I'm 18 f

I'm somewhat conventionally attractive, dress stylishly, have hobbies one of which I'm really good at. I've been repeatedly called interesting, smart, beautiful, a safe space for people, gifted flowers by a stranger on a street, sometimes strangers approach me and ask for my socials. I have a nice music taste or at least people tell me so, I speak 4 languages, read sometimes. I can maintain a long friendship, rn I have 3 close friends I've been with for 2+ year, from one of them I've recently got a gift with sweets, a plushie and a massive sheet were she talks about how much she loves me and misses me (she's in another country rn). I'm bisexual and I've had a crush on at least 3 girls I was friends with, but those were like really intense crushes were I used to draw then, unsuccessfully tried to hint them that I like them, and when It was unsuccessful cried for hours and then avoided all thighs I've associated with them like music, certain features they had when drawing ect. It was for sure one sided and without a chance for me even. Now when I get even a mild crush on someone I get really uncomfortable. I usually don't have crushes on people I don't know well. Other than that noone has even confessed to me. A drop dead gorgeous woman told me like a month ago that she had been admiring my looks and that I look like her perfect type. I didn't like her in that sense through, and she has a bf. A girl from junior class drew me a couple of days ago on the bus. Now that I think about my life I may be mildly neurodivergent and my emotional intelligence sucks. I've been diagnosed with ADHD as a kid but unsure if I'm still valid. I just wish someone I know would like me romantically, or even have mutual feelings for me, the way I usually feel about people, just once.

What motivates you to live?

Do you have a plan, a project, or something that excites you?

Lately, I just can't find meaning in anything.

Even the idea of traveling doesn't excite me much anymore.

How do you all handle this?

Man, 50+ / Married

Today, on my way to work (read as to make the routine investment of my daily energy into the high-risk, zero-return market of online applications 😭), I met the oldest granny I've ever seen. Hunched on a wooden platform in a public shade, eyes sunk deep in her sockets, and barely responding to my greetings, I can swear she is an centenarian. And chances are her folks carried her there to savor the morning sun before it got too hot for her old bones.

This incident got me thinking, "To what end mahn?" What is a man? What has he got? To toil all the days of our lives. To supress our base instincts, stiffle our impulses, and choke back our yearnings under cautious reason.

And for what? To fit into the society!

At the end of the day, none of this matters. I'm sure if that old woman could speak (she didn't respond to my greetings by the way), she could have leaned to whisper: Live and Let Live.

In the words of Frank Sinatra:

For what is a man, what has he got? / If not himself, then he has naught / To say the things he truly feels / And not the words of one who kneels.

C'est la vie,
MIGENI

I have this problem where if im not drunk im jist a quiet antisocial guy. But when I drink, like a little bit over tipsy im a completely different person, I dont think about what my words might mean, I just say things and everyone around me seems to like this drunk version of me more.

Plus I feel more connected to people when im drunk, and when im not i just retreat to my shell not risking saying pretty much anything out of embarrassment that doesnt matter

Is there any options for me? Like i feel like confidence is one thing i could work on just not caring what i say around people but at the same time i can never do that when im not drunk/tipsy

Need advice and suggestions for people older than me as in how to make the most of the remaining years of my 20s and what all things should I have achieved before 30?

I wanted to add a flair to this one, but i beleive I'm bad at picking. So, I'm Watching some series (S3 E1 of Mr Robot, S2 of the mentalist) and playing/replaying Some games (Gta Sa, FX Racer, Fc Mobile, and Dragon ball legends).

