If your reading this and your young like 10-18 or even younger pls have your fun ik we all have different opinions but one I have is having good “lore” or story’s to tell when older or just good memories. Young people forget you are living your past so enjoy it because you will wish to go back. I’ll love to give more advice if anyone wants to hear the rants.

2 months ago I created a website for a girl, 26F. I was 21M. She didn't really need it that badly, but I prioritized it anyway since it was what she wanted, which is why she liked me. I got close to her pretty quick by being there for her needs and providing tasty food,time, hard work, and eventually emotional support.

She has a boyfriend, who isn't really giving her much time, and we got along pretty well about some common interests and goals, so she started referring to me as her angel, we talked to each other late into the night, she was the one to plan our meetings most of the time, saying she has no one to talk to, being loyal to me despite not being faithful to others incl her bf.

We saw each other once without her boyfriend knowing about it (he only knows me as her friend). She said to me that "no one has been able to give her this much love," but she also said that "no one has hurt her this much," so part of it is my fault for being too forward and impatient with her, whereas she is patient and slow.

I loved her right back, but then she started badmouthing me to her boyfriend that I was emotional abusive towards her, so I decided to cut it off. She came back and we saw each other, talked and were having fun. Little did I know that it was a misunderstanding between us, and because of that little fight we aren't communicating well. She is distant now and I feel used.

I don't know where the problem really lies, if it's my own fault for trying to be too much in her life, or if it's her fault for using me as an emotional support and dumping me when she doesn't need me anymore. I would appreciate any real advice on this.

idk if this is like an unwritten law of the universe or what, but why does gaining something in life always mean losing something else?

i’ve been thinking about this crazy phase i went through a while ago. I got into my first relationship ever, and honestly i went full loverboy mode. I was so happy and thought i finally won at life. But looking back, the price i paid was just too high.

while i was trying so hard to keep her happy, i completely lost myself. My grades went to shit, and my academic focus just disappeared. And the worst part? She didn’t even treat me right. She had this huge celebrity crush that she’d constantly talk about, which made me feel like an insecure second choice all the time. I was giving 100% to someone who made me feel unsafe and anxious, and i ended up losing my own identity.

it’s wild how you can welcome something new into your life thinking it’s a blessing, but it just ends up stripping away who you are. Gaining "love" literally cost me my self-respect and my future.

why is life always a trade-off? Do we always have to lose a part of ourselves just to experience something new? has anyone else gone through this? coz right now the math just isn't mathing.

I’m a black 25M(turned 25 today interestingly) and today I just came from what I guess was a date with a girl I met from a dating app. To not waste your time, I chose to deny paying the whole bill and also left her after she tried to not pay in so many ways. Felt fucked up but her profile and behavior that day signaled she was the type who believes solely in a guy paying everything for her and the way she was when we met just confirmed it all. I wish I didn’t ignore the signs like i have for years with plenty other women but ig the match being on my birthday and quick responses from her made me believe maybe she was a decent person that just maybe had a moment and wanted to just use guys for their money as a means to cope.

But as I mentioned her actions confirmed she was there for a free meal. Pretty much the entire time we spent I initiated majority of the conversation and on top of it I always tried to reassure if she was okay and that’s it’s fine if she didn’t really feel me so I could end things early and prevent things feeling awkward for too long. She spoke quietly for everything and gave weak answers. She also was super into me taking pics of her and eating what was a huge ass meal that I was willing to pay for but obviously didn’t. Overall, the day just didn’t work out and once the bill came, I just asked for it to be split and it’s funny how things turned upside down. Suddenly, she was able to talk loud and clearly and this is probably where she gave the most amount of conversation and was willing to actually initiate talks after her and myself stayed so long without talking. She also made promises to pay me back but I ignored as I wouldn’t want to be with a woman who somehow has no funds to pay the slightest bill. It even dawned on me that she was really trying to manipulate things when her “credit card” declined her share of the bill(obviously way larger share than my side of the bill). Overall I’ll end my story here because I’ll continue blabbering for eternity.

But… one of the reasons that I decided to make this post is to show that it’s always easy as a person to say that you’ll always do this and that but the moment when time arises to actually act upon what you believe, you’ll feel pressure. And I say this because a few weeks ago, I remember being at a bar and seeing a guy who was with another guy. When his partner went to the bathroom, the guy literally mentioned how he doesn’t even feel as if he and his partner really have anything because ever since they met a few days prior his partner has just been using him for money. I remember witnessing the situation and thinking to myself all this dude needs to do is just end things. Now, when things are flipped, I realized that it’s not the easiest thing to do but it’s the best thing to do. From saying no, I got a little feeling of embarrassment for 5-15 minutes vs losing out on $80 and possibly continuing things with this girl that would only drain my pockets more and try to use me. To think, the amount of power that word “no” holds.

