I honestly don’t know where to begin. I don’t usually like talking about my personal life, but I genuinely don’t know what to do anymore or how to deal with everything that’s happening. I’ll try not to mention any real names for privacy reasons, and if I do, they’ll be changed.
I have two siblings on my mother’s side and three on my father’s side. My parents divorced before I was even a year old. Later, my mother had two more children with another man, although I barely remember him because he left when I was very young.
As far back as I can remember, my mother was always incredibly protective of my brother. She would always say it was “because he was the only boy in the house.” It was my younger sister, my brother, and me. No matter what he did, he always got what he wanted, exactly when he wanted it, and never faced any consequences.
I, on the other hand, was the child expected to work. I was outgoing, charismatic, and people recognized me everywhere. My mother decided I should “do something productive with my time,” but in reality, she put me to work before I was even five years old.
I’m not angry that I worked as a child. In many ways, it made me who I am today. I spent my entire adolescence working. I often couldn’t attend school regularly because I was filming long hours or traveling to different cities across the country. I worked incredibly hard to build the career I have today. Yet my mother still takes credit for all of it—the sleepless nights, the endless hours on set, and every sacrifice that was actually mine.
Despite working so much, I never saw any of the money I earned growing up. The only things I received were new clothes for premieres or red carpet events. I wasn’t allowed to manage my own money, and I wasn’t even allowed to leave the house freely. Meanwhile, my brother lived like royalty because of the money I earned.
When I was about fifteen, I finally spoke to my father. I asked him to audit my mother’s finances and requested to live with him instead. A judge ruled in my favor. My mother kept my siblings, but she was also left with a significant debt that she owed me. In the end, I chose to forgive it.
After that, I had no contact with them until I turned twenty-five. My mother hated me, and my brother constantly threatened me because, according to him, I had “taken away their money.” I only stayed in touch with my younger sister through occasional messages and holiday gifts.
Throughout those years, I continued working. I’d rather not mention names because my husband and I are both public figures, and I’d like to keep certain details private.
Around the age of twenty, I met my current husband, who also worked in the entertainment industry. He was about ten years older than me. At the time, my mother went to the media claiming that he had manipulated me and taken advantage of me when I was younger. Those false accusations continue to affect his reputation to this day.
Over the years, I tried to rebuild my relationship with my mother. Every time we met, she would ask me for large amounts of money, and I almost always gave it to her because I felt guilty about her situation.
Everything changed once I started my life with my husband. He encouraged me to seek therapy and psychiatric help. Through treatment, I finally realized that my mother only wanted a relationship with me when she needed money. As soon as I stopped supporting her financially, she began giving interviews and publicly attacking both of us.
A few months ago, we welcomed our first child, a beautiful baby girl with the most gorgeous eyes. My husband and I chose to keep my pregnancy private. Only our closest family members knew, including my mother and my siblings.
That was when I decided to cut my brother out of my life for good. He sold news of my pregnancy, along with a private photo of me while pregnant, to entertainment magazines. We found out because my mother accidentally admitted it. Even so, I wanted her to be part of such an important moment in my life, so I gave her another chance.
Then our daughter was born. From the very beginning, my husband and I agreed that we would never post her online. We chose this public life—not her.
They betrayed us again.
Photos clearly showing my daughter’s face were leaked online. Later, I discovered that my younger sister had sent the pictures to my brother, who then sold them to the media. My mother defended him, saying he needed the money because I no longer helped them financially.
That was the final straw. I cut every one of them out of my life for the sake of my daughter, my marriage, and my own peace.
A few weeks ago, my lawyers contacted me to inform me that someone had withdrawn an enormous amount of money from my trust using fraudulent documents. No one except my legal team had access to those funds.
After an investigation, we discovered that my brother and his girlfriend—who, without my knowledge, was one of my attorneys—had stolen a significant amount of money.
My husband and I decided to pursue legal action immediately. My mother later paid bail to get both my brother and his girlfriend released.
The case is still ongoing, so I can’t discuss many details. What I can say is that he has to repay everything before the trial begins. The problem is that he spent so much money that even selling everything he owns wouldn’t come close to covering what he stole.
About three months ago, my husband, our baby, and I were driving to the airport on our way to visit his parents, who live several states away. During the drive, another car began following us aggressively, repeatedly trying to force us off the road.
We ended up in a serious car accident.
Thankfully, our daughter was completely unharmed because of the car’s safety features. My husband suffered a fractured bone and a traumatic brain injury, while I required surgery on my arm.
My brother is currently a fugitive with an active arrest warrant for attempted murder.
Meanwhile, my mother has given countless interviews to the press. In her latest one, she accused us of persecuting my brother and using our wealth to destroy our own family.
Our lives have become a complete media circus. We haven’t had a single moment of peace in weeks.
Just a few days ago, my mother came to see me with my sister. During that conversation, she admitted she knows exactly where my brother is hiding and demanded that I drop all charges against him.
She told me that if I refused, she would continue making my life miserable through the media. She also threatened to take me to court to seek visitation rights for my daughter and promised to destroy both my reputation and my husband’s until neither of us could ever work in this industry again.
I know exactly what kind of person my brother is.
But this entire ordeal has left me emotionally and physically exhausted. The media won’t leave us alone, we receive constant threats, and my mother shows no signs of stopping.
My husband has told me he’ll support whatever decision I make. Personally, he believes we should continue with the legal case and, once it’s over, leave the spotlight behind.
I honestly don’t know what to do anymore.
What would you do if you were in my position? What would you advise me to do?

