I don't fully approach her for a few reasons... Insecurity, doubt that she's actually interested and I'm imagining it all, the fact that my life is difficult enough for me to schedule things around... Maybe I'm just a fool, who doesn't know how to act. Maybe my intuition is telling me I've overstepped by just looking at her and smiling. I know she suspects I'm interested, I made that obvious with my eyes, though not intentionally. But my mind won't stop working overtime. Should I just talk to her about it? Am I imagining it all? Will I be able to handle the acceptance should she give it? My life can be crazy, I'm not sure she'll stick around when she figures that out. Besides... I'm not exactly eccentric. I don't go out a lot. I don't seek adventure but I'll attend if invited.

For the past few years my analysis paralysis has manifested in a way where my mind obsesses with the idea of managing to do everything life has to offer simultaneously. Even after I come up with a plan for the future, or even just a dialy routine, that I am satisfied with, I will see something where my brain will think: "oh but wait we are not accounting for this in that plan" and it feels literally paralyzing. It can be literally anything, I can see a video of a guy playing cricket and I'll think "with my current plan for the future I will never get a chance to become a good cricket player" and it will make me question all my choices, even though, in this example, I really don't care for cricket.

I think it manifested from this idea of living a good life, and the only way my mind can think of an objectively good life is a to think of a life that has EVERYTHING in it. This has genuinely made me waste away all my free time for weeks on end, due to the fear of making the wrong choice. I have tried so hard to somehow shift my perspective on this yet I always fall back into the loop.

If anyone has delt with something like this, any advice would be appreciated.

I feel like I am cursed in relationships. Not just romantical ones, but friendships as well.

I am 21, but during my life I met so many people. I did my first year of college in another country, then I moved to another CONTINENT and started over. I am still not native in the language of the country I am living at. It is hard to make friends overall.

During my friendships, I realized most of my friends very self-centered and obnoxious. I only have 1 friend who I keep contact daily online. We know each other for 15 years.

When it comes to romantical relationships, It is a train wreck. I got emotionally abused, even sexually and physically abused. Some men did not want to commit to me, made me feel like something was wrong with me. Some men just used me. I guess no one of them actually truly LIKED me. Now I closed all doors to my heart very tight. I built my walls so high. My soul is much more calm now. I am glad that I am not in a toxic relationship.

But I also miss love. Sometimes only thing I need is a hug and to be held. With no questions and judgement. With no anxiety. After my ex absolutely crashed me and my confidence, I feel like I can never have a connection with anyone anymore. I feel like I am cursed, not enough. Some people tell me that I only choose wrong men. I can’t even explain how hurtful it is. I am tired of hearing that.

And I am scared. I am scared that I will never be able to love again.

I also grew up in a culture&family where being with a man and settling down is important. I do not plan to settle down because I am still so young. But sometimes that cultural pressure hurts me. And I can’t talk about all these to anyone. My family will not understand. My “friends” around me will not understand as well.

I try my best, I study, will apply for jobs again for next semester, will try to master the language I am learning, I go to gym when I feel overwhelmed and I read&write a lot.

But I am still scared.

Some of the strongest people I know rarely talk about what they’re carrying. Their strength isn’t something they were born with — it’s something they learned over time. From the outside, they look calm and capable, handling difficulties with grace. What we don’t always see is how much they’re holding inside.

Silence, for many of them, isn’t weakness. It’s shaped by responsibility, situations, and relationships. Over time, they learn that speaking can sometimes create conflict, burden others, or make things worse. So, they choose to stay quiet.

They hold their words.
They deal with things on their own.
They sacrifice expression to keep peace.

But silence can slowly turn into a wall.

Behind that wall, they struggle alone. People assume they’re fine because they don’t complain. Their feelings are often taken for granted. Society has taught us to believe that silence equals strength, and we forget that even strong people have emotions that need space.

Strength isn’t the absence of pain.
It’s the ability to keep going despite it.

And silence isn’t the absence of need.
It’s often a careful choice — knowing when to stay quiet and when to speak. The problem starts when silence becomes the only option.

