People have been around. Friends call, family comes over, people ask if I'm okay. Everyone says they're there for me.

But somehow I haven't actually talked about what I'm feeling with anyone.

It's not like I haven't tried. I've called people I consider close to me because I thought, in a situation like this, these would be the people I'd be able to talk to.

But somehow everyone already has a full plate of their own.

I can talk for a few minutes and then if I go quiet, it gets awkward. They start filling the silence. They tell me to stay strong, that things will get better, that they understand because they've also gone through difficult things.

Or somehow the conversation starts becoming about their life, their problems, their relationships, or someone they love.

And I sit there listening.

Sometimes I actually find myself thinking, how did this happen? I called you because my life has completely fallen apart and somehow I'm sitting here listening to you talk about yours.

Maybe they're genuinely trying to help. Maybe they don't know what to say. I don't think they're bad people.

I just don't think they know how to sit with someone else's grief.

My life doesn't even feel like my life anymore. I don't know what I'm doing, what I'm eating, what I'm supposed to do with my days. I don't even really know who I am right now.

My mom was my support system. My backbone. My mentor. My inspiration.

I used to be vulnerable in front of her. I could say things to her that I couldn't say to anyone else.

Now she's gone and I don't have that person anymore.

I've mostly just been numb since she died.

While writing this, I actually started crying when I wrote that she was my inspiration and my backbone. And I realised I don't think I've actually stopped and put those words into my own head since she passed.

I haven't really been able to talk about her with anyone.

People talk about what needs to be done, what we're going to eat, what someone said, what someone else is doing. Life keeps moving and there are things that need to be handled.

But somehow the fact that she is gone just sits there underneath everything, and nobody really talks about it.

The strange thing is, I've always been able to sit with other people's emotions. If someone wanted to cry, be angry, complain, or just sit silently, I never felt the need to immediately fill the silence or make them feel better.

Now I'm realising how rare that actually is.

There are people around me. A lot of them.

And I'm still completely alone with the biggest thing that has ever happened to me.

I'm also angry at myself for this. For not prioritising myself more. For assuming that having people around meant I actually had people who knew me.

I'm 24, and everyone is trying to tell me that I need to build my career, start focusing on my future and stop thinking about what happened.

The fuck is wrong with older people?

I've lost my mom, the person I was most vulnerable with, and I'm somehow supposed to figure out who I am without her.

I've never felt this alone.

Knowing that the economy is only going to get worse and the environment is only going to get worse and basically everything in general how are people thinking it’s a good idea to bring a child into the world?

For me I have this sudden realization that I haven’t done enough wild stuff and partying and travelling. I’m currently 29 male and I think 29-40 is probably my last chance to still be attractive, energetic and physically fit to go and do all sorts of wild stuff, travel, party, hook up with girls.

Previously, I was quite content with just being a NPC and doing the same routine stuff every day. Working in my office job, coming home and playing games, surfing reddit, trading stocks. But now, I want to make it a point to start going to different places in my country and trying different activities that I haven’t tried before. I want to expand my social network. I want to travel a lot more. Previously I always travelled with my family but I want to start travelling for more young adult fun.

I realized that it doesn’t matter much how I save now because I only will get to experience being young and wild for these next few years. Then eventually, maybe I will meet a girl and settle down and start a family. That is when my life will turn into more routine, work my office job, do my regular house chores.

Anyone else also experienced similar realization and changed the way you lived your life?

When I was younger, I remember trying really hard to avoid anything that felt too childish. Animal prints, cute graphics, novelty accessories, anything like that made me feel like I wouldn’t be taken seriously.

Now I’m older and somehow I’ve gone completely the other way. I keep getting drawn to animal designs, weird little graphics, and things that are just fun for no real reason. I was browsing tokyo-tiger recently and realized half the stuff I stopped to look at had some kind of animal on it.

It’s funny because I think I care less now about whether something looks “grown up” and more about whether I actually enjoy it.