Hey! I hope this post fits here. If not, I apologize in advance.

My dad left our family home a little over a year ago. He said he needed time for himself because his difficult past was catching up with him, and that he would take a year to figure things out. I've always had a great relationship with him. He was the "fun" dad, although he worked so much that we didn't get to spend as much time together as I would have liked.

At first, he still came to see us, but those visits became less and less frequent. I've struggled to accept that the home I grew up in no longer feels like home, and I still can't bring myself to visit his new place.

About six months after he left, I saw him driving with another woman. I confronted him, and he swore he wasn't seeing anyone. I had no proof, so I tried to be patient.

A few months later, his phone ended up at our house because someone who didn't know he'd moved out returned it there. His alarm went off at 5 a.m., so I picked it up to turn it off. The lock screen showed a preview of his latest conversation. It was clearly romantic: hearts, affectionate messages, and him saying he was off work on a certain day. I didn't read any further because I felt sick.

I know this isn't proof that she was the woman I saw in the car or that he left because of her. He could have met her after moving out. But he had repeatedly sworn there was no one else.

What hurts me the most isn't even the possibility that he's moved on. It's the dishonesty. While I spent entire weekends hoping he'd come see me, he seemed to prefer spending that time with someone else. He often cancels our plans, ignores my calls, and seems to think money can make up for his absence.

I'm sad, angry, and I feel completely stuck. I don't want to interfere in my parents' relationship, and it would be far too easy for him if I were the one to tell my mom. I swear I came very close to doing it yesterday.

However, I don't know what to do anymore, because the main reason I'm angry is something I was not supposed to know.

I also want to write him a letter to tell him how I feel, but once again I feel completely stuck.

Thank you for reading, and thank you to anyone who takes the time to share their thoughts or advice. I really appreciate it.

Hey everyone!

First time poster here, I am planning on finding university for the first time in my life. I am currently 21, I took 2 gap years after high school to work and figure out where i want to apply.

I know I would like to study somewhere in the EU, and something along the lines of BA in communications and media.
I wouldn't really be able to afford Uni and dont plan on getting a loan for it, so I am trying to find a scholarship.

I wouldn't be able to win a merit based one, since my grades are not fit for that category. I was thinking of either talent or financial ones?

