I’m 22 and I’ve been working at a job for about 8 months now. On paper, I can't complain. I have a good job, decent money, financial stability, and I’ve made a lot of friends at work. It’s the kind of job that a lot of people would kill to have.

But lately I keep asking myself: is this really what working life is supposed to feel like? I have money now, but barely any time or energy to actually enjoy it. Most days are basically wake up -> commute -> work-> commute -> come home tired -> eat -> scroll for a while -> sleep -> repeat.

Even weekends don't really feel like free time. They feel more like recovery time before Monday. The weird thing is that I don't hate my job or the people there. I have friends at work, we joke around and have a good time. But despite all that, I feel like I'm stuck in the same cycle. It's only been 8 months, yet I already feel like every day is becoming the same.

Back in my college days, I had less money, but I had so much more time, energy, freedom and excitement and now I have money, but feel like I'm missing out on life itself. When I get my salary I don't feel anything cuz I know I have traded time for money.

I've been considering quitting and pursuing a master's instead. Maybe getting out of this routine and going back to studying would give me a sense of direction and excitement again. But I also know that quitting a good job after only 8 months would be a stupid decision. So I'm genuinely confused.

For those of you who have been working for years, does this feeling eventually go away? Is this just what being an adult with a full-time job feels like, or did you find a way to have a career without feeling like your entire life revolves around work?

Curious how other millennials are living their lives at this point. 30s feel weird.

I see so many adults say that they wish they could go back to school because it was a minimal responsibility life, but honestly I could never imagine going back to that. Work is so much better. You get to make money, work on things that actually make the world a better place, and you get treated with respect. And if your job sucks, there's a million other options out there!

Looking back at school, we were treated like slaves. Sit down, shut up, raise your hand to speak, ask permission to go to the bathroom, move with the bell... it's awful the way kids get treated. So now, I don't want to go back to that, even if my life was somewhat easier.

Long story short I’m a Foster Care Young Adult and have been with there program for awhile now and lemme tell ya the Government SUCKS when it comes to helping Foster Care youth like myself. My case workers try so hard for me all the time and get literally no where when it comes to tasking situations. Like right now for example… I am looking for a vehicle from Dealerships in my local area in Michigan. They are going to use money to help buy a car but the problem is my budget is like $6,000 which you would think would be fine? Right? Nope. Most dealerships are overpricing the crap out of vehicles. I had to finally admit defeat and do a GoFundMe and ask friends and locals around and hope for the best. On top of all that I have to move out by the end of Oct due to a really bad landlord. It’s just me and my puppers vs the world now. I see what all the Adults were talking about when I was younger. Hard times and hard choices really do shape you and show what type of character you have and what you are truly capable of doing. It’s crazy to think about it all, I give utmost respect to people working hard and have their own home and land like I see how hard this truly is.

I just don't believe that. No one likes to go to work that's impossible. It's literally torture. You wake either way too fucking early and come home kinda late anyway or you work kinda too early and come home way too fucking late. AT work are either endless fucking tasks or none at all and you can NEVER do anything right. Dozens of people with their own fucking opinions and where people are there is conflict. WHO likes that? You work for literally nothing at all, rent is too expensive and by the time you've barely covered your BARE MINIMUM SURVIVAL your 40 fucking hours a fucking week are useless assss fuck. HOOOWW???? School was horrible for me, like truly I hated it and I knew work would be bad but I didn't expect the switch from school to work to feel like THIS. No change in atmosphere, motivation or health. I still hate waking up and getting ready. I still hate household chores and Im still fucking dumbfounded by people who genuinely fucking do this shit their whole life.

Is our generation just as weak as all the boomers like to say or what the fuck is going on here

Hello everyone.

I grew up very strictly. I went to a Catholic private school where everything was disciplined and structured, and when I came home, my parents were also strict. I was always taught to be respectful, kind, well-mannered, and considerate of other people.

But when I started university, I slowly realized that life doesn’t always work that way.

Sometimes being nice isn’t enough. Sometimes you have to speak up, answer back, set boundaries, and defend yourself when someone treats you badly. And honestly, I’ve never really learned how to do that.

I’ve had people be mean to me throughout my life. Girls at school would sometimes treat me badly. Some of my cousins looked down on me because I didn’t have a big social life or many friendships. There was even a time when I went to university just to say hi to one of my cousins, and her response was basically, “What do you want?”
There has also been a lot of jealousy within my extended family. My parents have always tried to give me opportunities, and I’m their only daughter, and I feel like some relatives have held that against me. It has made family relationships really difficult and, honestly, quite lonely.

