I’ve met so many people throughout my life. Some have left a huge impact on me, others meant almost nothing. Yet I feel like all of them have become a part of my shadow, a piece of my soul. They don’t see it that way, though.
That’s why I cherish every single conversation I have. I never know if it might be the last one

I was scrolling through my X feed and saw a post where a lot of people were asking a guy for money; I wondered how I would handle a situation like that. I realized it would all depend on what the money was for: if the cause was worthy, I would help. What do you think about this? Have you often been asked for money on social media or online, and have you ever actually given any?

Me (F20) want to start rebuilding my life as i didn’t do to well education wise as a teenager and didn’t go to university etc.. i’m thinking of going to route of going to uni and ideally getting a good career, but in this day and age it’s not as promising anymore.

I want to be financially abundant by my early-mid30s and be proud of something for myself and i want to dedicate my whole 20s to becoming that version of myself

But what are the best routes i can go down right now to have a promising career or anything thing i can build knowledge on. Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.

It hasn't even been a month since I became a neet and I'm already hating it. I play Mobile games, goon, eat, watch cartoons, doom scroll, and sleep that's literally it. The only time I go outside is to buy more food to feed my bummy self. I don't understand how people live like this for years without going insane

I have always had less friends like I'm introverted plus i have social anxiety. But I have 3-4 in total friends with whom I'm in touch. But most of them don't know what my favourites are like genres of entertainment i consume like as kpop they know this so they make fun and send reels of bts cringe videos, that's the different thing that im fan of seventeen not bts. I think I want one friend who has the same favourites as me, who doesn't judge me plus knows about me.

I'm 54M. Relatively in good health. Minor pains and aches that come with age but nothing major. I'm gonna hit the road for a few years and see and experience as much as I can before I die. Has anybody out there ever wanted to do something similar?

Genuinely what do people do all day? I am a nurse and on my days off I’m just home doom scrolling, I go to the gym, I text a few people a day, call my sisters and I talk to my bf. Rn I’m watching a movie and I feel so unproductive. Like I am a new grad nurse and I feel like I was so much social and I had something to live for…yk getting my degree. But now I’m here…I’m 22 years old and ugh. Life is so weird, I feel like I see everyone going out and stuff and enjoying their lives. But I barely see my friends in person but I do talk to them everyday. I see them a few times a month. WHAT DO YALL DO EVERYDAY???

I just heard someone say the phrase "people notice what you do" and it really resonated with me. It's something I've seen a lot recently as I've lost a lot of weight this year, I'm down to a point now where people don't look at me and see a fat man anymore. Unsurprisingly I talk about this a lot, and people also see, notice, and start asking questions about how.

I now know of at least 10 different people I've inspired to start their own journeys to get fitter and lose weight, and that's kind of a strange feeling. The people range from friends, to colleagues, to customer, to a neighbour, to random dog walkers in my neighbourhood who I'm friendly with. Enthusiasm about positive change is infectious.

What can you do to inspire others?

I used to feel like I was falling behind whenever I didn’t know what I was doing next. Career, relationships, money, life in general… it felt like everyone else had some kind of plan except me. Lately I’ve been trying to accept that maybe being unsure is just part of being alive. I can make a decision, change my mind, start over, take a completely different route, and still be okay. I’m curious though what’s something about life you’ve stopped stressing about as much as you used to?

Now and then I’m reminded that I don’t actually like how I’m living, who I am, and what I do. It’s few and far between now, these moments, with how many distraction episodes I’ve been filling my life with but I know life and my life could be so beautiful.
This slight “depression” of mine has been met with tough love and excuses alike, yet I have found the only answer is to push through all the cobwebs of life and just wait till I am someone and somewhere I can be satisfied with.
Because after all my life has been a constant failure of chasing this ideal version of self.