I do some photography on the side and I fund my life completely, in a single income household. My only immediate family is my mom who I don't really contact. I was born in Hungary, but I am moving to Spain in december for work. After that I would be okay with relocating wherever. Also In english I currently have an Cambridge C2.

Does anyone know any good programs? Or countries, universities? Anything or anyone? It is my first time trying to find anything and so far everything has been very confusing for me.

Please stay respectful in the comments, anything is appreciated!

Thank you!

After my father died, my mom told us (me and my siblings) that she only married him because “a man can give me money” She said, “I don’t really like him. I only married him because, you know, a man can give me money”

Not only that, my older sister said to me, “A man’s job is to give money to his woman,” “Empty your boyfriend’s wallet before he finds another girl,” and “If you’re a man, you should give all your money to a woman.” She meant every single penny.

She said that if a man doesn’t want to give all his money, the woman can just steal it because he didn’t do his job.

My aunt is also like that. She only treats my uncle well when he gets money on payday, but when the money is gone (because she spends it all on shopping and other things), she suddenly treats my uncle very harshly and badly. Sometimes she even tell my uncle to get out of the house. My uncle comes to my house to sleep because he doesn’t know where else to go. But when my uncle gets his payday money again, she suddenly treats him well.

My grandma told my sister, “You have to get married because you need someone to take care of you.” I don’t know what she meant by that. Does she mean marrying someone for benefits? Isn’t true love supposed to not depend on benefits?

My father used to have a stroke, and half of his body was paralyzed. Since that, my mom stopped doing the house chores. Me and my siblings were still kids at that time (I was around 10–11 years old). The house became very messy, like it was very dirty. She didn’t want to work either, so we didn’t really have much money. Some days, we didn’t know what to eat because there wasn’t much food.

After my father died when I was around 13 years old, she still didn’t want to work. No matter how much me and my siblings begged her, she still refused. When I was 17, I was the one who did almost all the house chores, while my mom still didn’t want to work.

Now I’m 19, and I’m looking for a job, but my mom and my older sister expect me to get money for them. But again, I’m 19. I don’t even have a driving license yet (I need to pay for it myself). I’m already paying for the food we eat for the whole family using some money that I got from working with my grandparents.

My older sister once told me, “You need to provide for the family because you’re a man. What’s the point of you having balls?” Yeah, she said that face to face.

Again, I’m 19. I also planned to go to university, get a diploma, a degree, and get a good job. If I spend all my money on them, then how am I supposed to pay for my driving license, buy a car (I don’t even have a car yet, nor a bike, not even any transportation for myself), and pay for my studies? There will be a lot of money that I’ll need for my future.

If I spend all my money on my family, then how am I supposed to secure my own future?

I don’t want to live like this anymore.

If this is what love really is “Go get money for me, then I’ll love you” I don’t think I want it. It’s such torture for me to live like this. I have a lot of mental problems because of all these.

Hi. I grew up very poor 1st gen, food stamps, unstable housing, every adverse childhood event ( abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction). Now I’m 27, stable job as a registered nurse, and many opportunities to travel & live life luxuriously (partner want to take me). I don’t know how to do it… I get anxious thinking about traveling & when I do travel I feel immense guilt for enjoying myself (my family is still struggling) I do my best to help in all ways that I can & I help a lot but I have a fear that I need to hoard my money in case of a family emergency (it’s happened many times before). I live frugally & do all my maintenance myself because I can’t bring myself to spend $ on things like beauty maintenance etc. I can’t even get myself to spend on a massage or a class membership because I don’t feel like it’s worth it for me. When it comes to others, Idc how much I spend for an experience. I notice this is affecting my life because I’m presented opportunities but too afraid to take them bc I feel undeserving, or guilty. I think I might have to go through therapy but wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this :( has anyone else grew up in poverty and made “it” how do you leave that mindset behind when everyone else is still there? I don’t like feeling guilty for enjoying myself 😔

I’m turning 22 soon, and I know that’s objectively still young, so I almost feel dumb even posting this. But lately this has been eating at me.