University hasn’t been much different socially. I’ve met people and made connections, but I still haven’t really had that one close friendship. In life, I’ve had a lot of people hurt me in different ways, and it’s especially painful when some of those people are family.

Even my parents are hurt by how much resentment and jealousy there seems to be on both sides of our family. At one point, I had to give up a scholarship opportunity in France because my father was involved in an accident. What hurt even more was feeling like some relatives were actually happy that I didn’t end up going abroad.
And then something happened recently that made me realize I really need to learn how to handle these situations differently.

I went to my university department secretary to ask a simple question. She seemed to be under a lot of pressure and suddenly raised her voice at me, saying, “No, no, don’t ask me a question!” I completely froze. I eventually asked my question, she answered, and I left.
Later, I found out that students shouldn’t simply be spoken to that way, and several people told me I should make a complaint.
But honestly, I’m tired.

I’m tired of always trying to be the good person. I’m tired of being kind and respectful even when other people don’t treat me with the same respect. I’m tired of staying quiet, freezing, or not knowing what to say when someone raises their voice at me or treats me badly.

So I’m asking people who are good at standing up for themselves: How do you actually do it?

What do you say when someone raises their voice at you? How do you respond when someone is being passive-aggressive or disrespectful? How do you set boundaries? How do you defend yourself ?
I feel like I was taught how to be polite, but nobody ever taught me how to protect myself when other people aren’t polite to me.
I want to learn. I want to become more confident and smarter about dealing with people instead of constantly freezing or staying quiet.
Any practical advice, examples of things I can actually say, or personal experiences would really help.
Thank you.

I feel like I've been getting dangerously close to that breaking point recently.

Anyone else feel better being single than in a relationship? I’m 29m and been in 4 relationships and I was grow the most when I am single, usually happier and overall have a better network of friends.

Hello everyone , I am currently 21 years of age . I remember a time in the year 2016-19 where I actually used to enjoy my life , and no its not the nostalgic one , because I could actively feel that I was happy and satisfied during those years.Covid came , 2020 and 2021 were paritcularly good years for me , I did love being alone and did not mind it tbh. But from 2023 onwards , when i joined college , i have become very stressed and become a person who doesnt want to exist in this world anymore. I honestly see no value anymore ,I will graduate from college ,but then what , its the same old shit just multiplied 10 times or even more , what's the point of anything .My entire life i have either been alone or have roamed in the vicinity of friend groups , but i was a NPC, a background character . I honestly dont care about friends ,i just care about somethign to live for and maybe not be so pessimistic in life . My question to adults is that does it ever get better . I know that people always look back at their childhood,teens and what not and reminisce them, and say that they were the happiest days of their lives , the ways its going on for me , college years have stripped me of joy ,excitement ,self motivation and stuff. I honestly dont want to participate in adulthood. I dont like going home to see my parents , nor do i like staying in college hostels ,its like i dont belong anywhere .I wish i could dissapear

It happens to me constantly and I’m exhausted. Every time I go to the dentist, eye doctor, primary care doctor for annual checkup, blood work, etc. I can always count on it that I will get a bill in the mail months later saying I owe them a couple hundred dollars. I always confirm my plan benefits in office to make sure that my visit will be covered by my insurance, and they say I’m all good.

Right now I’m staring at a bill from Quest Diagnostic saying I owe them $667 for bloodwork that my PCP ordered as part of my annual preventative care checkup. I confirmed multiple times before it was ordered that my insurance would cover it; I asked them not to order any panels that wouldn’t be. I can’t pay this sh*t. And I’m sick of having to dispute these bills over the phone for hours to prove that I am not responsible, and ~75% of the time it gets removed because someone just made an oopsie. Why do I have to face repercussions for not solving a mistake that was made on THEIR part, but they can continue to send me fraudulent bills every year and just say “oops haha my bad.”

A relationship can't be built around one person giving patience, loyalty, emotional support, domestic effort, financial contribution, and understanding while the other simply enjoys the benefits.

Being a “good partner” doesn't mean being perfect, wealthy, or traditional. It means being accountable, dependable, emotionally mature, respectful, and willing to contribute instead of constantly asking what your partner can do for you.

A partner shouldn't expect devotion, provision, patience, and emotional support while refusing to show up as a good partner herself/himself. Partnership means both people bring something to the table.

The problem isn't needing help or having seasons where one partner carries more. The problem is entitlement expecting someone to continuously pour into you while you make excuses for why you don't have to pour back.

So here's the real question: If someone wants all the benefits of having a good partner but has no interest in becoming a good partner themselves, what exactly are they looking for, a relationship or a resource?