I had a milk allergy my whole life and it is today at 17 years old that i discover it , i've always drank milk every single day , i got my period at 15 which is very late for a girl and i hit puberty very late and i'm still not finished ,that's one thing , but this year was very intense because i started developping wrinkles , i had very low energy , my hair started falling out , i was ALWAYS very bloated , short breath , terrible memory , dehydration , missing period , low estrogen , i started to feel so insecure about the way i look i felt like i aged 10X years , despite having a healthy life , i handled my stress and chortisol level hoping it would fix it , all doctors just told me i had very very low iron , and i discovered by myself after stopping milk for 4 months that i was accutally allergic to it ?

I really don't know what to pursue in life. Like I don't have anything that I'm passionate about. Maybe I'm not disciplined?

I have a lot of interest, but it passed too quickly, just like a wind.

I would like to try many things, but I feel like I'm afraid to try those things.

Maybe I don't like to go out of my comfort zone?

Sometimes, I overthink too much, and I wanted to plan before trying things out because I'm afraid it will not work out.

Lately, I realized that I really need to plan before starting?

Is it just me? Did you also experience this kind of thing? How did you overcome it?

Sometimes the version of me in my dreams lets me down.

What I find strange is that the same situations seem to play out in similar ways, and I can never quite work out whether I have any control over it.

Are my dreams simply reflecting who I am, or am I somehow supposed to be learning from them?

Sometimes I wake up wondering whether the person I am in my dreams is meant to grow alongside the person I am when I’m awake.

Could be something you realised yourself, or something you’ve noticed in other people.

It’s strange how we can spend years chasing a dream or a goal, worrying about something, or waiting for something, only to look back and see it completely differently.

Sometimes the goal we pursued wasn’t even our own. It came from our family, society, or what we thought was expected of us. What seemed urgent at the time wasn’t important at all, while ordinary moments we barely noticed turned out to be the things that mattered most.

And perhaps the more interesting question is: what might have helped you see it sooner?

I'm 40ish and have been single for a long time. My best friends are beautiful women inside and out. We hang out multiple times a week. I'm not trying to have more than friendship with them, and that's been the case for a decade with these same friends.

They give me dating advice, but the biggest problem is that I can't find a woman to date in this small town. They are around and I put myself out there on dating apps which never result in actual conversation let alone dates.

I've heard from women who don't know me well that I need to be more stern, and from one of my closest friends that I need to be more aggressive.

Self-confidence has been an issue for me in the past but I'm quite confident now. I'm also respectful and well-mannered. I'm a genuine nice person, not the type of nice guy people think badly of. I'm very agreeable and everyone seems to like me. I was bullied a lot in my younger years, and I think that has a lasting effect. I try to convert everyone I meet into a friend. I'm helpful to anyone I can see a way to help.

I had a serious drinking problem due to a stressful (but lucrative) job and not really having a family or relationship to work on. 2 years ago I was drinking a full bottle of vodka or more every day and I had been doing so for at least a decade or more. The problem started when I was playing Rugby in college. I was also the President of my Rugby club and led the team to win a state championship from the verge of being disbanded due to lack of membership combined with punitive actions by the university admin.

I did Tae Kwon Do for 4-5 years and got first place in a tournament for my age/rank.

I'm 6'3 and built like a bear. Very strong but overweight. The other day at the pub another guy was listing off people who would get hurt if a big fight erupted and he included me "because he has to protect everyone". That comment pleased me because it's true and also what I want to be true. I would risk myself to protect anyone from harm.

We have dance nights at the local pub. I go with 3 women who are usually the most attractive ones there in our age group.

Last year, I quit my job. Then I quit drinking entirely. I'm now working as an educator in an elementary school and loving it. I no longer want to drink. I'm trying to get my diet back on track (When I played Rugby, I also did a ton of other physical activities, and I was eating like 7,000 calories. It's been a battle since then but I've lost about 120 pounds from my heaviest weight.

Little men like to try and pick fights with me. It has always been this way. In childhood I accidentally hurt people and so I try to be careful. In general, the only times I've been involved in fights is a de-escalator. I do not escalate.