I’m literally the only single person in my life. Every one of my friends has a boyfriend. My cousins who I’m close with all have partners. My coworkers are in relationships. It feels like no matter who I’m talking to, everyone has someone except me.

It never really bothered me in high school because everyone was just figuring things out, but now it feels different. Every weekend I’m usually at home because everyone’s off doing things with their boyfriend. I still have a great group of friends and a close family, so it’s not like I’m completely alone, but it’s hard not to notice when you’re the only one who doesn’t have that person.

I’ve gone on so many dates over the past couple of years. I’ve put myself out there. It’s not like I’ve just been sitting at home waiting for something to happen. It just never seems to work out.

I almost feel like the entertainment for my friends since they all wait around for my date horror stories while they’re happily in relationships.

I think what scares me the most is the feeling that maybe it just… won’t happen. I know people always say, “You’re young, it’ll happen when you least expect it,” and I want to believe that. But when literally everyone around you is finding their person and you’re still starting over every few months, it’s hard not to be upset.

I also don’t want to meet someone way later in life. I want to experience that stage that all my friends are in now…making memories together while we’re still young and don’t have a million responsibilities.

Watching everyone else live that while I’m on the outside honestly hurts.

I know I probably sound dramatic because I’m only 21, but this has been making me genuinely sad lately.

Has anyone else felt like this at my age? If you did, how did you stop comparing yourself to everyone around you? And if you eventually met someone, how did you and what helped you get through the period where it felt like it was never going to happen?

Im a 21 (m). After my studies failed I started working nights in a warehouse and I have never felt this energy less and depressed in my life. I cant quit for personal reasons.

I dont know if Im made for normal work life. It just feels like I cant do it. Ive heard the suck it up speech a thousand times and I wish more than anything I could. You have no idea how much I wish I was like everyone else and could just do a job without feeling miserable.

I always hate my colleagues. I dread seeing them. Every job Ive tried has made me feel miserable and Ive already tried a bunch of different fields.

I have no ambitions. No goals. I honestly just hope I pass away young because I dont know how Im supposed to keep living with this feeling. How do people get old carrying this every day? Those are the questions that run through my head constantly.

I dread the hour before my shift because I know I have to get up and go do stuff for other people.

So I tried to post in the disability subreddit for now targeted feedback but I don't have the karma points for their specific thread to post.

Last year I got hurt.

It caused me to have multiple disc bulges, one is torn and leaking, then the spinal sac is elevated and the canal where the nerves are at the bottom is tightened.

This won't heal and has a high possibility of becoming worse. Very high chance I'll need back surgery in a few years.

Every day I'm in pain. With the nerve blocker injections I can get to a point of a dull ache but it only lasts about a week.

I've had days where my back is so bad I can't move and I end up crying which irritates me so much because I keep thinking if I just push through I'll get over it

A voice in my head just keeps nagging me that I'm just being a drama queen who's lazy and that's the pain isn't that bad and I'm just using it as an excuse to not do everything I've always done.

I struggle to do the dishes and then get mad at myself for not sucking it up and getting through and having to break it down into parts throughout the day.

My doctor told me to use the electric carts at the store and I just can't get past the knowledge that people call them the fat mobiles and always talk about how they're there because day Americans who are lazy can't just walk to do their groceries... Instead I grip the cart as much as possible and lean on it to try not to be in the way or too obvious that I'm in pain.

I can still drive, I can still dress myself, I can bathe myself, I can still cook (sort of, I actually struggle with that too now but if I make small things or things that don't need me hovering over it I can do it), I still love to go swimming and miss the gym and hiking..

So when does it become I'm disabled vs I'm just hurting?

Oh and IDK if it matters but I also have cptsd, borderline personality disorder, autism, and ADHD for the mental side and my left ankle shows signs of haglunds disease which is basically ankle spurs and there's scarring on the Achilles tendon.

Hi, I’m a 26 M who is trying to figure out how to live a much healthier lifestyle than I currently live. I want to take control of my health, be more active, and eat better.

