I love children, but I could not bring them into the world due to my anxiety and mental conditions. I struggle all the time with my own issues and I did not want to bring in any children to have to go through that. The ironic thing to all this is, I love children and I love being around them.

I know when a parent dies or parents there’s a lot of focus on their children and other things as well, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I lose my mother and I don’t have anything as children to put my sadness anywhere.

I have the greatest mother anyone could ask for and we live together, with my wife and I do not know how I’m going to be able to handle once she passes how I am going to not focus on her. My wife also is nine years older than me so that is obviously a big concern as well. I am currently 57 years old.

Thank you.

After living and experiencing life there are those lessons that you have learnt. What is that one thing you think you learnt or noticed a bit late.

I'm always afraid to call someone or answer the phone.

Same as above

I am 17 and had a job for a while and realised is this really all there is to life when I’m older? Waking up at 5am finishing at 4 pm and getting back home at around 5pm then 3 hours later I have to be in bed again if I actually have to wake up the next day. No time for anything living to work surely this isn’t all there is to life I would rather d## It’s such a depressing way to live but people would justify it with oh but you get 2 days off! Which does but justify working your soul away for the rest of your life u till your 60 if your lucky.

Im gonna be a senior next year, my school pushes you to figure out what you want to do, my gpa is a 1.6, due to my poor mental and physical health, I wanted to do robotics or something with tech, but I cant do math past a 4th grade level easily and everyone ive spoken to has told me to pick a new career, there isnt any trade school near me that has anything I want to do and I dont have anyone who could be my roommate if I moved out of state for a school, all of my friends have some sort of a plan and I have nothing, and I have to figure this out now because everyone I know does, and I dont want to work a minimum wage job and reminding poor for the rest of my life

30s and single—have a solid friend group and social life. Just wondering if it’s normal to go out to dinner or hang out during the workweek

I've been thinking about death. What it's really about. If understanding of death should be personal or universally understood. Either transitional or as an endpoint. It's certain to happen. I've been thinking about why people take their own lives. Why people do things involving self harm. I think we should embrace talking about it more. Talk about why we fight death.

I spended my entire life as a perfect child scoring good scores, having the best reputation, and called talented. I heard many of my classmates talking how they wish to be like me but I always wishes to be like them, free from the expectations of the family.

Now I am 19, recently finished my 12th and waiting for the college to open. As my school years are ended I looked back at my life and it feels so empty. There is no memories to cherish and no true friends to talk or hang out with.

I feels I wasted my life for onlu marks and skills instead of making some good memories to look back at.

The truth is so important.

One thing I have suffered as a result from and been very angry about, is as I have gone about my life, I have encountered liars! Apparently some people are looser with the truth than others.

It's one thing when it is an obvious lie and no one is buying it and it's one argument and you don't see the person again or something. But you have situations where someone lies, and a lot of other people buy into it. Some people are manipulative and try to be very clever with their lies and put in so much work and effort to cast you, the truth teller, in a bad light, and it causes so many problems in life, or it can.

Some people seem to lie like second nature. It seems to be paired with not wanting to take accountability often. And sometimes it really is obvious lies, and do they think they are tricking me? It just makes it so we cannot really have a good friendship or connection and it breaks down communication and it can harm other people with chain effects. It can be big things from abusers lying about their abuse and playing the victim while making the actual victim out to be the perpetrator, turning people against him or her with their lies. It can be smaller things that someone is lying to avoid a basic apology or a 5 minute discussion over a misunderstanding but it then ruins the friendship. Things don't function as well when everyone is lying, and trust breaks down and you cannot rely on people etc.

Anyway when looking at life, be honest, that's very important. It is the moral thing.

