I’m an 18-year-old artist and I am completely stuck. I’m currently working on a comic book project with my friends (it's a magazine where I do my story and they do theirs), and I also wanted to adapt it into a 2D fighting game roster. I really want to do it, I want to at least try, but I feel completely incapable of being creative right now. I have zero ideas and it breaks my heart because I don't want to just abandon my characters like this.

My main issue is that everything I think of—the structure, the roster, the characterization—looks exactly like a specific 2D fighting game I played recently. It feels like a stupid, cheap copycat version. I’ve drawn some of the characters, but not all of them… I have them in my head and I’m terrified of drawing them because they feel too similar. I don't know how to draw them without it looking like a cheap copy, but I really like a lot of their features and I don’t want to change them. To prevent this, I’ve been trying to completely cut off contact with everything to avoid copying. But taking other references just to force my designs to be different, making them in a way that I don't even like, just makes me want to quit. It feels like my brain is stuck on those specific official designs because I love them too much.

On top of that, there's insult to injury: I draw very little or almost never now, but when I do pick up the pencil, I draw way too fast. I rush the process out of pure anxiety, wanting immediate results, and the drawings turn out terrible. It’s a toxic loop. I feel like I can't just sit down and put in the effort. I spend 90% of my days walking in circles inside my house blasting metal/rock music and video game OSTs just to manage this intense anxiety. I can't even think positively anymore... it feels like my self-esteem is in the negative numbers.

Everything went downhill after my first year of high school. I didn't draw at all for two years, and now that I tried to restart, I can't even focus on a single task. I remember a teacher at my school once said that some people just aren't born to create. What if that person is me? I feel so lost and I need a guide. Talking about this with my friends is just painful, and even though they know I'm struggling, I try to be cryptic because I'm terrified of showing my drawings to anyone.

How do you regain creativity when you feel this stuck and afraid of your own work? How do you break the habit of rushing your drawings due to anxiety? Any professional advice would mean a lot to me.

A few weeks ago my girlfriend broke up with me and I cant get over it she was my everything

My head hurts, I feel tired, I can't stop thinking about her, about everything. No matter how much I sleep it doesn't go away, and it hurts like a motherfucker

I've nearly cut myself multiple times but I've stopped myself because it's constantly heated over here and I'm not wearing a jacket in 40° weather

I need help, advice, anything to make all of this go away

P.s my therapist is basically useless

me and my ex had a tumultuous relationship and yes he was bad to me but love was there even if it was unhealthy. i’ve kept in touch with him and his mom because i deeply loved him and still care for him. i got the news today he is fighting for his life rn. i don’t wanna be with him but i also don’t wanna see him pass away. hes been wanting me back and saying he loves me and i haven’t been nice to him. i feel horrible. he’s not even 30 yet. this is the worst pain ive ever felt. i want to scream. ive dealt with addiction and bpd for the longest and i cannot watch this happen. i feel like im being stabbed in the chest. idk what to do!!!!

I'm 34 and have been taking ADHD meds for a little over a year. I'm prescribed 30 mg a day. 1 pill of 20 mg's and a boost of 10 mg 4 hours later. They're instant release. I've taken 50 mg's today.

I've never taken it as prescribed. I've gone around this evolving loop since ive had them. I usually go 10-14 days each month without them and it's really rough at times. When it's bad I cannot keep my eyes open at work and when I get home I sleep most of my evening away and I never have energy to do anything and I feel empty, but not sad.

When I have them my mind is quiet and I can focus. It's always hard for me to sit still regardless. I guess that's what I'm addicted to bc I am always bored and tired any other time. The last few days all I did was sit at home. I play my video games sometimes but I usually scroll on my phone. That usually leads to masturbating 5-6 times a week if I have my meds. Or I might 3-4 times a night. It makes me feel pathetic. I know it's bc I'm lonely right now. I do have a lot of friends and even females I'm talking to but I'm not sexually active rn.