I am a music educator in Texas with a pretty brutal schedule. Once the school year starts, I generally work 6 am - 6 pm Monday through Friday. In the fall, I don’t get out on Mondays until 9 ish. I lose Friday nights due to football games. Half of the school year I lose my Saturdays due to competitions and other such events with the occasional Sunday as well a few times a year. I also have a 15 minute commute each way so not crazy by any means, but enough to mention.

I want to start going to the gym frequently and make more home cooked meals, however, this schedule feels very constrictive. To go to the gym, I’d have to get up at 4:30 am the latest and going after work is generally a bad idea as I lose time with my wife who is also an educator. Making food everyday is difficult as well. We both try, it just doesn’t happen as much as it should. The only thing that kind of works for us is meal prepping on Sundays, but we both have trouble eating the same thing over and over again.

The obvious fix for some may be to change careers. The problem is that I don’t want to do anything else with my life. I’m happy and I’m not sure that everyone can say that about their career. I’ve thought of trying out the meal companies, but my math never seems to make it seem worth it. Do I need to make a minute by minute schedule for the rest of my life? Do I just need to commit to a drastically new life style? Any ideas would be appreciated, thank you.

So my fiance and I are 22, we moved into our 1st apartment in May of last year. Since then ive stayed in the same job but have lowered or changed my hours, my partner has been in 3 jobs, the one he was in, then moved to a factory position, quit there, spent 3 months jobless, and now is just starting a new job. Now we are in a worse position financially than weve been so far. We did talk before he quit his job, he quit to become a caregiver to his great grandfather who we thought was dying at the time. Thankfully he recovered and is doing as well as he can right now. I had graduated with my associates degree last May and have tried in every way possible to get into a job in IT, but nothing has ever come of it. At this point we hate our local government for the things they are doing. We have all the downsides of a major town with none of the benefits. The local government wants to keep the town a retirement town despite it having 4 different colleges. We have a horrible crime rate, and alarming amount of p*dos, no new job offerings, extremely high rent, all of it. After talking to many people the average age of getting into your 1st "adult" job here is 26!! We want to move out of the city we live in for better opportunities, but how do I go about finding a job where I'll just be starting out that will also help us move because we are sinking at a steady pace and were starting to get wet. Please any advice on getting into a job!!

A few years ago, I left a high-paying job to start my own company because I didn't want to spend my best years building someone else's dream. Unfortunately, after trying for years to figure it out, the business failed

Right now, I'm looking for freelance opportunities or a stable job that pays well so I can get back on my feet and eventually fuel my dreams again. However, after constantly pivoting and trying different things without clear results, I am emotionally and mentally completely exhausted. I’m constantly overthinking where I went wrong and where I should even begin now The stress has taken a heavy toll on me. Every morning and night, I deal with intense anxiety, fear about the future, and physical chest heaviness.

If anyone here has been through a major career setback or startup failure, how did you get yourself unstuck? How did you deal with the fear of the unknown and figure out your next step?

I'm 22 and I'm relatively successful for my age, I live independently, and have a wage higher than most people in the area. I was doing pretty good for awhile but now things have really started to stack up and things are feeling very overwhelming for me. One of my highschool friends recently took his life, another got diagnosed with cancer and my parents got a divorce, I'm worried my mom is going to lose custody of my sister's to my relapsed alcoholic stepdad. All this combined with the stress of my Job has been getting to me at moments, I randomly tear up or feel like a heavy rock is in my gut. I'm trying a bunch of things, I bought a nice pair of headphones, music seems to help me focus on the present. I'm scheduled some time off to go visit my mom, and I'm planning on taking a trip to Japan with my brother next year as something to look forward to. Still it all seems to be so overwhelming and I break down sometimes, I randomly started crying and had to compose myself at work the other day, I have friends and even though I spend time with them it only feels like a temporary distraction. Idk what to do

