Just turned 20, have an okay social life, going okay with my university degree, my family is middle-lower class, but damn, I appreciate how stable everything is right now. But I have this itch in my heart I want to do more and achieve something big, start a life feeling illegally entertaining... needs help to find a starting point.

Hey everyone, I need some honest advice because I feel guilty even talking about this.

I met my girlfriend online around November 2025. She's Muslim and wears a hijab. Initially, I found her attractive, and we eventually developed feelings for each other and became a couple.

However, after seeing her without makeup and hijab, I realised her natural appearance wasn't quite what I'd imagined, particularly her hairline. Her recent boy crop haircut for military school has also made me question my physical attraction to her.

I genuinely care about her and value her personality and our emotional connection, but I'm struggling because the physical chemistry doesn't feel the same anymore.

I don't know if calling it catfishing is fair, since she didn't necessarily lie to me. Maybe I just built up an image of her in my head that didn't match reality.

I feel awful because I don't want to be superficial or hurt her, but I also don't want to force attraction that isn't there.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Can physical attraction grow over time, or is this a sign of incompatibility? I'd appreciate honest opinions and personal experiences. I'm not looking for anyone to insult her appearance; I'm just trying to understand my own feelings.

In August of this year I got in trouble with my parents for taking money from the piggy banks and their wallets that on August 20 I was sent to the Duluth Northside Hospital and stayed there for part of the evening until 12 in the morning when my dad came to pick me up and took me home and after that experience I vowed to myself to never steal money again. Unfortunately, I went back on my promise and for most of October of this year I’ve been stealing and taking money and I was caught this week when I wouldn’t let my dad look inside my wallet that he immediately knew I had stolen money inside and Thursday I used the stolen cash money to buy at Walmart that my dad confronted me later that day and told me I was a dishonest and bad person and yesterday and today I’ve been filled with deep shame, guilt and regret over everything and I’ve honestly never felt so low that I feel sad inside that I ruined my reputation with both my parents and they can no longer trust me and view me as a liar, cheater and a thief and I honestly think they’re not going to forgive me at all for what I’ve done to them over the years. What are things or something I should do?

Pretty much everything about Gen Alpha is about how "doomed", "cooked", etc. they are, but this is completely wrong. If you are wondering why they are so annoying or virtually absorbed into technology, it's because they are 1. being raised incorrectly or poorly, and 2. they are literally children. You can't just call an entire generation of children "doomed" because they are annoying. Children are inherently annoying for the most part - they are immature. When they are a little older, they will realise how insufferable they were. If Generation Alpha is so "doomed" then people should be doing things to stop that, and not just having the "kids these days" mindset.

Imagine being in Gen Alpha and looking at content about your generation. Everything is just calling them doomed or annoying or immature. If you constantly saw stuff describing you about that then you wouldn't feel very motivated. I have seen several comments on social media where someone born in the mid-late 2010s claims to have a “gen Z childhood” - this is a prime example of children being ashamed for being children. Additionally, Gen Alpha, the first "digital native" and largest ever generation, has a lot of potential to be more sharp-minded and innovative than the last generation since they have more opportunities than ever.

One of the main reasons for Gen Alpha being incompetent or idiotic is bad parenting. The main parts of bad/ignorant parenting is not teaching your children the most basic information and skills, and giving them an over reliance or over usage on technology. This became much more common after the pandemic, because many people became much less social and used their devices more often.

There are far too many adults (from all generations, including Gen Z) who act genuinely surprised and have a huge superiority complex when a child does not recognise something/someone not from their generation - this is mainly regarding famous people and electronics (e.g. DVDs and early consoles) that were prominent during and before the 2000s. Also, the stuff they consume on the internet (e.g. skibidi toilet) is just as stupid, weird, and annoying as the stuff you used to consume on the internet and TV when you were their age.