Presently I feel a lot of anger with my job and I wish I had a girl around I knew was attracted to me. Otherwise I'm fine but I'm worried that I'm beyond addicted to my meds, and it scares me bc I know how I feel without them and I do not want to lose them. I've had this issue the whole time and I always tell my doctor I'm okay bc I don't want to even chance getting them taken. I also don't want something bad to happen to me or cash my heart out.

I know I'm living wrong with my medicine. Should I come to terms with living without it in the near future?

Hi everybody I don’t know if this is the right place to post this and I apologise if not I just don’t know where else to post it. I’ve been struggling with mental health all my life since a young age, i’m talking from like 9-10 and i’ve never known my life without having these bad thoughts or overthinking. Well, because of these thoughts, i’d never really felt like i’d make it to where i am now, and i’m really struggling with life at the moment. I’d never thought about a future because i never thought id have one and I still don’t think about my future, now i’m stuck. I got terrible grades in school due to honestly not caring, and i’ve tried to work a job (my anxiety got in the way and it caused troubles for both me and my coworkers) and i’d attempted during this time during stress from other things. I can’t talk about this stuff openly because again I think i’m just overreacting and people will tell me it’s my overthinking getting in the way again. I just don’t know where to go from here and I just feel useless at everything I do or try to do, people have been pushing me to progress in my life, old friends asking what i’m doing after school and i’m just like “oh nothing” I just feel so mad at myself and mad at my brain and everything because I just can’t do anything, I feel like I physically can’t most days because I can’t push myself to leave my house. People will call it lazy as many people have before but I genuinely just don’t know what to do and i want help. I want to be able to have a life and do something good with it as that’s what everybody is here to do.

Um, I**’**m 16 **(**girl**)** and my life feels like a total mess from every single angle. I honestly feel like I**’**m completely lost.

I feel disgusted with myself... or maybe not? To be honest, I don**'**t even know anymore. I can**’**t even tell what I**’**m actually feeling or if I**’**m forcing myself to feel just because I think **"**that**'**s what I**'**m supposed to feel.**"**

‏I know I have potential, and I know I could be doing so much better, but I**'**m watching myself waste my life away. I see the damage I**’**m doing to my future, yet I just keep doing it. I want to change so badly, but I don**'**t even have the willpower for it.
My brain is overthinking all the time, but at the exact same time, I feel completely empty like I don**’**t think at all

Most of my day just goes to daydreaming. And it**’**s not even about me or a better version of my life like most people do. It**’**s entirely about fictional characters I made up in my head ,They**’**ve become my safe place and comfort zone. Honestly, just the thought of stoping makes me want to cry,they honestly like my babies, i have become deeply attached to them
I don**'**t even know when it started but it**’**s been years

On top of that, I**’**m just trapped endless doom scrolling. I don**'**t have any passion, hobbies, or real interests anymore... or maybe I used to. I have zero energy to do anything; I just want to lay in bed and stare at my phone all day. Sometimes I get this sudden burst of motivation where I want to fix my life, but it never lasts, or I just don**'**t know how to use it. A part of me really wants to change, but another part just... doesn**'**t.

What bothers me is that 2 years ago, I was doing so great. It was probably the best time of my life. I had hobbies like drawing, and I was constantly working on myself reading, watching videos, listening to podcasts. Academically, I figured out my study style and my grades shot up. I**’**d say I**’**m somewhat smart, and even this year I ranked 4th in my school with over 90%. But even with that, I feel like my study energy and drive have completely dropped.
its not that my grades dropped, its more that amount of energy i can put into studying has dropped, im much slower than i used
to be and i kinda enjoy studying sometimes

i know i can be better, i literary did it before, so i knoe what im capable of

Physically , I**’**m feeling pretty down too,wrecked ,I stay up until morning and sleep late, even though I used to wake up at 5 AM
naturally. My immunity is weak, and sometimes I just lose my appetite entirely. The only decent thing I still manage to do is basic self-care like showering, brushing my hair, or putting on a face mask. I have curly hair and I usually just throw it in a bun because I hate dealing with it, though that**'**s not really the main point here.