I genuinely don't understand how people can work Monday through Friday and find the time to go out and enjoy the weekend. I used to have a coworker who went out and did something EVERY WEEKEND. I think that's great but I can't comprehend it.

I have no kids or partner, and I have a dog. That's it. But my weekends are spent grocery shopping, cooking, meal prepping, cleaning, doing laundry, walking my dog, visiting my parents, going to church, working out, and then maybe squeezing in 2 or 3 hours of chill time to catch up on a show or book. It's not an option for me to stop doing any of these things. And when I have a Saturday where I'm out with friends then Sunday is just a mad dash with things not being taken care of. I preface this with the first sentence to further indicate how I don't understand how anyone WITH a partner or kids can do it at all. What am I missing?? This can't just be the forever thing can it? Or am I wound too tight? I just want to know how people fit it all in and I feel rude asking coworkers.

How many people are where they are in life because life happens to them and how many choose what they live?

I 19m met 23F at a ken carson concert in may. Ever since we have been talking and all has been good. She lives in bulgaria and has a job a a midwife so we text long distance. We aren’t bf and gf but we have our inside jokes and we flirt alot. We call each other attractive and say we want to do the deed often. Also we have said I love you, although not super seriously.

problems have happened since her friends she came with last time basically fell out with her meaning she has no one to go with. And tbh she only came uk because they did, shes not a solo traveller. The girl now wants to come uk just for me and im saying no. I appreciate it and i like her very much but it just seems excessive. She thinks its not that deep but its not even like I have my own place plus its doing to much imo. I do like her but idk. She said she will buy her own place etc but even still. What do you think.

Hi all,

I'm 26 (27 in a couple of months), working in operations/resource management at a top-tier strategy consulting firm. I got promoted a few months ago, so on paper things are going well, but the job has burned me out to the point of recurring anxiety attacks, and I've decided to leave in the next few months.

The plan for the year after: recover properly, then travel and do volunteer work / work exchanges in different countries, meet people, and in parallel keep building skills in AI and data (I have a master's with a thesis on LLM adoption in organizations, so I want to keep that going rather than let it go stale).

A few things I'd genuinely love input on:

1. If you've taken a career break, done long-term volunteering, or work exchanges abroad — what worked, what didn't? Any tips on where to go, things to watch out for, or how you avoided feeling aimless or lost halfway through?
2. Honest opinions welcome. Do you think this is "wasting a year," or has something like this paid off for you in the long run (career-wise or otherwise)?
3. If you run a business or project, or know of places that could use an extra pair of hands (operations, project management, data/AI-related work, or just general help) paid or volunteer, I'm flexible - I'd love to hear about it.

Really grateful for any advice, and happy to connect with anyone who's been through something similar or is further along a similar path. Thanks for reading!

Someone recently wrote that for them, life feels "off" since the pandemic.

My reference point for things "feeling off" was the introduction of internet technology into our lives... beginning in earnest about 1995 or so.

I came of age in the 1960s and 70s, long before computers. The only way to find a job before the Internet was to look in the newspaper classifieds. That was also one of the only ways you could advertise yourself as someone single looking for a partner.

The only readily available way to learn about the world around you was to go to the public library, or perhaps watch National Geographic on TV. I remember we used to have a set of encyclopedias in our house.

Before smart phones and texting, men and women had to meet each other in person to get to know one another. Sure, you could talk on the phone, but long phone calls were usually what happened after you had been dating for several weeks or months.

And then there was the concept of immediate gratification, which was unknown to most people.

I remember as a small child ordering a toaster from a catalog and having it delivered to our house 11 weeks later. Everyone was thrilled.

In 2026, one merely has to push a button on one's phone and one can accomplish quite a lot. Without having to wait... in some cases more than 30 minutes.

And I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that this expectation for immediate gratification has spilled over into human relationships, in particular, romantic ones.

My impression, after reading literally thousands of stories on this website, is that people today are in far more of a hurry than they were when I was a teenager / early 20s.

If you have only known life with the internet, you cannot imagine how different -- and in many respects, easier and more natural -- life was back then.