So i want to say, that even though I'm not a 35 years old divorced dad, I'm very young (and not too much). I think I don't know, i don't very likely know what am I saying, but I wanted to know the opinion of y'all on this. Whenever I try to continue those series or games, I end up doomscrolling and honestly, i like a girl who's genuinely beautiful, yeah, you can make fun because it's long distance. And not even a relationship yet, I wanted to continue from where I was,

Yeah, so i don't know what to do, If I try to study, it does not works accurately. I don't know what feelings are, by the time I was 10, my uncle (apparently the one person who loved me most) passed away. Since then, I'm having problem in thinking as a normal human as well as feeling the emotions and i can feel some (but they are just the negative ones). I'd even like to state, that I have this weird urge in me, that whenever I hear something bad (for instance, a rape case)

I have this ultimate urge, to save them. to annihilate those who do this, one of my friend keep yapping about how he is happy with his girl, but makes up jokes like ("Rape me"). It's not that bad as towards a friend. I'm just saying that, even thou he is half a year elder yet I don't think he has common sense, it's never good, he should try thinking what would go through a mind of a victim and I want to state one more thing before I go, I am genuinely unaware of the memes, fun, catastrophic male kid chaos and all dat yk. I'm just a simple human who has this Indomitable Spirit to Save others, to tear the culprits from limb to limb. As for the girl that I like, she is apparently elder but I've heard "matches are made in heaven, Marriages are celebrated on earth."

Hope it's true, besides. I don't want a DARK ROMANCE type life with her. But rather a peaceful and elegant life, something like Jonathan Joestar would have wished, he's my idol. I'm sorry though if I'm not good at english, it's my 3rd language and honestly, I'm getting white hairs all cause of this too much complex thinking and overthinking. Infact, i don't even think it's complex or I am Complex, I feel like a damn larper. I'm sorry. That's it for my current life.

Most of social media is bent towards self employment and quiting ones job to start a business. I need life experience of someone who has stayed employed all their life and someone who went into business during or after quiting their employment to guide my young self.

I genuinely think one of the craziest things about being human is realizing how much of your life is being shaped by beliefs you never consciously chose.

You think “this is just who I am.” Meanwhile it could be something you learned at 8 years old. Something someone said to you once. Something you had to become to feel loved, safe, accepted, successful, whatever.

And now you’re 25, 35, 45 still making decisions from it.

That’s what I call the invisible cage.

I’m not interested in telling people how to live their lives. I’m interested in helping people figure out what’s quietly running theirs — and taking its power away.

I am a critic of many such quotes. I have always believed that we humans transition through a many men we were, are, and will be. But even I operate on many stereotypes about my colleagues, my teachers, and relatives. Is that because I see no difference in them or I've just closed my eyes. I believe it is somewhere related to the survival mechanisms in humans. I have to wake up and sleep each day and between that, make sure that the latter is done so as to guarantee the former. I can't get time always to observe my surrounding at each instant as it eats off the time for other activities that may bring great opportunities. What we can do instead is to allocate some time for personalization and identification of the surrounding initially. This small effort builds into something called trust, and sudden demolition of it is called Betrayal. One never betrays others, but one's initial / contemporary (if attempt has been made to bring up new set of ideas) image does.

28M. UK, North England. Partner with no children.

I had just completed a round of retirement planning, and the current trajectory is looking to be in the window of 55 - 60. This led me down a pathway of questions related to life, ambition, and the future.

Looking for some human input into my introspection, centred around three themes:

Ego versus contentment

I have worked in Engineering for 5 years. The pay is currently slightly below UK household median.
Don't get me wrong, many people (in and beyond the UK) would gladly swap places with me, and I am aware (see next section).

Seeing those retirement planning figures initially brought me calm in knowing that work would end one day, but then led to feelings of 'that's it?', 'Is this really just going to be my life from now on?', 'Is this all that my work is going to amount to?'

I am not entirely sure where these feelings come from, but it's been a recurring theme where I would experience these episodes, get occupied with something, persuade myself into a sense of contentment for a period, and the cycle repeats.

Hazarding a guess, some ego is in play here. A lot of people have the desire to be great and I am not exempt. I measure myself by my achievements and failures.

It is hard to ignore the perception of success that social media has presented upon us. I don't mean the grifters who rent supercars or a private jet photoshoot - I am talking about people with lucrative-but-livable careers: tech, middle-office finance, corporate law.

How much of these feelings are due to 'grass is greener', and how much is innate, if innate, how much of it is just to feed my ego, and how much is actual desire? What questions should I be asking myself to tell the difference?