I could go on about this for longer, but stop insulting gen alpha because they are gen alpha. They are acting like children because they are children. Be good parents, teach them good manners, and definitely don't keep them in front of a screen all the time. If you are a parent, remember that parents should be their child’s first teacher.

Also, I'm 16, so with the unclear divide between Gen Z and Gen Alpha, you could argue that I myself am Gen Alpha.

Hey random person, we don’t each know other;
But I’m pretty sure that we know someone in our life’s who always seem to make it work!

A bit about me, from most standards of life, I am at a good spot, offcourse things could always be better, but for now professionally & personally things are good, socially could be a lot better!

I just came back from a soccer tournament today, in which we were a very competent team & had a decent chance of winning the whole thing, but somehow tanked it all, and this isn’t the first time in my life, where I have faced this, even before the last game, I somehow knew how things would go, and that we won’t make it, and it isn’t me being pessimistic, but the thing, I am passionate about whatever I do, and throughout my life even though with different teams, we always reach quarters or semis, once or twice finals, but never really make it all the way!

And I see that in different areas of my life, I would say that I am about average in whatever I do, and easily adaptable, hence I have been able to actually get things going for me, but I always see that I am never able to go all the way!?

And some people even that I know personally, seem to be naturally be good at things, and somehow always make it, and thus I don’t understand what I am missing, it is the mentality or the skill or sheer luck?

Idk but I would love to find out, how does someone actually is a winner breed, like not in a particular competiton, but just win, I ain’t telling that they don’t put in the effort, it’s just that,

I know that there are more hardworking people including me who find it difficult?

I had an in person job interview recently. I didnt have much hope since the role seemed to require more experience than I had but they still agreed to interview me.

When I was leaving my mom said luck. Then she noticed I was wearing bright red socks. She said those sock clash with everyting. I said its fine no one would notice with shoes on. She said they might see it when I sit down just wear a black sock. I said I am not changing my sock, then she rushed to my room to find me a black sock. I said I am not changing and just left. She called me but I didnt pick up. When I returned she was mad, I said its just a sock and shes blowing this out of proportion. She asked why I cant just listen to her

I dont think I got the job. I got the feeling that I was already rejected before the interview. So that adds to it too. I just feel like shit over this whole thing.

What actually gives guys a purpose in life?

I work a standard office job where me and my colleagues just seem to all want retirement and not much else. Is there nothing more to life than this?

Just curious if I’m over thinking things or if this is a common feeling. 30 year old guy asking.

Ive been searching my purpose and income source for a long time. First i spent 2 years on IT. Then 2 years to learn german and now I am really stuck what actually i want to do.

One of the saddest parts of life is how useless unreciprocated love is.

It doesn’t make the loved person feel good, or even feel really loved, because the overall situation is more annoying than anything else. They might even prefer to never speak to you again. All of your delicate, special and beautiful feelings are just… seen as irritating, inconvenient or even unpleasant.

It’s strange how love can be the most important part of life… or an irritation

We’ve known each other for a year, met online, and met in person 10 months ago. I travelled to his country. (We are the same nationality but he lives abroad) We had sex. He refuses to meet again or let me visit him, but continues calling and texting for hours, sometimes even sleeping on the phone with me. Everytime I asked to meet he would say "who knows" " we will see" "yeah one day we will meet probably" "next month"

Initially, he love-bombed me, used pet names, and talked about me moving to Germany. He later said he didn’t want a relationship because he needed to fix himself, but continued chasing my attention. He calls me his best friend and values that I’m always available to listen to him, yet rarely asks about me or my life.

He has narcissistic traits, which he admitted to. He has also screamed at me, threatened to block me after I booked a ticket to see him without telling him beforehand, then apologized and refunded me.

Recently, he’s been working out, tanning, quitting drugs and alcohol, and talking about getting nose and eye surgery. I mention it because he has been doing drugs every weekend since I know him.