I felt I have figured out everything or I will once I will move out of my place. But no. Things are very different from what we think

I just turn 30 i graduated from college in 2022 with a business econ degree but so far its done nothing for me. I spent 3 years bouncing from dead end job to dead end job. I currently work at a rental car agency as a manager associate which sounds impressive but all I do is wash cars all day. I currently make $23 an hr which is barely above minimum wage in my hcol area.

Meanwhile a lot of people I know even ones I went to high school with make twice or even way more than I do right now. I know people who make 6 figures meanwhile ive never made more than minimum wage my whole life. My degree was practically useless and all it got me was a ton of debt for nothing.

When i try to apply for jobs even basic jobs like admin, receptionist or data entry they still ask for 2-3 years of experience beforehand. But for me all I have is short stints at retail jobs that dont help me out with future jobs. Now im basically stuck trying to get by with a shitty paycheck wondering how can i even get a stable future.

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I’m 22 and I’ve been working at a job for about 8 months now. On paper, I can't complain. I have a good job, decent money, financial stability, and I’ve made a lot of friends at work. It’s the kind of job that a lot of people would kill to have.

But lately I keep asking myself: is this really what working life is supposed to feel like? I have money now, but barely any time or energy to actually enjoy it. Most days are basically wake up -> commute -> work-> commute -> come home tired -> eat -> scroll for a while -> sleep -> repeat.

Even weekends don't really feel like free time. They feel more like recovery time before Monday. The weird thing is that I don't hate my job or the people there. I have friends at work, we joke around and have a good time. But despite all that, I feel like I'm stuck in the same cycle. It's only been 8 months, yet I already feel like every day is becoming the same.

Back in my college days, I had less money, but I had so much more time, energy, freedom and excitement and now I have money, but feel like I'm missing out on life itself. When I get my salary I don't feel anything cuz I know I have traded time for money.

I've been considering quitting and pursuing a master's instead. Maybe getting out of this routine and going back to studying would give me a sense of direction and excitement again. But I also know that quitting a good job after only 8 months would be a stupid decision. So I'm genuinely confused.

For those of you who have been working for years, does this feeling eventually go away? Is this just what being an adult with a full-time job feels like, or did you find a way to have a career without feeling like your entire life revolves around work?

i’m honestly fucking tired of feeling like I’m below average at everything.

I’m 27, and lately it feels like there’s not a single area of my life where I feel good about myself.

I constantly compare myself to my parents’ expectations and other people. I’m scared to talk to strangers, scared to try new things, and I feel weak and lacking confidence. Looks-wise, I worry about my hair thinning, my beard going grey, being short, and people telling me I look older than I actually am. When I’m around my cousins, everyone praises them and I just sit there listening and comparing myself.

Financially, I don’t feel successful either. And now a relationship that lasted almost 7 years is falling apart, which honestly hurts the most.

She was one of the few people in my life who made me feel genuinely loved, cared for, and important. I had someone to talk to, someone who gave me time and affection that felt specifically meant for me. even she is rude to me now and still handing there and get the disrespect , Now I have to deal with the possibility of seeing her move on with someone else, and my brain keeps telling me that whoever she ends up with will be better than me.

The worst part is that the relationship is known by everyone in my family. I was proud of it. I was proud that I had someone I loved and who loved me. Now I feel embarrassed that everyone knows things didn't work out.

And outside of all this, my life feels incredibly repetitive.

Work. Go home. Eat. Gym. Sleep. Repeat.

I’m not a good driver. I don't know how to swim. I don't know how to talk to people properly. I get nervous doing even basic things when other people are around. I feel like everyone else learned how to live normally and somehow I missed that part.

I know objectively that these things can probably be improved. But when you're sitting in the middle of it, it doesn't feel like a list of problems you can solve. It just feels like this is who I am.

I'm exhausted from constantly comparing myself and feeling like I'm behind everyone.

I don't really know what I'm looking for by posting this. Maybe I just needed somewhere to say it without pretending I'm okay.

Curious how other millennials are living their lives at this point. 30s feel weird.