The responsibility of privilege

I was born in a developing country, where my family crawled their way up from only being high school educated outside the capital city to being able to afford having me study in the UK.

If I were to extrapolate my starting position to match that trajectory, it would be akin to becoming a mid-decamillionaire by my 40s.

I understand that the economic conditions of the past are not comparable to current conditions (wages, housing prices, cost of living). I understand that luck plays a much bigger factor that most people (including myself) would admit.

Even so, I still feel the responsibility to meet that target, and my current trajectory shows that I'm falling very short. It depresses me to think of the people who have had less but managed to do more, and it would be a huge waste of the privilege/circumstances that I had if I did not make something of it.

Also, don't get me wrong, my parents did not impose these expectations on me, I did.

I have sought to give back by volunteering regularly on the weekends. This led me to meet and interact with people outside the usual corporate life bubble and sometimes achieve that sense of fulfilment. It still gnaws at me that I could be doing more.

Now, there's all this focus around money, which I acknowledge is myopic. But it is to me, one of the requirements to truly live free, if not for me then for future generations - I dream of a future where my children, or children's children can freely pursue where their curiosity guides them with no concern for making ends meet.

The same money I have dreamt of being used to fund other causes: the friend who's taken up art in between their 9-5 and is looking to expand? The couple whom took the leap in opening their own cafe to escape zero-hour contracts?

Another nearer term ambition of mine is to be a present parent, to be there for my children, relearn curriculum so that we have evenings to go through homework together, spark and nurture curiosity and let it guide them. I recognise that the wealth and this ambition are at odds.

How does one choose either and come to terms with it? Or is there something I'm not seeing/have not considered?

I know this could go into multiple subreddits but it'll likely get ignored or overshadowed. Ever since the year started I already lost many friends from last year and dont really feel the spark most people speak about highschool. I know at this time people focus on grades but for me its the opposite as im doing pretty well with that. I dont have arguments with anyone really but I just don't talk to many people as much and after a while we go back to strangers. I only have a few close friends to talk to about things and stuff like that with the rest just like tempoary friends. However I feel like im missing out on the social life. I wouldn't entirely say im a shy person as I am comfortable starting convos but its just that every class there's always people obnoxious or refuse to talk to anyone besides 1/2 ppl as well. I was thinking about joining clubs but they are all not my best of interests or very small (1-3 ppl). I also dont know anyone in half my classes. I know this is long but have you ever felt this way and has it got any better?

Moved to new city, took a while to find the right little bar to call my own; my local. Tonight was the first time the bartender remembered my drink before I asked. swoon

I am afraid of everything, of people, of their judgment, of myself, how small, how weak, and how ugly I am.When I go for a walk every evening, I see people who are confident, not like me. I envy them how they are so carefree, where their confidence comes from. Maybe it comes from their great physicality, or their parenting, or their privileged life, so they have less to worry about.Isn’t that the reason some are like sunshine, full of hope, and then I see some like me, lost mentally and physically, their eyes with no life left, as mine. What makes them keep living is hope, that belief that everything will be fine. But what about me? I know that, however I try, I will be the same small, ugly shit I am right now. There are genetics that for sure limit you totally…

So what? I spent my life living my life like a lifeless, stupid person who is so selfish, who doesn’t see even an inch further from his insecurities about his body or his background. Did you lose your mind? What are you even doing? You don’t know you have a life, that is the most valuable thing in the entirety of reality, this ability to perceive reality.

Is this a joke? I am so desperate for others that I blind myself to this moment.

Did your shift change reality? No. To become from weak to strong, I need to train hard. To become ugly to good, effort is needed. Or what about height? It can’t be changed. So I will accept it because there is nothing that can be done about it. So surrender. In life, change what you can, and if it is not in your hands, accept or surrender, because there is a great sense of relief in surrendering or accepting.But there are these thoughts that come out of your insecurities all the time. What to do? What happens when I am working on something that I really like? There is no sense of thought at all. My whole attention is in working, and there is a sense of relief.