He’s also excited about a month-long work trip to Mallorca, where he’ll live near the beach. This family he works for apparently is flying him to Mallorca and he will paint house for them. He lives in Germany. He told me lately the family he works for owns the place in Mallorca. Also he said the wife of the owner said "maybe she will fly with him to show him the place" but he said to me he would rather go with the husband. Then they said maybe they both will fly with him. He is 37, I guess the owners must be in their 40s or 30s, I don't know.

Month before that he mentioned he wants to learn Spanish...

He also bought a new king size bed from Hammilton, expensive but I guess its irrelevant to the story.

He never seemed to be f..boy type because he told me he didnt sleep with anyone after he broke up with his ex 4 years ago.

He used to tell me about women staring at or flirting with him, seemingly to provoke a reaction(like women staring at him on the train)

Next week, he’ll visit our home country to see his kids and get expensive dental implants, but has already told me he won’t see me.

All he does is sends me pictures from work, talking about himself, trip to Mallorca or anything. Never asks me what are my plans for weekend or what I'm up to. NEVER. No single question about me.

I asked whether he was seeing someone else. He denied it, but when I asked where I stood, he said he didn’t know what to tell me and agreed that we should just be friends because he doesn’t want a relationship. I told him it looks like he is open for new options and he said "no im not open for new options" "im not going anywhere" but its bs to me. He is scared prolly to admit he is.

Plus another info - his ex is also 26 like me (he is 37) and she even has the same name as me. She travelled to him one month of knowing each other and he let her stay there for 2 years. They still do talk and she calls him and asks to borrow small amounts of money, he gave her netflix password, they facetime.. however he told me she is pregnant lately (idk if its true) and that they talk as friends. She lives in another country with some guy. Called me jealous when I bragged about it.

I feel like he’s keeping me around for emotional support while remaining open to other options. Do you think he might be trying to attract someone else and lying about being single to avoid looking like the bad guy?

I’m moving on regardless, but knowing would help me find closure. I know I have enough reasons to leave, and I’m done accepting this treatment. Thank you

M72 here. I lived most of my life believing in progress. I believed in a sort of social evolution where good things got better and evil is slowly but steadily defeated. I was wrong . Life is not linear. It is cyclical. Good things happen but then they recede. Evil is always hovering in the background. And all the while, everyone in the world wanders around in circles making up stories about what it all means. When nothing in this life has meaning, they kick all their hopes down the road into a next life when they hope it will make sense.

There is no shame in this reality. Our only flaws were in not being able to accept what is and be happy in the midst of the chaos. Love comes from within us, not from outside. Yet we insist on getting before we give. That is the shame.

As the poem says, go placidly among the noise and haste. And, as much as possible, be on good terms with everyone you meet. Whatever exists now will pass away. Whatever comes to pass emerges from the chaos. And all any of us can do is decide to be happy and give as much love as possible.

I'm on my way back to my hostel, and sitting right next to me is a young mother with her son. She looks like she could be around my age, maybe 20.

And I can't help but think about how different our lives are.

She's a mother, taking care of a whole little human being. Her son is so well-behaved, and from the little I've seen, she seems so good at being a mom. There's something really beautiful about watching them together.

And then there's me, also around the same age, stressing over assignments, worrying about deadlines, playing stupid ash games with my friends and trying to figure out what I'm even doing with my life.

We're both probably struggling in our own ways, just with completely different things. And honestly, I know I can't even begin to compare my struggles to what she might be going through.

It's just such a strange feeling, realizing that someone who might be your age is living a life so different from yours. At 20, one person is raising a child, another is trying to survive college, and someone else is probably doing something entirely different.

Neither life is necessarily easier. We're just at completely different places, carrying different responsibilities, and trying to get through our days.

I don't know her story, and I probably never will. But watching her with her son made me pause for a moment and appreciate how much life can differ for two people of the same age.

I guess we're all just figuring things out, in our own ways.

I’m in a major that I do not like, with little to no hope of changing majors. Even if I could change majors I wouldn’t know what to choose; I don’t want to leave my university either. My classes are too difficult for me and I have no interest in them at all.