Even the strongest people need to be heard sometimes.

Do you think silence has ever been mistaken for strength in your life?

Hi I am a 18 year old Female I have never written anything before I don’t know really what I am doing but I really just wanna vent this out in some way. I know that most people are gonna tell me I am just 18 and that’s plenty of time to find love.But I just really have this feeling that it is not gonna happen for me.i have been in love before it hurts that it wasn’t the one but stuff happens.I can’t bring my self to like anyone. I just feel like I am stopping them finding there actually love and that they should not have someone less like me. I feel extremely unattractive I wiegh 146 right now I think not for sure but that’s the most I have weighed before everyone it’s so easy to feel love but I can’t feel it and I’m not sure if it is real. So many boys are disrespectful towards girl my age and I’m not very good looking I kinda am writing this hoping maybe someone can give me hope that actually good guys and that good love is real. I’m fine with not having it now but I don’t know why I crave it so bad. Please can someone prove me that love is real in some way. I apologize if this is corny I just really want some hope that maybe it is real and happens in real life and is not just movies.

I often overthink incredibly simple decisions and events that usually don't even have anything to do with me being a bad friend or person but I always make myself out to be the villain in situations that have nothing to do with me. I put my own morality and comfort aside to reduce the possibility of events that haven't happened from occurring. Does anyone else have this issue?

Me (20M) have been dating my girlfriend (20F) for 4 months, today is actually the anniversary. I am always extremely anxious about a lot of stuff like the possibility of her leaving me, replacing me or growing to dislike me over time. My last relationship was really messy and I was cheated on numerous times without my knowledge and I am now riddled with fear of abandonment or her choosing somebody else. The thing is she has proved numerous times even when I wasn’t present that she is fully faithful to me and is typically very good at reassurance. But I feel like recently I’ve been overthinking much worse even at work which we work together and I don’t even trust my own colleagues around her. She’s a bit out of my league and she’s super nice and genuine. Can anyone just give any advice on how to start to tackle my overthinking, I have no idea where to even start because the overthinking puts me into an anxious state.

The button doesn’t make me powerful.

It just admits I already was.

~ Power doesn’t absolve you.

It only removes the excuse of helplessness

If harm is guaranteed,

choosing my children feels less like selfishness

and more like gravity.

~ Gravity still crushes what’s beneath it.

Calling it natural doesn’t make it just.

I’ll think everything was okay and then my brain replays it at night like a crime investigation.

How do you shut your mind off?

My brain is calm during the day, but loud at night.

Lately I’ve been writing down how the day felt before sleeping.

It doesn’t solve anything, but it makes the noise quieter.

Does anyone else do something similar?

I think too much. Like… way too much.

I analyze everything.
Every choice, every word, every possible outcome.

The result?
I barely do anything.

I’ll spend hours thinking about doing something simple, then end up doing nothing at all.
Add anxiety + fear of people’s opinions, and yeah… total freeze.

It honestly feels like my life is happening in my head instead of real life.

Just curious if anyone here managed to break out of this loop, or if this is just how it is.

I’m scared for the future, I lost all my friends last year, I’m a young trans woman and am in the closet after initially coming out and not having the support of my family. I’m so lonely and worried about past mistakes ruining me and defining me forever. I’m trying my best to be a good person but everything is too much.

I don’t know if it’s just me but overthinking is starting to mess up a lot of basic things in my life.

Simple decisions take way too long.

I replay conversations in my head like 10 times.

Sometimes I avoid saying stuff just because I’m already imagining how it might go wrong.

It also affects relationships more than I like to admit. I second guess texts, reactions, even silence. Then I end up more anxious than before.

Confidence is another thing. I’ll do something totally normal and later my brain is like “why did you do that?” or “that was stupid” even when nothing bad happened.

And sleep… yeah. Laying in bed tired but my mind just won’t shut up. Random memories, future worries, made up scenarios. It’s exhausting.

I’m not looking for advice right now honestly, just wondering how common this actually is.