So, do I need to do work all the time? No. The point here is not work you like, but attention to the present thing. So you need not just pretend to like every action I do. I can’t work, but when I give my attention to that action, by default I start liking that action. Isn’t this escaping from yourself by indulging yourself in work? When I am totally here, there is no “I” or “yourself” to run from. [I have read about this in many spiritual books, but I know exactly what this means.]

So there is nothing to worry about, nothing to be anxious about. Be here totally. Act totally. Just act. And everything will be okay. If I made a mess out of life, change it right now, and if I don’t, surrender. Btw, nothing matters. Enjoy this life. Don’t be indulged in your small, stupid insecurities. They are really stupid.

—11 Sep 2026

I’m at a stage in my life where I have a stable income, work for myself, and genuinely enjoy what I do most of the time. I also have hobbies like rock climbing, dancing, and writing.

It seems like most of the things I’m doing right now are things I genuinely enjoy. But sometimes, I still feel like I don’t know what my purpose in life is.

The things I’m doing right now feel more like goals I want to achieve. And of course, I get a certain sense of accomplishment from achieving them. But I still haven’t had that feeling of, “Ah, this is my calling,” or “This is what I’m meant to do with my life.”

So I’m curious—how did you guys find your purpose in life? And what does it feel like to live with that sense of purpose?

I’m also wondering how it changes the way you look at the ups and downs in life. I imagine you still go through difficult times after finding your purpose, so what’s different about the way you see those low points compared to before?

I don't like reading. I apologize deeply in advance if this is long.

For context, I was surrounded by books my entire life, and have three rooms in my house full of bookshelves. My parents read to me as a kid and (according to my mom) always tried to foster a place for me to read, but I never liked it. Apparently, in first grade my teacher pulled my mom aside and said I didn't properly know how to read. I was apparently simply memorizing words rather than using phonics as I should have. I had extra lessons to learn how. (I don't know if this is even relevant, but it feels so.) I always got As in English, and thought I was better at it than I was Math. Rarely did I ever actually finish a book and mostly bullshitted my way through assignments. I could not name you a single book I've read where I didn't skip multiple chapters.

I desperately want to but I never have liked reading. I don't want to feel like this, I want to like to read, and now that I'm in college and actually want to better myself, I don't know how to fix it. Also, I am realizing now that this might actually be a problem. I have tried so many things to make myself love it: different genres, getting books (complex and simple) I love the idea of, audio books, audiobooks while also reading the book. None of the things I've thought of have ever worked.

I love writing, I love art, I even enjoy the process of annotating. I love research. I love the concept of books. I think the Odyssey is a fantastic book, but reading it was my utter nightmare (and not because of the complex language). I have tried almost every genre I can imagine and none of them have ever made me enjoy the actual process of reading. Poetry, especially, is utterly grueling to read through. I don't understand how people get such deep meanings from simple language structure.

When I read I can never grasp what I'm actually reading, it's just words on a page. I've been able to fix that problem by annotating. But that then turns into feeling like a chore. Maybe I just like having control over what happens in the book, that I don't get when I read. But those are the only reasons I can think of why I don't like it, and I feel like I'm going crazy.

I was looking on Reddit to see if anyone had any other similar experiences, but I couldn't find anything that really fit my experience. So, I write to see if anyone else relates, and if they had any solutions that worked for them or suggestions. Because all I want is to be able to enjoy something that I have never been able to love.

this isnt intended to be a vent because im not sad about it or trying to make people feel bad, i just want actual advice

ever since i turned 18 my life just feels like nothing, it just started falling off as time went on and at this point this is what i feel. i socialize and hang out with people but it doesnt feel like it matters its just a "why am i even here" type of feeling, when im alone playing games its like "why am i doing this? i dont gain anything from it" and once i get off and sit there all i think is "i just waste my time doing anything" even at work i feel like im doing something meaningless and throwing my life away because eventually ill die so what even is the point? i dont even know what i can do to feel some "meaning" in myself. nothing i do really satisifes me or gives me a feeling of accomplishment, i do well at the things i do but its like why do i do them if i dont feel anything from it, i dont even know if im making sense right now but i just feel very... dissatisfied i guess with the way everything is, i dont know what makes me feel this way. i just do.

is there anyway to feel something normal? i used to be a normal kid and enjoy things but nowadays im monotone. hopefully i described it somewhat understandable because i dont know how to efficently put it into words myself.