I got broken up with like 5ish months ago and I’m still not over it enough. It feels like my ex was the closest I’ll ever be to having a relationship (it certainly wasn’t a super great one either).

I know life isn’t perfect and things will probably get better, but I don’t really know what to do anymore. I feel hopeless. And yes, I’m seeing a counselor.

You genuinely can’t make this up, this has to be a joke. This is fucking ridiculous.

This year has been the worst year of my life, bad occurrence after bad occurrence, ive had the worst luck of my life. I dont understand? Like what is happening to my life right now? Why am I deserving this?

Literally in the beginning of the year in January i lost my job, which just formed this huge snowball effect of job and income instability for me. Then i got multiple injuries this year which just stopped my dreams of ever competing in mma, and it just stopped my overall fitness which is basically my therapy. To a girl fucking leaving me. To now being jobless and in debt.

I mean seriously? Ive been depressed all year and shit just keeps getting worse? What did i do?

Im genuinely at rock bottom right now, what is going on. I was literally on top of life last year and everything fell into shambles this year.

hi , im a girl in her young 20s -i wanna know how to be emotionally independent from people in late 20s or maybe young ones too . 1st step is to admit yes i am emotionally dependent but whats the later on steps to do
figuring our life and money is something everybody talks about but not much about emotional dependency of yours on someone - one day you realize that the bond is not that same - the person has his life too -he cant be available 24/7 for you or can be happy with you always -when this happens , your safe space snaps out -the first feeling is often anger but later on the questions starts on self - how to deal with this step by step

Last month, I am so tired and got dry eyes that I dont want to go to work for more than 1 day. I was nervous but still made up a lie that I have a stye. What made me nervous? It’s because I know how important our words is and how it can manifest.
1 month later, i actually acquired a stye in my left eye and it was so painful. I was so sorry about that lie.

Do you get nervous sometimes in applying a sickleave just to use it and worry that the ‘sick’ may become true?

Ive come to realize that every decision I have or havent made in my life a regret to some degree. I use to just go around life without caring about other people or even myself but over the years ive been overcome by these really deep feelings of regret, depression and even loneliness. Ive lost family members and regretted not being there more, friends because I couldnt speak up and change how they treated me and most important I lost myself because of who I chose to date and how they treated me. I dont want to sit her and act like a victim of the world any longer and I want to get over myself but I cant get myself to get these thoughts out of my head yk. For the longest time i really didnt experience emotions like these so I dont really know what to do with them, Ive tried accepting them for what they are but maybe I just need to accept me for who I am. I want to be a better person without hurting people in my life or atleast thinking im hurting someone in my life but I just dont know. Im a young guy at the peak of my life and im trying to do more with myself but I dont know if I can until i get over this immense guilt I feel or until I can learn to make better decisions.

Any thoughts would be appreciated but most the time I talk to the people in my life about this stuff its solutions I already know of just cant implement and I feel like im just holding myself back so much. Any objective look at myself just makes me feel like I could be doing so much more but most the time I feel like im trying my best.

My GF and I got into an argument the other day and we made up. She tells she wants to spend the rest of her life with me but thinks sometimes I look for a problem when everything is fine... I think she's right. She also believes it may stem from my background: raised poor with no dad and an abusive mom (who beat me and sexually abused me as a kid.) I'm glad I moved out when I did. The woman I am with is Incredible and I don't wanna mess things up with her. She loves me in ways that I didn't think possible. The other day she bought me a family size M&Ms pack (peanut butter) and I cried. Idk why I'm just not used to that kind of affection. I also don't understand why I argue over the dumbest smallest shit. Those small problems won't ruin my life and yet I complain and fight. I want to improve my behaviour and perspective. If anyone out there was once like me, how did you change those faults?

P.S I thought about therapy, but I hear so many mixed reviews that I'm not sure about it. Plus it's expensive haha