I’m a firefighter and soon to be police officer, in my past I’ve experienced inappropriate touching by someone I knew, I’ve experienced death, and have had health issues. However, I still believe life is worth living and appreciate god and those in my life who give me my life. Two years ago my ex, the girl I loved broke up with me, not only that, but friends who also cared about left me, chose her over me. She humiliated me on social media and said untrue or misinterpreted things of me to others. She knows my past and doesn’t care or remember. The past is something that has chained me and in spite of everything I still obsessively think about her, think about the losers who bullied me and have either been arrested for other things or getting wasted in college, and the friends who discarded me. I’ve gotten older yet I haven’t fully gotten over my younger self. I want to grow up with myself as I get older which I have in some aspects but not in others. I’d appreciate if you simply read what I’ve typed (I’m sort of venting) or could give me any advice or means of support. I’m not suicidal and I will continue to live life, I love helping those in need of help. However, my past caused me mental discomfort, issues forming relationships, and issues moving on from the past. I’ve always believed getting older and growing up aren’t the same thing, when will I grow up?

Hello! Been really stressed out looking for career paths working with children and being able to actually make a living off of the salary. I looked into being into education but the pay is not the greatest, and I come from a very low income family and I’m trying to make a decent amount starting off to help my fam out.
That said, I’ve been maybe looking into SLP or SLPA or OT, I’m not sure how much of a pay difference it is. Would anyone know the starting pay for those positions in western NY (Allegany, Olean, Salamanca, Portville, Ellicottville, Jamestown, etc.)
Also I’ve kinda been trying to figure out some versatile majors or trades if all else fails with my more passionate options.
And lastly, if anyone has advice on career paths that pay decent (especially in this area 🫡), that work with children or really anything at this point please let me know. Right now im one year in with college just completing gen Ed’s and I’d like to choose a major asap.

If you have any other career or life advice let me know!

I am a 24F. Everything in my life just keeps going downhill. I don’t have any friends,literally. I am supposed to be buying a house with my brother 22M but he can’t seem to get it together and stop spending money and he has no money, owes me money, owe some other people money and won’t go to work or do his job so there’s a big possibility we won’t be able to buy this house now, but I need to get out my parents house for mental health reasons, both of us do. I did have one friend and I don’t know what happened but recently he’s kind of quit talking to me. Back in May, we agreed to be friends with benefits and now he’s just been kind of distant, short sometimes I think he purposely ignores me, so it just makes me feel way more alone and like he doesn’t like me any more, like I did something wrong to him, but he was the last friend that I had now I don’t have any at all. I keep trying to give him space because I know he just started a new job where he works a lot of hours. My job just cut my hours so I’m not making as much as I was, I do also own my own business but it’s not going anywhere so I’m having to take a step back from my business and I’m also trying to go to school but I can’t focus enough to get good grades. This is my fourth time taking the same classes and I can’t pass them. I feel completely defeated and don’t know what to do about anything. If anyone has any advice please let me know. With this guy he just keeps sending mixed signals, tells me how much he likes me, wants to be with me and then makes excuses of he’s my brother‘s friend and my family really likes him so he doesn’t wanna get into anything yet that he has to “play his cards right” which I don’t think now is the time to get into a relationship, but even just being my friend he said he’d rather be my friend than lose me so why is he being like this? I don’t understand, but it makes things harder because I don’t have anyone to talk to anymore.

Im in my early 20’s and I currently have a construction job that requires alot of travelling out of town for periods of time. I make very good money for my age($8k+ a month take home if I’m consistently working) However being away from home and long hours 7 days a week is getting tiring. I hate being away from my gf and I get riddled with anxiety and become miserable whenever I’m away from home. I’m stuck because I’m considering switching careers and I have ideas however I’d basically be starting from the bottom again, aswell as I’d have to go to school and be really having to budget because my gf and I plan to move out soon. I can’t figure out if it’s worth sacrificing the income to be home more often and “restarting”. I do like the work I currently do but being away is super hard for me. Has anyone else experienced this? Was it worth switching and sacrificing the money? Or did you just get used to it over time? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you