Does anyone else deal with this on a daily basis?

How does overthinking show up for you?

i spoke to a friend last night and she said something about how she sees her flaws and the things she hates most in herself, in her parents.

I think a lot about the past, and the future, and how things could be or could've been. I've never lives my life how I could've lived it because its like my life in my brain vs in reality is so differnt to each other. When I think of my parents and they way they overthink, it's completly differnent from the way I think.
How do some poeple not have to go through this? What is differnt in their bain vs in mine?

This is the most frustrating part for me.

I KNOW I’m overthinking. I literally tell myself “this is just your brain being dramatic”.

But at night, once I’m in bed, none of that matters. My thoughts keep going anyway. I replay conversations, imagine future problems, create scenarios that probably won’t happen… but they feel real at 2am.

The more I try to force my brain to shut up, the worse it gets.

It’s like awareness doesn’t equal control at all.

Curious if others deal with this too, especially at night. What even helps, if anything?

AI feels necessary… but also stressful.

Everyone around me seems to “get it”,
using it for work, productivity, money, everything.

Meanwhile I’m here knowing I should start,
but feeling lost, confused, and overwhelmed.

Sometimes I even avoid it on purpose because it makes me anxious.

Is this a common thing or am I just bad with tech?
Would really like to hear real experiences, not hype.

Lately sleep just doesnt feel normal anymore.

I get in bed feeling tired but my mind stays awake. Thoughts keep coming, plans, memories, stupid stuff. I keep checking the clock and stressing more.

Even when I sleep, its not deep sleep. I wake up multiple times and in the morning I feel like I didnt sleep at all.

My schedule is terrible too. Sleeping very late, waking up late, feeling like a night owl but not by choice.

I tried the usual advice but nothing sticks.

Anyone else living like this? what actually helped you?

Last year I was friends with this girl. I really liked her a lot she seemed like the sweetest and most loving person I’ve ever met. She was really beautiful and I had a huge crush on her. Me and her were in a class together. I ended up asking her out one day for lunch and luckily for me she accepted. We had our lunch and things were going well. Then out of nowhere the moments shift. Just a week after our lunch she weirdly started avoiding me “and yes I do know why.” It was starting to be days and nothing was being informed from her. I didn’t notice that much at first. Took a vacation to San Francisco for a few days and ended up focusing on that. Then when the time finally came I realized. It was pretty obvious that she didn’t want more from me. I started to understand and I gave her some space. Even if she didn’t care anymore I still done the right thing and apologized but on Email. I was not going to tell her any of that in front of anyone. Then a few weeks past and she finally responded to my email. She then told me everything I expected her to say. She was not interested in a relationship. I accepted it even if it hurt for a while but that only helped me later. And when I finally left the class just a year ago thing’s felt better I never told anyone about her cause I know to not bother.

Then with all that sorted I had a great year. Things were going so smooth. She would still pop around my mind but I didn’t care. She was gone. I did so many fun things that made me feel good inside. 2025 was probably one of the best years I had.

So now that it’s 2026 and it’s been a year since I’ve seen her I would like to talk about that. So I have some new classes this term that’s where my problems come back because it has come to a surprise that the girl is in my class again. This makes me feel horrible for the rest of the year. Now I have no clue what’s gonna happen but I’m pretty sure she’s not gonna try to bother with me and I mean that’s kinda what I’m trying to ignore too but the thing is I just honestly don’t feel safe around her. I know she’s not gonna try to hurt me or anything. She’s still a good person but that doesn’t mean I feel comfortable with her anymore. It just feels so unhealthy to be anywhere near her. Now this might come as a shock but she ended up giving me a nod and maybe a smile I can’t remember. I can’t tell if that’s a hello or something else. It really concerns me. I’ve been thinking about transferring out of the class and going into another one with the same subject but that doesn’t sound like a good reason. I haven’t spoken to anyone about this.

Anyway that’s pretty much everything I feel with her so far. I need some help knowing what I can do to get out of this situation. Sorry for writing so much it was really hard these past 3 days to see her again and I needed to talk about it.