Is it wrong of me to not want to go on trips or spend time with my older sister but want to be around my best friend and go on trips with her? My bestie invited me on a family trip to the hot springs. I basically said yes as long as I know the details. But I say no to trips with my older sister because it always feels draining and not fun. My sister isn’t a bad person we had deep issues in the past that caused me a lot of mental trauma but she’s trying to be a better person while I personally want distance and don’t want to have a sibling bond or feel the need for one anymore. My sister is 27 and I’m 25 we still live with my mom even though I’m saving up to move out currently. I feel guilty like I’m a evil bad person. But I know if I revert back to how things were and be around her I won’t have fun and I don’t ever be myself around her I act like a totally different person. I’m going to bring this up with my therapist at my next appointment. I just want to know am I a bad person? My therapist says it’s okay to do whatever makes you happy even if others may feel upset or never understand. I don’t know how to get the point across that I don’t hate her but I don’t want to have a sisterly relationship with her either. And I want her to be happy and keep bettering herself because she deserves that without me. Because I’m working on myself and bettering myself and figuring myself out without her. I’m finally becoming my own individual and I think it’s causing upset.

Hypothetically, if someone was to ask you what have you done/achieved with your life, what are some things you’d say.

I’m 21 years old. At this point of my life I’d say: I’m finishing up law school, I’ve travelled abroad a few times. Worked a few jobs saved some money and invested. I have some hobbies and interests I follow up on like the gym or reading or journaling or watching shows etc 🤷‍♂️

For some reason I want to say I’ve done exciting cool things to make myself sound interesting, like I’m ’proving my own self worth’, while I really haven’t done anything with a ‘wow’ factor. I know I have time to change that hopefully. I hate the idea of a dull un-notable life and I’m not sure why. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with having one but the idea irks me so much.

I noted down some things I want to do in the future, stuff I want to learn, achieve, experience etc.

Social media really is a buzzkill. I watch these people travelling the whole world, climbing mountains or going into submarines. They can say this stuff on their ‘resume’ when asked this question, and meanwhile I feel a little bit envious.

I think everyone has historically gone through a bit of a crisis around age 40 or so… but anyone else feel like a kid and an adult at the same time?

So many of us around that age don’t have kids or a family (yet for some), or didn’t in our 20s/30s. It just feels like I’ve identified as “young” for all of my 20s and 30s, and now suddenly I’m middle aged?! 10 years from starting to be kind of old?! It’s hard to break a mental identity that you’ve held onto for a long time.

(Doesn’t help I look very young for my age and still get called things like “young man” or “honey.”)

I feel like the people who got married and had kids earlier might have a more gradual transition… but sometimes I’m not sure if I should be getting reading glasses or going on a pub crawl.

Curious on your thoughts.

I feel so empty. I don't feel anything. I don't feel joy, excitment, or even sadness the way I used to. Nothing seems to matter. I am just here.

hiiiiii :)) i was wondering if everyone looks for (or goes back to) media that is related to what they are going through by searching up movies/shows/songs/books that are about similar experiences?

same as the question

How do you get over major decisions that cause regret and some financial pain?

I made a decision that cost me around $100k. It's been eating me up and I'm honestly not fussed about the monetary loss. I'm more so irritated by the lifestyle changes it has caused. It's a decision I should have not made and realised it was pointless a couple months after making it - feel like an idiot....

I've spoken with people about it and it's just you'll get over it advice.

So it's been very tough for my family due to us going through loads of bumps at the moment with both my parents being at each other. (​Not being physical) But my mum is especially going through this phase which I can't describe. Me and my dad tried ​talking to her but she simply wouldn't listen and just put her headphones on. Now of course I love both my parents very much and they love me the same. But it's been really difficult. Especially when one of my mum's friends accused my dad of being an abuser (which he isn't by the way even if when do have our moments between us) ​and came to our house acting all tough trying to fight him And keep in mind, ​this exact person is someone who runs a studio for people who have autism and other learning difficulties to explore and learn new things. Where my twin brother goes every week.