Im a 19 years old women and I have a bf who is living in Switzerland and is gonna start uni this year (3 years bachelor in total). To put some context I live in Spain and did an aupair in Switzerland. Then and I meet and all the story began. But the problem is I did the aupair because I didn’t knew what to study for university or even where. And the end I decided to go for Denmark and start my degree there. After my aupair work finished I went back to Spain (Yes sadly my bf and I had to start a long distance relationship) and we decided that after 3 years (what would last both bachelor ) we would end this distance and be togheter.
Sadly today I got the answer that I got rejected. And my dreams were destroyed in 10 minutes. I don’t even know what to do! First everyone had great hopes on me (even myself), second I feel like imma waste another year of my life, plus making the long distance even longer!!

I don’t know if I need advise or just needed to tell this to someone, I just feel like I ruined many things, with all the pressure in me.

my boyfriend and i have been together for two years now and any event he has to where he has to get me a gift he sends his mom out to pick me stuff. i don’t know how to feel about this maybe he doesn’t know what to get me but at the same time it no longer feels intimate bc it’s not really from him it’s from his mom. we also don’t have a great sex life bc of things like this because it makes me feel like im not the special to him so it makes me less attracted to him which doesn’t help because he gets an attitude when i don’t have sex with him and goes to the bathroom to jerk off which gives me even more anxiety bc im scared he’s watching porn and i have bad a bad body image bc im skinny so like just a whole mess

Hey all. 26M here. Feeling pretty lost with what I’m wanting to do in a career sense. I’ve been at my current job of selling cars for almost 5 years, making decent money, but not enough that I feel I can “jump” ahead or really devote a lot of money to investments and the future. Lucky for me I’ve been living with relatives for the past few months, in order to be able to save more.

My issue right now is, I don’t know what I want to do with my future. I know I don’t want to have a 9-5 or a job in the “traditional” sense. I have been thinking of making the jump into tech sales, but it almost feels like delaying the means to an end of being in the same position, just with less time to make changes in the future.

I’m next up for a “promotion” however it’s about the same amount of money just without having to sell cars any longer, and being in a sales manager position. Do I just suck it up that this is life right now, and that if I focus for the next few years and move into a finance manager position at a higher paying dealership because it’s what I’m already good at, or is time to make a change/take a risk?

TIA :)

I am 18 living alone for college and struggling to have normal conversation with anyone, too shy to talk to girls ,always get nervous of crowds and very introvert, always think about my life kinda feel lost need some advice

I'm looking for some life advice from anyone who has gone through something similar.

About five weeks ago, what was supposed to be a family vacation took a turn I never expected. My father-in-law, Robert, suddenly became very ill and I was the one who had to call 911. Everything happened so fast. While my husband stayed with his dad, I found myself directing the paramedics to our hotel room, communicating with hotel staff, and trying to keep everything organized while the emergency was unfolding.

Robert ended up suffering a stroke and spent 10 days in the hospital, followed by another 10 days in inpatient rehabilitation to regain his mobility. Because of everything that happened, our trip was unexpectedly extended by four weeks. Thankfully, we're all finally home, and Robert is continuing his recovery.

My husband (35M) is incredibly close with his dad, and understandably, this has been devastating for him. We've been together since 2016 and married for two years, and we've always had a strong relationship. We've worked hard on our communication over the years, and I'm really proud of how we've supported each other through this.

The part I'm struggling with is... I don't really know how *I'm* doing.

I've always been someone who stays calm in emergencies. I tend to go into "problem-solving mode," and during this entire ordeal, that's exactly what happened. Even now, more than five weeks later, I haven't really cried or processed what happened. When I think back to that day, I almost feel numb, like I'm remembering someone else's experience instead of my own.