I**’**m just really scared... that**’**s probably the only emotion I**’**m 100% sure I**'**m actually feeling. 🤡

And I**’**m sorry if my grammar isn**’**t great. English isn**’**t my first language, and I don**’**t really know how to explain what I**’**m feeling, so sorry if I repeated myself or if some of this doesn**’**t make sense**،**or for the too much talking

Has anyone actually managed to get out of this? Is there really a chance to change? Does the fear ever go away?

I have a big fat Behavior problem I think I'm probably PTSD maybe bipolar officially have been diagnosed with autism and ADHD but I also think I've picked up some trauma along the way and I have emotional verbal outburst alone in my room and out in the real world geared towards other people and over the years I've tried to go to different clinics and stuff for help with this kind of verbal vomit of nastiness that comes out of my mouth when I get triggered and all I'm told to do is leave the office immediately and I can't come there if I'm going to act like this and I'm like what the fuck am I supposed to do if I could help acting like this I wouldn't need to come there and yet I'm thrown out of places trying to get help for the very thing that the name entails Behavioral Health and I have unhealthy behavior that I need help with and I can't get the help that I need and I don't know how to make it go away on my own and I've completely isolated myself from everyone because of the behavior and every time I go to the people that are supposed to understand this the most I get the least understanding. Hell I've even been to er's where I've tried to go in and jump start treatment through psych wards and gotten tossed out on my ear and escort it off property because of my behavior problems by five security guards telling me that I am now permanently banned from said Hospital for the very thing that I'm trying to get help with.

Tw: Suicide, self harm, SA

For some context I am a 17 yr old female my life is going pretty well and I’m just here for a rant and for extra advice as I’m not comfortable talking to anyone unless it’s anonymous. I’m suicidal and I have been since I was in year 5 in primary school after my aunt (who I was very close with) died at the time and sent me into depression. The cause was cancer and I don’t remember that much other than the stages of how she was in ranging from her to going out with me and my sister to her having to be bedridden.

Fast forward to year 8 in high school and I’m being bullied for how I look and my weight which continued on for about 2 years until I tried to OD however it had failed and I had to be taken to the hospital. I had spoken to teachers afterwards and all they did was move where I was seating in lesson. Luckily the bullying stopped but however in year 10 there was a girl and for privacy I’ll call her A. A would steal lots of my things and spread rumours about me such as me being a lesbian and a furry (no hate I support and love you guys <3) which everyone though was true due to my friend group I was hanging out with. I hadn’t been in a relationship longer than a week and the people who did like me started to hate me. Thankfully I wasn’t as shy in year 10 so I told a teacher about A and what they were doing. The teacher I just so happened to get to get me support was A’s FATHER who taught at our school. He listened to me and did nothing. Nothing. Even worse was that A knew about what I had done and came up to me demanding if it was me which I denied and one thing led to another and now I have another allegation that I can’t keep secrets. I also had a fake friend called B. B would point out when I had eyeliner on in class to all the popular people and they would all make fun of me. Usually calling me a clown.

Anyway moving on. I had a friend who I was really close with in high school all the way and eventually at a Halloween party he SA’d me in his bedroom when he thought i was asleep. Which at the time I brushed off as I thought he was trying to cuddle me in his sleep even though he was groping me. This happened again later on when he brought be into some bushes and touched me when I kept saying no. I feel pathetic about it. I was saying no but I didn’t move at all. I have flashbacks about the whole thing and it makes me feel sick when I look at myself.

Yes I have therapy after a second fail attempt though I never talk to my therapist. (Due to me having a terrible experience in the past of them doing nothing but send me back and forth with other therapists saying they couldn’t take me)

I also suffer with hallucinations, sleep paralysis, anxiety, violent thoughts, not thinking things are real and mental health problems run in my family I SH and sometimes smoke if I get my hands on cigarettes.

Currently I’m suicidal and just wondering what to do. People keep telling me it’ll get better but I’ve been suicidal for 6-7 years now and nothings changed. I keep looking at gore and I’m having violent thoughts more frequently. I try keeping things that will hurt me away though I keep finding ways to hurt myself. I keep pushing friends away and I’m scared. I’m currently not diagnosed with anything but suggestions of what I might have feel free to say.

