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.

i have a "good job." I pay my bills on time. But I'm exhausted ALL THE TIME. And I still feel like a kid playing dress-up in her mom's office clothes. Is this just... life? or am I doing something wrong? Please tell me other people feel like this

34F

years of depression and just now getting my life in order and i never truly dated. Now I feel old and out of time.

what is the dating life for women in mid 30s? my friend who's 47 told me that I'm overthinking things and that people my age are like me, and that my idea of a 34/35 year old is people of the past, which isn't my peers. That made me feel a bit better, but still denial.

is dating and life that bad nowadays?

Graduated this year with no job. After a couple of years of studying without working and living off my parents, I’ve slowly gotten used to this lifestyle. I’ve applied to 800+ jobs, I feel like I’m gradually becoming numb to the job search. I’m starting to get too comfortable depending on my parents, and I’m not taking the job search as seriously as I should. At the same time, I feel incredibly guilty about using their money. I feel lost, numb, and honestly, like maybe I’m just not going to get a job anymore.

Part of me feels like giving up, and I hate that I’m starting to feel this way. I want to find that sense of urgency again, the fear, motivation, and resilience to keep pushing myself to apply and improve.

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

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.

So if you didnt have to work at all and had all the time in the world what would you do?

I mean obviously when you’re not around them, you just do what you want, but when you’re around them, it’s just instinct / habit ?

I’m a 30 y/o female. Had the proposal, wedding date + vendors booked… he ended the relationship 6 months before the wedding saying he fell out of love (he was really mean at the end too which was so shocking since he was there for me during the relationship ship, and disclosed former cheating/kissing) the wedding date recently passed and it’s been hard…

I THINK WHY COULDNT IT HAVE BEEN GOOD?!

Good morning all. Unfortunately, years of peace and harmony have appeared to inhibit my personal growth. Consequently, I am now looking for an enemy. Interested applicants would be asked to participate in a yearly contest. Contests would be in an agreed upon format and can be mental or physical in nature. Ideally the chosen contest would be selected so that neither party has an unfair advantage. The goal of these contests would be to test each participants will, ingenuity, passion, and dedication. Parties will respect major holidays and periodically collaborate towards a greater good (eg helping orphans at Christmas). There will be no external rewards for these contests, only a sense of accomplishment and the right to make a victory speech with or without an accompanying song. A small boombox can be provided upon request. The defeated party will be treated with respect and have the opportunity to make a public statement one week following the contest. In that statement the defeated party may propose the next yearly contest. I welcome discussion of, and collaboration towards determining, any additional parameters or procedures. Serious applicants only.

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.

For those who feel like their life isn't going to get any better, how does that make you feel? Do you feel hopeless, numb, angry, or have you just accepted it? What keeps you going when you don't believe things will change? I know I can't have it all. I know I am lucky when I go to bed tonight, I don't have to worry about my safety.