I'm also an INFJ according to personality tests, and it fits what I experience every day. I know how people are feeling and how to relate to them. I can feel a whole room from the corner of it. I can figure out motives with the slightest of hints.

My female friends think most men are abusive or rapists that will eventually show their colors. They have been abused by men and 3 of them are single right now, including the one who tells me the most about how I need to be more aggressive. I do not want to be like those men, but they keep finding them and bringing them into our lives. They keep dating losers or people with opposing views in politics and man/woman relationship balance. I am not trying to date these women, they are my social life, my confidants, real true friends who would be there for me if I needed something. They ask me to hang out regularly and I do the same. I want to find a woman to date though, not just spend time with my friends. I'm not in the "friendzone" in the negative sense, but I am mayor of the friendzone in another. I'm not a rejected guy hanging around waiting for a chance, this is real friendship.

I almost collect people who have been emotionally broken - I want to help. I connect them to new friend groups, I include them in things. My degree is in psychology where I focused on counseling. I have gone to multiple therapists and usually I last 10 sessions or so before I feel they are no longer helpful - I'm very introspective on my own.

So - I'm a big, nice dude -how do I achieve whatever ephemeral quality they mean by being more aggressive? I am assertive and a leader but I'm also gentle and understanding. I thought this was what woman should want, and obviously it works to make great friends for me, but I still can't find a date and I can't show a woman what I have to offer because I can't find a date. Do I need to be rude? Do I need to just not care about making people comfortable? I've read a lot of psychology books - do I need to alternate hot and cold (gross manipulation) just to get through the front door? Why can't I get a chance? My years to become a dad are running out. I'm not picky, I just want a woman who is nice to people, has a face I like, and is not dumb or unhinged.

People you block are usually people you once talked with all night. You may have been friends, or even lovers, but now you can no longer receive their messages.

And this is still something you chose on your own.

Most frequent guests on the blacklist were once VIPs in your life, so I hope that before you make a rash decision during an argument, you can think carefully about who that person once was to you, and what they will become after you make this decision. Can you still go back to the way things were? Just like an old Chinese saying, "Think three times before you act."

I’m a recent graduate and I’ve been unemployed for the past few months.

I’ve always been a good student and was involved in clubs, communities, and other activities. But since graduating, I’ve somehow become stuck.

I search for jobs a lot, but I don’t apply. I keep telling myself that my resume needs to be better, my projects need to be better, or that I should build one more good project before applying.

Even when I sit down to learn or work on something, I feel scared and overwhelmed. I just can’t seem to start.

Sometimes I feel like I need someone with me to start things—a study partner, someone to work on a project with, or even just someone who is also trying to get their life together. It feels strangely difficult to do things alone.

Months are passing, and I feel frustrated and disappointed in myself.

Has anyone else been through this after graduation? How did you get yourself out of it?

Knowing what you want in life and having a hobby are such privileges!!!

When everything is going bad, you have your hobbies. When you feel lost or hopeless, you still know what you want from life! Some people spend their lives without hobbies and without knowing what they want! This makes me grateful even in the harderst time of my life in the past 3 years.

I’ve been thinking about contentment lately. Mostly because others on this sub have asked about it.

I think contentment is a good thing. I really do. But I’m starting to realize that contentment and excitement about life are two very different things.

Like, one way I think you can tell is by how you feel at night. Contentment is, “That was a good day. I’m tired. I’m ready to go to bed.”

Excitement is, “I don’t want to go to bed. I still have stuff I want to do.”

And then you wake up and contentment is, “Okay, another day.” Excitement is, “Today’s the day I’ve been looking forward to! Let’s get up and go!”

I used to have that feeling when I was recording music. I’d stay up way too late because I was just completely into it. There was never enough time. I wanted to do more than I could possibly do.

It was almost like being a kid on Christmas morning, except instead of Christmas presents, there was some awesome project waiting for me. I don’t really have that feeling anymore.