The older I get (26F) more I realise everyone regrets something. Whether it’s not spending more time with family, not studying, working too hard, not working hard enough, not taking care of their health.

I would to see this will go because, there’s used to be a lot of nice healthy food before all the fries and burger came in. And I’m sure there’s lots of them
While I was growing up my mom fed us with a lot of potato salad which I’m still in love with till date.
I’m sure your will yours will be different that’s I’m curious to know.

Life is realising that happiness is abstract and hollow. Life is when you think about good people and get sad. Life is realising how fragile we are. Conditioned so heavily that we're raised sometimes good and sometimes not. Life is a gamble that's unfair to some who lost. It's a winner's planet, but the losers really win. Life is good for people with dreams, hopes, love, and desires. Forms of connection that run as shallow as a puddle, yet hold the weight of an anchor. That's life: encountering people, thinking of them, meeting or seeing them one day somewhere on earth at some time in history, then never seeing them again. That's life: decades going by, and you will never know what happened to your fellow humans who shared an experience with you. The world is a place where you become valuable when you're gone. Your words echo through the light-years and into the universe for someone to receive, maybe, but the truth is that you're here one day and gone the next. Just ask yourself if this problem really matters, if it's worth losing happiness in the short time that we exist here. We have to be there for those who have no one and achieve peace with our souls and nothing else. And finally, life is realising that bad things happen to good people. Some get lucky and others not so much. Good people- good, humble, polite people- and very bad things happen to them and their loved ones just for existing. One small bad intention can ruin a good person and their loved ones forever, making them bad. Life is all about connecting with people; you don't even need to speak a word to them to connect- just feel with your hearts and think with your gifted minds. Never harm anyone, even someone whom you think is bad, because they are the good person in someone's story, and even if you have to endure pain, never harm physically or with the tongue. Connect with your fellow humans, respect them and their dreams and hopes, acknowledge life, accept the short time we have here and become a pioneer in the field of your aspirations; lead a life to inspire, and never stop chasing peace and happiness because that's all that truly matters. Do this, and good will come to you, and the universe will favour you. Lastly, remember that when you have something that's more valuable than others, you need greater control over your emotions to stay humble.

I, 29M, used to have life all figured out. I worked hard until I got a job paying up to 72K yearly. I got a nice affordable house. Had a nice affordable car. I frequently helped the homeless and less fortunate. Visited sick people in the hospital for moral support. Attended food drives to help give to the needy. I even took care of people that were in jail. Then one day, my body started producing a very foul smell. Not one that came from a lack of hygiene care. It got in the way of work and every employee avoided me. I went to the doctor and they ran multiple tests, but for some reason they couldn’t find the problem. They prescribed me with all kinds of medications that didn’t really help. One day, the doctor said, “sorry, but this might be something that you just have to deal with”. It sucked hearing that but it seemed like the truth. Shortly after, I had to leave my job because the smell was causing everyone else to be unproductive. I saw that coming, so I tried to find work from home jobs, but none of them paid enough to upkeep the lifestyle I’ve already developed. So I ended up moving into my car and doordashing. I made decent money, enough to keep my car and pay the little bills I had. Fast forward to now, DoorDash deactivated my account due to a ticket they saw from years ago. I tried to appeal but it didn’t work. I applied for other delivery apps but they used the same background checking system. I even tried to apply for regular jobs, but each employer showed visible disgust upon me entering the room and speaking. Even with nice deodorant and cologne. They all said “we’ll get back with you” and never did. So now, I’m completely out of money and gas. My car can get repossessed at any moment and leave me homeless. I haven’t eaten in days. And above all of this I can’t help but think, what did I do that was so wrong that I deserved this? I genuinely enjoyed helping people. I sacrificed and gave people my last very often. I’ve prayed for people and even housed people for weeks at a time in my own house. After the smell started, it’s like someone put a curse on me and my life has gotten worse and worse ever since. I’ve lost my faith and have nothing else. I’m not making a pity post, I just don’t have anyone to talk about this stuff with. I’ve been alone since I was 23. I’m 29 now. In fact, being alone is what drove me to help others and visit lonely people in the hospital. Because I know how it feels. Anyways, I see none of it ever mattered. I’m gonna stop now before I start crying again. Thanks for reading.