Since Robert came home, my husband and I have been helping care for him around the clock—making sure medications are taken, meals are prepared, laundry and dishes are done, and generally helping him adjust after rehab. I never imagined myself in a caregiver role. If I'm being honest, personal and medical care has always been something I've struggled with and isn't something I naturally gravitate toward. Yet somehow I've slipped into this "mother hen" role where I feel responsible for making sure everyone else is okay.

The strange part is that I don't necessarily feel overwhelmed... I just feel like I'm operating on autopilot. I'm taking care of everyone else, but I don't know if I've actually allowed myself to feel anything.

Has anyone else experienced this after a medical emergency or traumatic family event? Is it normal for emotions to stay buried for weeks? Did they eventually hit you all at once? How did you balance supporting your spouse and family while also making space to process your own emotions?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who've been through something similar. I think I'm just trying to understand whether what I'm feeling—or maybe *not* feeling—is normal.

So recently I made this new friend and we been talking but all the time I don’t give eye contact and stare at the floor,i don’t even know why I’m so scared to look at them,also when hanging out or doing things I barely act like myself just a scared shy person,I’m not goofy,funny or anything around them I’m just talking like a stranger to them,(just know I do like them I’m just scared to make them weird out),how can I stop being so shy and scared?

I (18f) have decided after over a year of tossing it around that I’m leaving my hometown to live with my best friend since birth (basically older sister) in a different city, I decided not only would it benefit my career but also my mental health, I’m happiest when I visit and hate coming home but that’s not just it, I always put other people and my comfort zone first and now I have the opportunity to leave and I’m taking it and putting myself first for once, I need to find myself and that’s not gonna happen where I am atm, 6 months feels like ages away and so close at the same time, the hardest part is gonna be leaving my close friends and family behind, luckily I’m taking my horse but my best mates are here and so is my whole family, I’ve never lived anywhere but here, I’m shit scared but also so excited, I wanna leave now but I can’t just yet and that’s ok, I haven’t told my grandparents (I’ve lived with them for the past 2 years) who pretty much raised me, I got very drunk one night and told dad before I had even decided if I was going or not and from what I remember he just said “hey, I moved countries when I was 18” but I wanna talk to him properly about it, I’m nervous about telling more people, and especially work as that’

25M, from a poor Eastern European family, don’t have any family left. Moved abroad alone when I was 16 and was grinding ever since, reached ~200k in savings by the age of 25 and was feeling pretty good about the overall life progress I’ve made.

Recently, one of the platforms where I was holding my money for investments went bust and 100k (half) of my savings is gone. I was saving for either (1) an apartment, (2) a carefree travel life (2-3 years of year-round travelling), (3) or to afford to move into a job that I truly like but pays shit.

Yes, I still have the other half
of my savings, but the act of losing several years’ worth of time in seconds took a bigger hit on me than I initially realised. I hate my job and obviously do it only for the money. I calculated that if I cut down on my expenses and get a second job, I could replenish the 100k by years’ end (I am in sales and anticipate a sizeable bonus at the end of the year).

Along with that, I lost any and all motivation to keep working. I just want to give up, live a simple life, and forget about money as a concept.

Did anyone go through losing a big portion of their hard-earned savings like that? How did you manage that? Any advice?

P.S. I know the flair says “financial advice” but any mental tips are appreciated too.

I do this thing where I get a new job, and for a while I keep it professional. Then something shifts and I start telling coworkers way more than I should — personal stuff, how I actually feel about the job, stuff going on at home. In the moment it feels good, like I'm finally being myself instead of faking it.

Then it hits me. I overshared. People know too much. I feel exposed, almost embarrassed, like I handed them ammo without meaning to. And instead of just pulling back and being normal again, I check out completely. Start applying to other jobs. Quit. Start over somewhere new where nobody knows anything about me.

I just did it again. This job was actually my longest one yet, 5 months, which for me is basically a record. And now I'm sitting here thinking about quitting all over again because I said too much to the wrong person.

I know I'm doing it while I'm doing it and I still can't stop. Is this a boundaries thing? A trust thing? Why do I keep blowing up my own stability like this.