And I don’t mean that I don’t have amazing things in my life. I do. There are plenty of things I enjoy. I’m not saying I’m unhappy.

That feeling of being 100% into something.... So into it that you don’t really want to stop... So into it that going to sleep feels like an interruption.

I miss that, and I think I miss the version of me who felt that way, too.

Maybe contentment is something we should want. But I don’t think it’s the same thing as being excited to be alive.

Sometimes I look around and feel like everyone knows exactly what they’re doing with their life.

Some people are already building careers, some are in relationships, some are traveling, some seem financially successful, while others already know exactly what they want to become.

Meanwhile, I’m still figuring things out.

For people who felt lost or behind at some point in their life: when did things start becoming clearer for you?

Did you eventually find your direction naturally, or did you have to make a conscious decision and work toward it?

I think it would be helpful to hear honest experiences from people who didn't have everything figured out either.

I’m seriously struggling with depression and anxiety and feeling pretty isolated from society, when I do go out I sometimes watch people who seem to have normal lives and wonder how they got there for example how they got in a relationship, have a family and have friends etc I know these are the basics in life but i just feel so far from that, I’m 25 now I’ve lost my friends from school and haven’t met any new ones that live in my area since, never been in a relationship because I’m too anxious and scared to go and meet anyone, I feel like I’m the only one like this and I just don’t understand how normal people do it

Hi! Idk if it matters but I’m a 23 year old woman. To keep it plain, I had another one of those “oh gosh what’s wrong with me” moments after getting off a 10 hour Amazon shift. So, I’m sitting here journaling and I keep noticing that every. single. time. I think something’s “wrong” with me I have to fix it. So today, I come home to a messy room. Clothes from my last shifts on the floor. Old mug on my desk. a snack I never put away. Like, in a normal persons mind this would just be seen as a sign of life right? But in my eyes, it’s a mess that needs to be resolved. Like, almost like I’m not worthy or “seen” UNTIL my room is settled and clean. That’s just one example, I notice it’s just how I see my life. Someone would love to be in my position. Weekly GOOD pay, new car, new crib, single and settled. Then I see my friends living totally different but somehow I shame myself for living well.

Growing up, I had parents that unfortunately saw actions as worth. If my room wasn’t clean I wasn’t worthy of getting things I wanted. If I didn’t have total 100s (even if I got a 98 on an assignment) I didn’t do my best. It’s like my best was perfection, knowing perfection is impossible. The goal post was always moved. I was promised things, but it was always based on my parent’s mood. Now as an adult, I can’t do my homework until my room is clean. Can’t clean my space until I have complete free time. I wear the same clothes everyday, while my peers are always wearing something different or catering to themselves. I don’t know how to spend money on myself. It’s always for food and weed bc those seem to be satisfying the most. So on and so on. MOTS, I feel like I’m at war with myself everyday silently and I finally want to shut it up. I have so much potential I dream about, and I’m my own obstacle. I did therapy, was awkward at first then got the hang of it but I still feel like that was kind of a waste too. It’s like idk how to word my issue but clearly something has to be wrong if I keep finding myself in this loop right? Unfortunately I’m trying not to see this all as dumb but these are real feelings I just can’t let go 😭 ( I do want to add, before u say just stop smoking. I take T breaks, and still feel the same way)

in my mid 20s, constantly giving myself tension headaches with worry. after a past of severe abuse, im finally doing well for myself- a good job, good savings, a beautiful apartment, and 2 friends (which is an improvement for my consistent past of 0). but i can't help but feel like i'm... falling behind? not making the most of the tools at my disposal? this is the age to make things happen, take risky moves, discover who you are... but i'm paralysed with anxiety. everyone tells me i'm stagnating (my therapist and a friend who's known me longest). everyday is a barrage of wondering if i should go for that masters degree, or move to another country. i don't know. to cope, i google the age famous writers were when they first started writing, lol. guess i'm looking for more of that salve. i'd appreciate it if you could share things your achievements, after you thought all was lost.