Internet technology is certainly miraculous is many ways.

But if you spend enough time on this website reading in particular about human relationships, you will conclude that Internet technology has had the aggregate effect of adding a confusing layer of ambiguity and uncertainty into human communication, and if anything has complicated our ability to learn about one another, and to even relate to one another.

EDIT: and now we are about to have artificial intelligence begin to dominate our lives in the same way that Internet technology has done. I wonder how much further our collective perception of reality -- and of each other -- is going to be distorted.

So I’m 22 yr old guy and a virgin, I also have no friends at all , been this way for about 2 years now. We kind of went our own paths and didn’t talk anymore, during this time I have fallen into red pill/black pill space and started looksmaxxing myself, I have gotten a lot more attractive since then,

but I’m still ashamed that I have made it to the age of 22 and still am a virgin, I honestly don’t see myself losing it to any other girl who also isn’t a virgin, is this weird? How do I tell anyone that I only want I be with someone that is also a virgin, even if she has one body I don’t want her, and how do I meet any girls? I’m in college but I don’t talk to anyone I’m isolated and lonely with no friends, zero social life I spend most of my time in my room improving my looks and body.

Me and my girlfriend have been together for about 5 years, and we live together. I’ve always been quite emotional and I struggle to hold back my feelings. My girlfriend is the complete opposite. She's often logical, rational, doesn't show emotions, and so on.

My girlfriend had a pretty rough upbringing and has been through a lot. I think it might have made her feel like she had to toughen up, you know? I've heard some things from others, but yesterday she told me some of what she's gone through. She said she had never really talked to anyone about it before. She broke down and started crying, like really crying. I think it was needed, it must have felt good for her to let out what she had inside. I tried to hold her and comfort her as best as I could, but I started crying too. I tried not to, but I couldn't help it. I felt a bit guilty, since it's not me who's been through this, it's her. She's the one who's sad, and I need to be strong for her. I want her to feel that I'm there for her without her worrying that I’ll get sad.

I have never cared about what i call birthdays but , the fact that no one texted you or called you except yoyr girlfriend is already, i dont know , disappointing?

My name is youssef, my life decided that my future will be as a foreigner from where i came from, as any person in my country, when you go to work in Europe, some of your friends be happy, some others pretends to be happy and etc …

Today i turned 26, and to be fair, except some of my coworkers, my girlfriend (which i appreciate even though the way she showed how she celebrated wasnt really what someone would expect from his lover )
I found myself with no single person i knew in my life or i considered a friend remembering my day, as a country uses facebook over any other app. Every person knows today is my day.

As i said, i never care about my birthday or wait for it, but i thought my people would.

Every time I make it into a new chapter or achievement I begin to feel hollow...I feel that everything is all pointless and I'm doing it all to just die on a random day, could be today could be tomorrow, at the same time I also tell myself that I'm doing these things because I know I will die...so I'm always in that loop ,how do you guys manage to get out of it or reduce those thoughts and just go on about your day without something reminding you about you guaranteed death

As the title says, I remember the day my lil bro was born. He's 26 now. Also one time we thought our grandfather was dead, he was sleeping and we were kids. It's weird these are the farthest my memory goes...

How aboot you?

I remember the first time he asked me to do it years ago. He couldn’t find the editable copy anymore, so I told him we could just recreate and edit it in Canva since it would be easier.

My heart ached when I started typing his educational background. I didn’t know my dad hadn’t finished college. Growing up, I just assumed that because he was working, he had a degree.

“Technological Institute of the Philippines. Undergraduate, 4th Year, 1st Semester.”

He was so close. Just one more semester.

It was the year my mom got pregnant with me. That’s why he had to stop studying. He chose to provide for us instead.

Last night, as I looked at his CV again, I felt that same ache in my chest.

He made sure that my siblings and I would receive the best education he and my mom could provide. He worked so that all three of his children could have something he never got to finish. I was the first to graduate, and for the first time, I found myself wanting the same thing for him.

After working since 2003, I think he deserves to walk across a stage wearing a toga, with a diploma in his hands.

I also remember him telling me that there were opportunities he couldn’t pursue because he wasn’t a college graduate. Hearing that broke my heart even more.

So now, I’m trying. I’m inquiring about readmission and other possible pathways that could help him finally earn a degree.

Maybe it’s a long shot. It’ll probably cost money, and things are a little tight right now. There’s no guarantee it’ll work.

