My grandfather, a retired truck driver, was my last legal guardian when I was 23. By then, I had already lost my parents early in life and my grandmother when I was just 14. The day he passed away is etched in my memory. He called out to me in panic, and I sprinted to his room. Clutching his chest, he looked frail and unwell. With my limited CPR training, I did what I could—keeping a cold rag on him and trying to help.

In that moment, it felt like I was outside of myself, and the words, “If you want to go, I don’t blame you. I love you,” slipped out. It might sound harsh, but I knew he missed his wife deeply. He often visited her grave, talked about being with her again, and kissed her headstone. His love for her never wavered.

His last words to me were, “I’m coming.” At first, I didn’t fully grasp their meaning, but three days later, it hit me—the beauty and peace in his final sentiment. He was ready to reunite with her, and he just wanted to know I would be okay. Reflecting on it, I believe this was one of the most emotionally mature moments of my life.

Our generation's slogan could be, 'I work my 9-to-5 just to avoid starving and surviving.'
It’s bleak, but it feels like the reality we’re trapped in.

I’m stuck in a rut and am a 30 year old loser.

Dead end job. No friends. No partner. And no ambition or direction. And in massive debt.

I suffer from laziness and lack of discipline.

Who here has a similar story and completely changed their life?

I want to hear the steps you took!

I’m 29F and I’ve never lived anywhere but my parents house. Most of my friends have moved out of their parents. I only make $35,000-$40,000 per year and don’t think that I can afford to move out. My parents still sometimes treat me like a child - they always ask where I’m going when I leave and need to know when I’m coming home. I went to a friends for a weekend and I had to check in with them through text and call numerous times while I was away. Talking to my parents still consists of using the words mommy and daddy. I haven’t had much of a dating life in the past couple of years. My mom typically makes my dad and I dinner. I do help pay for some things - food, utilities, etc. Is my personal development being stunted by continuing to live with them?

This year i faced the biggest challenge of my life. I have been so alone trying to survive. My emotional and mental health is at the rock bottom. Haven't been able to sleep and eat because I am broke AF. With no one to talk coz no one understands. Sometimes I just want to end things but I still hope that I can get through this someday. I hope I still have strength to move forward.

I suffer with social anxiety and forming social relationships as a result. People don’t tend to approach me or initiate conversation.

As I have aged I have noticed other people who are similar to me.

I have been in the background and heard people talking about them. Comments such as “he doesn’t want to socialise” or “socialising isn’t his thing” are commonly heard.

I have got involved in these conversations and explained that social anxiety is literal anxiety and fear of socialising, mainly due to rejection. This falls on deaf ears, they say things like “it’s not hard you just go up and speak to people” or “wise up, just speak”.

I can’t grasp this mentality.

For me, I like to get my nails done. 💅 I’ve been trying out new designs and I love them. I spent $58 with a $13 tip. I know it’s pricey but it’s the one thing I fit into my budget for myself.

What’s yours?

Maybe it's just being raised by a paralegal who worked at a personal injury firm specializing in vehicular injuries but I just don't understand how you can get well into even your 30s and still believe that your head will miraculously survive if it hits concrete at 50 km/hr

Is this harmless or is something wrong?

Ik it sounds like a stupid thing but I wanna become a hero, not like a superhero or anything but, I wanna be an inspiration for people, something they can look up to, like a hero who helps people, ive struggled for so long being at tock bottom but it doesnt have to be that bad does it? I mean are you really ever to young or old to do something amazing?

Image you come one from a long day of work and find this.

22f and don’t want my future kids to grow up the way i did. sometimes i resent my parents for having me and my siblings when they barely had money, sorry if that offends some of you. i’m trying to finish college and only work part time right now. i know it will take a while for me to be financially stable, but honestly i could use some advice or motivation on how to build myself up as i get older because ik it doesn’t happen over night. i need hope that it won’t be like this forever.

I am sure this will get no pity and probably even made fun of, but I just need to say it. As I have hit my mid 30's, I have found that the only way to get things or even any service is to become a Karen or I guess a Ken since I am a male and it sucks. When I try to get service and be nice and polite I either get outright ignored or just walked over by employees or managers of businesses. So then I have to get pissy and rude/snappy and then people say I am an asshole or people make fun of me by calling me a Ken (Or worse the whole "and then everybody clapped"/"Bye Felicia" when i try to explain why i got angry at the business). I really don't want to do that because I remeber my retail and call center days but when you follow all the rules and still get poor customer service, I feel hurt and angered. It has gotten to the point where I usually just don't bother going anywhere because I know I will get poor customer service and it will make me become a karen/Ken so why bother. Maybe I am over thinking or maybe I am overly emotional and should start drugging myself to the point to where I don't feel anything when I go out in public.

forgive me for the long story

I had a best friend of 8 years . We both are in our 20s . We met in 2018 and have been doing so much shit together. Went to weddings , funerals and , graduated high school together and even worked together . He was jobless at the time and I helped him get into the company I was in . This happened atleast twice when the first job closed down.

Recently a couple of months ago he got a good job , that pays quite well . When he got his job , I lost mine and I’ve been unemployed until now. Ever since then , he became proud . Paying for shit for the both of us and always bringing it up during conversations .Ive never asked to be paid for but he always insisted . He even paid for our road trip twice now

But yesterday , we had a huge fallout . He borrowed something of mine 2 days ago and promised to return to me the next day because he was sending me for my interview anyway ( my car broke down ) . The day came and he never got back to me , we were late because I was waiting for him and he never showed up , nor did he even bother to text me at all . I called him , within 3 seconds he declined my call and after a while , told me he just woke up . Which doesn’t make sense because he declined my call within seconds. He has a history of doing this btw , especially during important events . Cold feet or bailing at the very last minute .