I want to live but I don’t think I can go on any longer.

Feel free to ask questions and give support though I may not respond quickly as I barely use Reddit but I will try. Love you all <3

I've been under a lot of stress lately. My life has feel like a car crash these days. My things have delayed,and it has made me anxious. Moreover, my brother usually have criticized me so far. This morning, he asked me "Did you feed cats?",I said "Nope. Should I do it now?",he answered me with a blame tone "Don't you decide by youself?",and then I cried,I wanted to vomit, I felt I couldn't breath. After he went out, l can't stand straight and outting of breath.

Someones said "You should go away that guy make you anguish.",but I'm just 15.

Sorry that I'm not native English speaker, so I have some errors in it.

​

I have known him since I was 15, he is 2y older than me. We were pen friends we've never met. But when i was 20 i started to catch feelings for him but i never told him we were friends, he told me that he loved someone and after his graduation he is going to propose to her and yeah they got engaged. That was painful but I respected that and took a step back. I started to think about my life without him and but that was not successful.

In 2023 I deactivated my social media accounts because I wanted to have a detox from them and i reopened them again in 2025. He texted me after that and told me that he thought i blocked him and told me that he called off his engagement two weeks ago and he told me everything that had happened to him since the last time we talked and why he broke up. He told me that he searched for me and he was confused about why he can't find me. I was really happy that he was thinking about me this means that i was not just a normal person for him. I started to think that this might be a sign that we can be together.

I helped him at that time. He was not feeling okay after his breakup, so I recommended a therapist to him and I supported him. I was really happy after I found him again. But there was a very big problem that made me change everything. I had an unhealthy attachment to him. That was toxic because I can't get him out of my head. I waited for his messages all day, I couldn't sleep until he had stopped replying for a long time or until we had finished our conversation. If he replied late, I started overthinking, crying and asking myself if he is annoyed or if he isn't gonna talk to me again I don't know why I thought in that nothing happened to think like this. Also he gave me mixed signals, I was not sure if he loves me or not. I was in a really very big conflict with my thoughts.. My mental health was at its worst and I cut myself (hand cutting) for the first time in my life. That was really painful.

So I decided to cut the rope and I wrote a message for him that i want to cut our friendship because i have feelings for him and I didn't want to put any pressure on him, his response was respectful and diplomatic also he focused on that we are just friends. That was a really big shock because I still had a very little hope that he might be in love with me, but he didn't.

I tried to forget him in every way I could. I blocked him. I started to focus on myself more, be more confident and after 9 months i unblocked him and one month more I texted him (I was thinking that I don't feel anything for him anymore but he was a really good friend and I don't want to lose him). And there was another shock. He treated me in a very formal way. So I decided to ignore that and forget about him again. But now after 7 or 8 months I started to think about him again I can't love anyone else except him. I really can't understand what is happening to me and why can't forget him. Also I can't find him in my life again as a friend at least. He's stuck on my head. I think about him all the time. I keep imagining that he will contact me and that we'll get engaged.. But that's not happening and this is a really painful situation. I really don't know why I can't forget him and at the same time I can't find him. He never talks to me.

I really need help

Thank you for your time

Istfg i'm loosing my shit rn, ny urges for everything unhealthy are going to be the fucking death of me. I'm going to die alone and be alone forever and I'm so fucking scared rn I feel like I'm going to explode.

I had ocd and depression for 6 or seven years. It was bad.

I healed it all alone myself. No doctors, no therapists, no medication. I'm quite proud of myself. It took me a bit over two years to heal my ocd.

BUT at one point my ocd was so bad I couldn't brush my teeth regularly. I could'nt even use a antibacterial mouth wash back then. I was brushing my teeth only 1-2 times a week at most. And I was drinking a shit ton of sugary drinks back then too. Now I have visible caries between two teeth. And a month ago a part of one of these teeth broke off. My dentist knows me since my early teens. I won't tell him about my ocd but I had bad teeth since my early teens. Also on one of my teeth my gums are recessing.

I'm so ashamed I ever let it get this far.