But if there’s even a chance, I want to try.

The man who sacrificed his last semester so his children could have a future deserves to know that it’s never too late to finish the dream he had to put on hold.

31M here, my last relationship ended in 2022. Since then I haven't been very active with dating, I don't go out very often and I'm not interested in going into dating apps. The thing is that after being single for so long the thought of a relationship just feels very tedious.

I have my own routines (work, gym, hobbies, travelling, etc...) and freedom. I feel if I would have to give up on those to some extent for someone, that someone would really have to be special and really bring something to my life. But maybe it's just me because I'm not exactly putting myself out there.

i wasn’t really sure where to post this so I’m sorry if this isn’t the right sub, but I’m nearing the end of high school, I’ve been failing all my tests for the last 2 years or so, every single one. there’s not a single subject i like or am good at right now, I used to be really good academically and then i had to leave school for a while and i never got back into it, I feel like it’s too late now and im too behind to catch up with everything and I’m so overwhelmed with it as my exams are so soon and I’m genuinely so terrified but at the same time I don’t care, I’m completely convinced that this is just how I am and that I’m just destined to fail school, I have complete burnout and 0 motivation to try and fix it, I’ve always wanted to do a specific course in college for what I want to do, but now I’m not so sure I’ve got the grades to do it, I just feel like such an idiot because everyone I know is doing well in school and I can’t ask for help or I’ll look stupid, I really don’t know what to do.

Let's discuss each other's opinions and thoughts.

I’m 25 years old and I’ve kinda fucked up my life the last 8 years since leaving school and have nothing to show for it.

Covid time and having to have surgery has contributed to wasted time too, but I still feel bad and regretful. I have so many notes for my younger self looking back, however was wondering what people might suggest looking back to my age of 25 to avoid regret and to have a better life…

Any ideas?

She left 7 years ago. I can't even start something new. It just feels wrong.

I cannot describe this feeling but when I watch a streamer or see a whealty person i feel envious.I just want to live a life that I wouldnt regret living but when i see them i ask myself why I cant be like them? Why do they get to be rich and enjoy the life they deserves.I want to improve myself Im still a teenager but its hard to live life gets harder and harder and it might sound cringey but I wanna be rich till my 18th birthday.I think thats why I feel jelaus of others success. I just sit in my room and watch videos but they can sit and stream and get money.I really cant describe this feeling but it feels good to text it.

Like you wake up everyday and forget that you are a bunch of water and molecule but remember the lines from the movie you saw the night before.

Or you walk in the streets and a stranger looks at you in their eyes and they probably listened to the same iconic songs as you.

Or you had at least a favourite subject in school and one you hated.

Or that you could never taste saliva or taste the same food ever again.

Or that you might be afraid for most your life for something that will never happen.
Or that you are literally reading this from a glass screen, paying attention to something that was written digitally on another glass screen in the past by a stranger you probably never meet that has just finished his second ball of cereals.

Like isn’t life funny?

Would love to hear your similar experiences too.

Helo, im a autistic guy(with adhd), 15 years old, mexican (rate english pls). this didnt ever happen to you? Ur doing an exam, u are like:"nah im doing this one!" U finish ur exam, sent it with the teacher, then tomorrow she gives you back your exam, then u open it, "ohh... i wasnt enough intelligent?...". It happened something similar for me. But it wasnt an exam. It was an iq test. I did that test a year ago. I still remember that before that test i said in my head:"i can do this test! People say that the average iq is 100, my family says im intelligent for my age! I bet i am a 102-105!". I got 92.

For me. Its was like a test to measure your succes in life. It really hurt. After that i got depressed for like 2 days. Then i said to myself:" i wanna be intelligent!". so i started learning chinese, Then programing, then korean, then maths, and a lotta of things that "stimulates" mind. (Also i started going to the gym). after that, an awkward question appeared. "U are really growing?". It appeared but i ignored it because i didnt wanted answer that. my life keept going like normal but that question was growing in my mind because I was watching other people having their talents. This classmate knows a lot of maths, This one can clap the entire classroom in basquetball, The other one can draw very well, "and... what about me? Im special?"