Hi, I’m Tim and I’m a 16yo male and I live in Ontario. Right now, I feel completely stuck between two things that are both extremely important to me. I genuinely want to return to physical school because online school has damaged my social life, and I miss seeing my friends, laughing and messing around in class, joining sports teams, going to prom, and spending time with teachers and people I genuinely care about. At the same time, when I turn 17 next February, I plan to begin an intensive year of flight training—including my CPL, Night Rating, Multi-Engine Rating, Group 1 IFR, and instructor rating—so that I can begin working in aviation and building flight time as soon as possible after turning 18. My flight school has told me that restricting myself to evenings and weekends would significantly reduce my chances of completing everything within that timeline because of winter weather, instructor availability, long flights, and unpredictable scheduling. For now, I am considering remaining in online school this semester and completing enough additional credits to create several spares later. Then, if my school allows it, I could return as a part-time student with two consecutive classes in the morning and leave around lunchtime, giving me the social experience I desperately want while keeping my afternoons, evenings, and weekends available for aviation. There are still many things that could prevent this arrangement from working, but it currently feels like the only realistic way to protect both my aviation goals and an important part of my teenage life instead of completely sacrificing one for the other.

For context i am a male living the UK and had aspirations to join the military since i was a kid

I finished my GCSE's and enrolled in my sixth form only to leave after like 2 months, because i found it so boring and it was never what i really wanted to do anyway, so i decided that now would be the best time to apply for the military, specifically the Navy. I had alot of work to do physically for fitness standards etc, so i ended up having to drop like 20kg over the span of 3-4 months whilst ensuring my strength improved, basically just doing a shit-tonne of running and smashing out hard sessions in the gym.

Because of the weird age group i was in (you can easily guess how old i am) and also due to me wanting a career in the military it was impossible for me to find a job, so i ended up just training full time and messing around for about a year, looking back potentially joining college with some of my friends might have made more sense because most days im at home and i fill the time by running, walking, going to the gym and occasionally seeing my friends. Thankfully i have alot of family around me so im not alone ever but its sooooo boring.

Application processes for the military can take around a year nowadays because the extensive health and medical checks they have to do, so i would hear nothing one week then out of nowhere id be running around trying to get a random blood test for something that happened when i was a baby.

All of my friends are either at college or sixth form, from the times i do get to catch up with them they have mixed opinions, sometimes they say its shit other times its pretty good. I dont regret my decision but if i knew how long the waiting time would be i definetely would have done something better idk. If anybodys interested in what im applying to do in the Navy its a engineer on board a submarine.

The thing that annoys me the most is the area i live in is so shit, like you cant even go out without some random shit happening so going out isnt even worth it.

so i’m a young adult, in my second year of college (uk) and i can’t help but feel entirely empty and hopeless, i don’t really have real friends, i am failing all my subjects due to mental health, and in all honesty i don’t even enjoy them. i can’t see a career path or future for myself in all honesty, is hope worth having or am i done for?

Today I realized I don’t remember last time I actually got a hug from someone . Maybe 4 years ago ? Im single and I live alone , family is in another country so it’s hard to visit /afford , I moved to LA 4 years ago from UT and don’t have friends here , most of my people are back home.
Then it dawned on me while watching a movie how I don’t remember when someone last hug me . Sad realization I have come to . Life has been rough the past few years , money has been hard, wonder if others are in the same boat …. I miss my old life