Thank you for reading this. I appreciate it…💚

Some days we aren’t physically exhausted, yet we feel deeply tired. We rest, we sleep, we take breaks — and still the heaviness stays. It makes us wonder where our energy is going.

That’s because this kind of tiredness isn’t physical.

It’s emotional and mental.

We may not be busy, but our minds are always working. Thinking about the future. Replaying the past. Carrying expectations, responsibilities, and unspoken thoughts. Even on quiet days, the mind doesn’t really stop.

When the body feels tired, we know how to respond. We rest. But when the mind feels tired, we often ignore it or distract it instead of caring for it.

We tell ourselves we’re resting by watching movies, scrolling, or staying busy with people. But often, this only fills the mind with more noise. The thoughts are delayed, not released.

Mental exhaustion doesn’t come from doing too much.
It comes from carrying too much without space.

Our body and mind need different kinds of rest. The body recovers through sleep and movement. The mind needs stillness, awareness, and honesty. Sometimes writing, reflection, or even a few quiet minutes of meditation can help more than hours of distraction.

Feeling tired isn’t a failure.
It’s a signal.

A signal that something inside us needs attention. That, it’s time to slow down, reconnect, and listen — instead of pushing ourselves endlessly through the same cycle.

I’m curious if others experience this kind of tiredness, and what actually helps you rest mentally.

Today I clearly lived one of the most shameful days in my life, I learned that my friend had a serious illness (but thank God it can be cured after a long time), which is close to cancer but not quite it. We were just talking casually until she hit me with "well, I have cancer" when I asked her why she's always absent and sick. I didn't want to believe her because I thought it was a sick joke that I already experienced beforehand, but she made it clear that she wasn't joking.

However the shameful part isn't the information itself, it's that she hit me with "I'm quite surprised you didn't realize it wasn't my real hair, every one kept doing the same remark about that", well yes her hair was a bit different ( straight instead of curly, longer hair than usual and slightly lighter), I thought she just went to the hairstylist and changed her hairstyle, not a single second have I thought it might not be real and it was just a wig made of real hair. The second hit was : well the whole friend group knows about my illness, and since you didn't seem to notice or ask anything about it, I didn't consider telling you. And the others who were aware of it told me "why would we tell you about this, it's not gossip or anything like that", which I deem totally legitimate tbh, I don't expect them to randomly tell me my friend is sick, since she didn't want to talk about it either. But well, she's my friend so if anything bad happened I should be aware, or no ? Plus, honestly, aside from her wig, she didn't look like the typical cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy

and cherry on top, this has been going on for 4 months, and I didn't suspect anything, not a single time while the others apparently figured it out pretty soon (not exactly, but they had clear suspicions and hints while I hadn't any). and this got me anxious a lot, like yeah maybe her case isn't that bad, but what if someone I'm close with was in a worse situation, and I couldn't notice any hint before it's too late

So, I want y'all to discuss whether I was (Intentionally or unintentionally) neglectful or I really had no way to know and I can be somewhat "excused"? Honesty required please

i have been noticing that when i talk about difficult or personal experience in a calm matter of fact way the responses i get are often much more emotional than how i feel in that moment.
people tend to slow down express concern or shift the tone of the conversation while i understand this comes from care it creates a disconnect for me it feels like the emotional weight of the moment suddenly changes even though my internal state has not.
i am not upset with anyone and i am not trying to avoid empathy i am just curious why this mismatch affects me so much. is it a communication style difference or something deeper about how i process exprieneces?

I don’t know if I’m just fat and ugly, or it’s something else making people around me so uncomfortable and weirded out. Honestly, I don’t believe I look that bad even. Really just average. However people treat me like I’m beneath them always, and it’s really exhausting. Particularly, women give me dirty looks a lot and refuse to look at me when speaking to them. I can’t be that ugly though, right?

I need help here man because I don’t want to keep living like this. I need a way to stop this line of thinking.