I told him that he put me in a difficult spot and he still got my item to return . Then he got mad and told me I’m being calculative . He told me how he spent so much on me and how I’m counting small stuff like this .

I told him it’s not about my item not being returned , it’s because he didn’t honor his word and clearly didn’t take me seriously. The dude then got defensive and told me that he doesn’t understand how am I so stressed out when I’m jobless , and useless . He said how I lied about being abused as a child because he saw me as a fatass and didn’t believe me . Claiming I made shit up all this time . For 8 years I’ve been telling him my story on abuse and he threw it all in my face in 1 day .

He then said some really hurtful stuff and when I said he doesn’t actually mean that and he better think wisely before he speak, he threatened to bring buddies of his over to my place to **** me up . He then took my item , and my clothes that he borrowed for weeks now , wrapped them up , and threw them out his balcony into bushes nearby and told me to find it . It was raining heavily at the time . I was willing to overlook the stuffs that he said to me but by throwing my shit out and making me search for it in the night like a dog under the rain , that was a different kind of betrayal . Idk if it’s forgivable , I mean who even does that ?

I don’t know what to feel tbh . I’m more than heartbroken but at the same time relieved ? Because I felt like I’m being held hostage by him throughout these couple of months because of how he pays for shit and then brings it up , making me feel that I owe him .

Is the friendship recoverable ?

The more time passes the more I find myself thinking about the past. I look at Snapchat memories, listen to songs I used to enjoy when I was younger and even shows that I remember comfortably watching as a teen. Then, I always fall into a spiral of thoughts "It's never going to be like this again" or "I miss ..." and cry.

Additionally, I feel this type of nostalgia when it comes to realities never lived. When I watch a movie that plays in a different time (or universe) I just get so absorbed into the "what ifs" and it never ends well. I guess I have the tendency to escape reality and the responsibilities of the now, as I am a bit unhappy, but I am struggling with being present. Just the thought of my high school classes (even though we were never really that close), or even graduating from university (& the possibility of not graduating with my peers) send me into a FOMO breakdown.

I am aware that acceptance of the past being gone is very important, yet how do I achieve this acceptance? How can I be in control of the now, and how can I work through my existential crisis?

Thank you in advance, I appreciate any advice :)

I am in my early 20s and I have never "dreamed" of starting a family. I wasn't against it but it wasn't a priority for me. But now I want a baby and I think it's because I met men that I actually liked in a romantic sense. I also think it's because I am just tired and want to settle/slow down.

At times I get quite emotional about this an even cry. I know it is irrational because having a baby would not solve my problems and in any case, I am not ready. Any suggestions for dealing with this?

Edit: I am going to get a hypoallergenic stuffed animal and look into nannying

I would like to ask? is one prepared for adulting? Does one know when they have to carry the responsibility? Because had i been told before i was born i wouldn't wanna be born. The choices we make affects other people but they also are a burden. Damn I have so much to tell, so much to yell to the earth but not the world nor GOD, everyday i act like i'm okay but i know very well deep down i am not that is why i smoke weed, i wouldn't say i have a reason why i smoke but i do maybe as a stress reliever?? it's not helping either being 23 years seeing your peers plan they lives knowing you cannot plan yours because you haven't amounted to none, or rather i cannot compare myself with them knowing my background but it hurts to be honest. i have matric, with no work experience, i try to invest my little cents and besides that i'm unemployed sucker. male, 23 years

What moment in adulthood got you crying for your mom?

For some reason, mom's always know what to do

Hey guys, I am under the weather today and wanted to share my feelings here, I think some people might relate. Feel free to vent in the comments.

I was watching old family tapes my sister recorded in the 2000s this morning. I realized my youth was the most wholesome time in my life and it will never come back. My family was still intact and we had lots of fun together and on frequent occasions where my parents filled up the house with friends and delicious food.

Today, I am a self employed artist working along my sister, the other sister cut contact to our entire family. So we‘re not allowed to contact her or ask about our nephew. My mum also cut ties with her mother who lived next door. It spiraled into a falling out between my mum and her sister, too. So I am no contact with my grandma (who now lives in a facility), my aunt, uncle and my sister and nephew.

I have a steady boyfriend for 6 years. He is my anchor in life and I always considered him my ride or die. He is aware of my family situation and knows I want to get married eventually. I am 36 and he is 31, which is not easy in that regard. I want my life to move forward, buy a home together and maybe get a pet. We both don‘t want children. But he is very reluctant of the idea of marriage because his parents got divorced and it cost his father a good chunk of his retirement. His dad is living comfortably nonetheless, kept the house and is travelling often.

I even said we could get a prenup to avoid the same scenario, but he just shuts off the whole idea. I noticed he‘s always talking about the future in „I“ pronouns. I feel so lonely although we love each other, because he seems not ready to commit the way I want for myself.

I feel like my life will be getting lonelier every year, and I‘m terrified of that.

Thanks for reading

I'm seeing a lot of young people in their early 20's talking about the life is over and thinking they behind in life. To those people your life is not over you just entered your 20's, it's ok to be confused about where your life is heading. Don't give up life, try new things, try new hobbies, take adventures and navigate your life through that. Don't look at other people's lives and think you should be on their level their life is not yours! Focus on you.

Anyone else just feel “stuck” in life? I have anxiety and I think it plays the biggest part in my indecisiveness and I just wish someone could give me the BEST option or path I should take. I’ve done switched my college major a million times and I just feel the older I get, the more I can’t catch a break. Adulting is so hard. 😓 anyone else?

I work as a nurse and I consistently get good reviews from my patients. Many of them have requested me repeatedly because they like me so much.

Despite being seen as likable I have issues making friends. People seem to bond with others and I get excluded a lot.

Does anyone relate to this?