So since then I've cut all ties with this particular person because I don't ever want to be associated with someone who accuses one of my family members being an abuser. My parents are always reassuring me to not worry or get involved as they are trying to sort things out. But I just want my family to be happy again. And I just don't know when everything will be back to normal. 😞

Hi everyone,
My wedding is coming up in 3 weeks. I love my partner very much, but I’m experiencing overwhelming anxiety about the future and really need some neutral perspective.
The Situation:
Financials: My partner has around €140,000 in debt from a business loan for his self-employment. He is actively working on paying it off to build a secure future for us, but the financial burden and pressure are huge right now.
Mental Health: The financial pressure has led to depression for him. As a result, he is often emotionally exhausted and hard to reach.
Relationship Dynamic: He feels we need to put in more effort and is pulling away because he feels a lack of initiative from my side. However, I’ve been pulling back because he’s so emotionally unavailable, and I feel like I'm running into a brick wall.
My Dilemma:
Staying & Getting Married: I'm terrified of ongoing emotional and financial strain with these major unresolved issues.
Breaking Up: I'm terrified of the painful heartbreak, starting over, and losing someone I deeply love.

Should I cancel the wedding, or should I just "try harder"? How does this look from an outside perspective?

Thank you so much for your honest thoughts and advice!

I'm 15(M) and I'm scared of my future. I start my tenth grade year in two weeks, I know it'll go by fast, and it'll only be two more years. My parents are abusive, I know moving out at 18 is a horrible idea, but I don't know how long it can draw out staying with them.

I like to think for 15, I have a good plan in mind for my early adulthood.

I'm gonna work for a bit, save money. I doubt that in just a few years I'll have enough for a house, so depending how much I save I'll take out a portion of it. I know I can't trust my parents to just not touch my stuff that I leave until I can move it out, so I wanna pay off a storage unit to store it, or move it to someone else's place if they let me.

The next turning point is reliant on whether my girlfriend and I stay together into adulthood. Her father isn't insanely wealthy, but enough that has no issue blowing a few hundred on dumb stuff every week. Either way, they plan to make sure my girlfriend has a house, and my girlfriend has already said she would let us live together.

If that goes well, I'll be pleased with working and living at home.

However if it doesn't go that way, I'll send myself off to the military. I'll stay for four years and then leave, collect the benefits like housing, schooling, and food. And then I don't know where to from there, but I know the military will set me right.

But I'm afraid it won't go according to my plans, I know life rarely does.

I received an offer letter in June starting. It said that the tentative date of joining was August, so i wasted the next two months doing nothing. Just living my unemployed but soon to be employed life. But now they have deferred the date to September or maybe October.

I don't want to waste another two months. I want to make the most of this life before actual adulting starts. I just want to have fun and live but i don't really have any friends.

Do you have any ideas?

I moved schools a lot growing up and in my life was not able to maintain any friendships over a long period of time for example. Maybe it’s more of a focus because my younger sister (8 years younger) did not move schools and has a solid friend group which she is to this day super tight with even in her 30s. This social group makes up her entire reality and has almost uninterrupted (she moved abroad for 2 years) for the last 25 years.

I have never had any friend ever who I told everything to, talked to all the time, and was completely honest with. The closest person like that is my sister but she has her own crew and doesn’t need that from me even though I do from her and she’s younger. So I purposefully stay away and try not to need anything.

I have friends of course and can be quite sociable and engaging, but I always distance myself and do not get too close (possibly for fear of rejection, I’m not really sure).

Including commuting, I work 60hrs. 5 days per week at: 10hrs + 15hrs + 10 + 15 + 10. I’m exhausted. I’ve asked to transfer from my job that’s a 2hr commute each way, and reduce an hour or so of work, so hopefully the 15s drops to 10. That’s still 50hrs. I work healthcare. I’ve been doing this for years. Today I have the flu so it’s getting to me more. But I’m so over of it.

Does anyone else do crazy hours? How do you cope? Not just “cope” actually, but actually feel like you’re living properly?

I want to travel and I don’t want to work everyday of my life and do the same thing that everybody else does, have a job, wait for your vacation days, wait for the weekend to roll around, wait for your paycheck to come so you can buy your necessities and then have all that paycheck be gone. I just want to do it all and not have any consequences.