this case, I fear we’re too different and that I do need the physical presence after all, something that’s worrying me since the beginning.

Is there another way to fix this? I really don’t want this to be the answer. We can tweak around the first a bit, but neither of us can afford to move. I hope there’s something I don’t see, and I plan to talk to him as soon as I can.

Please help. It’s breaking my heart. Please tell me it’s a phase or there’s other things to do.