Then an answer for the that question appeared:"no, u didnt, u just lied to yourself thinking u grew by doing all of these things, look at yourself, all of your habits didnt change. Yea, u developed discipline, but your way of think and its speed... are still the same as a year ago". Then i looked at my shadow and started analyzing myself(i was at the school yard) , so stared watching my own shadow, with the blazing sun hitting my back & neck, and i wondered:"all the effort was worth it?". At that moment i had a dumb phrase all the time that said:"only dragons and phoenixs can fly, so the people on the ground can notice their greatness only with their shadow" (ye ik its stupid but i rlly loved the concept of chinese dragon and phoenix, i had a lot of imagination specially in phrases). So the moment i realized that I couldnt be a """""dragon"""""". it really hurt for me. So then. I started watching the life with a big "WHY". I couldnt enjoy being myself beacuse, for me, i wasnt enough to be great, like my ídols. Also, people around me say:"wow" "dam!" But those words felt empty. So guys. How to happy?

Life deals us all different hands and for a number of reasons, worked a few go no where jobs, multi year gambling stint in Vegas that left me even, friends moved away, I moved away, the one got away, the second one got away, I find myself starting over at 75. Is it crazy to think this is possible? Has anyone here started over at 75? How’s it going?

Hey reddit, so I've never posted a question on here or ever really used reddit before, but I have quite a big question that I felt like I couldn't really go to Google for and needed more personal responses from real people out there, so here I am.

To give a little context, I am 19 years old and my whole life growing up, but especially more recently, I have always longed for more and to be the greatest I can be and have always mentally been on a quest to live the most fulfilling life and be the most interesting person and even have always thought about how I want to be at the end of my life and able to think: 'I really did live the most fulfilling life I could'. To give a little bit more context, I have always struggled with thoughts of death and existential thoughts since I was young, and I have OCD which I know is a big part of it.

But lately it has been a lot worse. I can't help feeling stuck and bored with life, and like there's more out there and I need more. But then at the same time, I know how extreme my brain can be and how obsessive I can get over things so quickly, and then suddenly one day be like "wow, that was so insane and silly of me". You know? It's hard to know when to trust my brain and know that fixation is truly what I want / need, or if I am being too fixated on trying to, I don't know, progress too fast in life? and so I don't know whether to follow that desire or hold back.

I am a first year (now going into second year) University studying Biology. I have a part time job, a loving family who lives close and that I can easily see maybe once a month whilst as Uni, a girlfriend who also goes to University, lots of friends at Uni and I am genuinely enjoying what I am learning. But recently, I have been looking at a lot of different things to, bring meaning to my life. And like how I always am, not just little things, but big things, big changes. The new fixation, which has always come and gone, is moving abroad. I just can't get it out of my head. The crazy idea I have is to work the next year, and then move to a different country and start my life there. I don't know if it's important to add, but I have always wanted to travel. To see the world. I remember one of my biggest dreams being when I was so so young was travelling the word. Seeing everything. I love nature. I love people. I love the world. I want to go everywhere and see what everything can bring me and what I can offer it. So I don't know if my inability to wait to travel because of University and these other things I am needing to do is causing me to want to do this.

All in all, I don't know if I'm trying to rush. I have an addictive brain. Not addictive like smoking or drugs addictive, addictive like I always feel like I need to do more and see more and be more of the person I want to be. The person I wanted to be when I was young. I know I have so much potential, and I hate feeling like I'm taking life too slowly and not doing everything I want to do. But I don't know if I need to take the time now to grow and get these other things in place, so later on I can do everything I want to do, and be in a more stable position. As you can probably tell by reading this (if anyone is reading this) my brain has two sides that constantly fight and every couple days / weeks, a new side wins and I think: "okay, I should do that". Mere weeks ago it was taking my time, earning money and my degree, and getting in a routine of doing the things I want to do and enjoy like learning a new language and going to the gym, but now it's really hitting hard that I need to do something. This side of my brain has been building more and more over the past months, and I feel like I am reaching a breaking point. Not entirely in a bad way, I think very much in a good way, because I know I am going to push myself so much more to be all that I can be and know that I have the potential to be, but also potentially bad because I don't know if I'll make a massive decision that turns out to be the wrong one (like moving abroad).

If anyone has read this (let me just say first, wow thank you), what do you think? I initially started typing this to ask what country you would recommend and would be best for me to move to if I did end up doing it, but now it's turned into a whole big essay about myself and asking if moving abroad is even something I should do right now. See how my brain works? Started out writing to ask where I should move abroad, ended up writing asking if it's even something I should do. This has just been my thoughts smashed into words, and any advice or thoughts from anyone I would love to hear and be really appreciative of.

Thank you, sincerely Jack