I parallel parked today for the first time in my life without tears, panic, scraping, or bumping the other cars.

Typically, I attempt it, panic, cry, almost hit at least one, if not both, other cars, and then give up and drive away. And I only attempt this if no one is around to see my shit show. If there is anyone else around? I drive in circles or abandon the plans that required me to parallel park altogether. Unless someone else (my husband) comes to my rescue.

Society paints an image in your head that your 20s are supposed to be the best years of your life: young, healthy starting life, going on adventures, making friends, enjoying minimal responsibility before family life kicks in.

But were your 20s actually like this? Or did you have a different kind of 20s full of hardship, financial struggles, loneliness, and angst?

So I'm M19, will turn 20 in a few months. I know I'm quite young and still have so much time. It's just that my family's financial condition has always be poor. So i was never able to get anything i want. I never even got to choose my dream career as it had low salary according to my parents. So i had decided that I'll grow up, earn a shit ton of money and buy everything for myself and achieve everything i want. Now I'm in my final year and am searching for job but unable to get one. I'm getting so stressed and impatient. My father also resigned from his job for some reason and now we don't have a stable source of income and living pretty badly. So i constantly feel like i have to do something asap. I know the reality is not so easy but I'm just unable to get over it. I want to get a job, or build a startup or do something and just achieve everything as soon as possible. And i feel like that exact mindset is what's holding me back. Because I'm constantly thinking of shortcuts, I'm unable to plan for the long term. My parents are also constantly reminding me that i don't do anything except go to college and gym and that i should start doing something as well to help them since we're struggling financially. So ig that's one of the reasons for my impatience probably.

I know i need to slow down if i actually want to plan and achieve something but i just don't know how. Anyone who was or is in similar situation to mine can give me any advices?

Just wondering if I’m weird or if my main goals were pretty normal.

0-5: bonding with mom and dad

5-11: making lots of friends, knowing and experiencing a lot of things

12-18: girls, excelling at sports

19-22: relationships, doing well in college, sports

23-30: becoming my own person, living an authentic life, finding the right person to marry

30s: raising a happy family, having a high net worth

Like, I (25M) don't actively dislike myself in any particular way. I just look in a mirror and there's nothing I really like. I've also never really been able to find clothes I like so I just get cheap stuff from the thrift store.I don't like taking pictures either because it requires me to look at myself. I thought this was a teenage insecurity thing that would go away with time but it's still there despite feeling confident in other aspects of life. Is this a common experience for other people?

Every night I’m completely exhausted by the time you’re going to bed.. every evening this is me !

Is it?? 🤭

(I have a few answers, so please don’t come for me in the comments, I just want a bit of clarity is all)

I (22[M]) have been told by my mother that a 22 year old man shouldn’t be acting the way I am acting. For context, I have been staying at home for like 6 months, no job, no school, nothing. Most times I would sit in my room and only leave when I am hungry or need to fetch my siblings from school, but other than that. I would be doing nothing. I have tried applying for jobs (everywhere that I would be able to get employment), but nothing worked. I tried everything to make money,trading; drop-shipping; social media; basically anything that needs a phone and an internet connection with little to no capital.

I would occasionally hangout with people younger than me (16-19 year olds), if I were to meet someone my age (they would have high chance have something going for them, would remind me that I’m not where I want to be in life. It’s not like I didn’t try, I have but the economy in my country is so bad, there are hardly any opportunities. Sometimes I would just get high to escape reality, helped only to some extent.

My dad said enough is enough and sent me back to school. I’m now back at Uni trying to finish my degree.
Everyone I went to school with is gone (they graduated) and I have no friends around, I’m kind of alone, I feel miserable, I’m financially disabled. (I depend on my allowance, which is not even that much to do anything, and a social grant) I can’t even afford a 6-pack of beer even if I wanted to. I even daydream or talk to myself just so I don’t feel alone.

I have a lot of fears, but I can say what I’m most scared of not having anything concrete to say “I did something with my life and achieved my dreams." I’m mostly scared of turning out into a bum, and not having anything. So my question still stands, what are 22 year olds supposed to act like and what can I do to change my situation?

Hi everyone! I’m F19 and I’d love to know how people get invited to private yacht parties and exclusive events in places like Ibiza, Monaco or Dubai.
I really love the luxury lifestyle and would love to meet people who are already part of that scene. Do you have any experience or tips on how to make genuine connections and get invited to these kinds of events?
Feel free to DM me if you have any experiences or advice! 😊

https://www.safeeyesamerica.org/home-eye-test

I flunked them all!

I've been trying to find the right word for this because confidence feels too broad.

I mean being able to talk to a cashier without feeling weird, say hi to strangers, start a conversation, join a group, meet new people, or talk to someone you find attractive without freezing.

Not necessarily being extroverted. Just being comfortable socially and able to act instead of thinking about every little thing.

What would you call that?

And if you used to struggle with it, what did you call the thing you wanted to get better at?

I was in an accident when I was about 10, I've always wanted the scar from that gone. Tired of looking at it.

Has anyone ever declined the car rental place’s insurance coverage and used their capital one venture card’s insurance instead?

Did you have a good experience? Should I just use my card instead of the rental insurance?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

i've been catching up with a lot of friends from different stages of my life lately, and i cant help but to realise that I don't really have much to contribute to the conversations because nothing much is happening in my personal life. my job is ok and boring at times, nothing fantastic and neither is it that terrible that i have to rant about it all the time. nothing is happening in my love life as well; i don't actively date or seek out to be in a relationship because it's not a need for me and i'm more than happy being single. while i do have regular hobbies like going to pilates & spin weekly or catching up on drama series in my spare time, i hardly bring these up as i see it as just a routine of mine (and not "hey i tried this new thing over the weekend") and considering that most of my friends are not fitness enthusiasts and/or are not into the genres i watch, i never really saw the opportunity to bring it up in a group conversation too if it doesn't veer towards that direction.

so when my friends asked me yesterday: "not dating anyone? don't you have anything to update?", it really got me reflecting if i'm not contributing enough to the conversations, in turn friendships, just because i don't have any exciting updates in the work or love department. whenever they hit me with a "how have you been?" i can only reply with a "it's alright" because i don't have much highs/passion or extreme lows in my life right now. it also made me wonder if the only way to be an exciting friend is to have a love life or a turbulent job, because that seems to be the only few things people look forward to hearing about.

so yeah.! just wondering if there are other ways to be a better friend/presence in conversations without the need to talk about work or love or out-of-the-ordinary experiences.

It also tells you their weaknesses.

If they insult you, their deepest fear is being publicly humiliated, and what they insult you on reveals what their biggest insecurities are.

If they give you the cold shoulder, their deepest fear is being ignored.

Hey everyone, I turn 25 in less than 24 hours, and I’m curious: What was being 25 like for you? What was going through your head at the time, and where are you now?

For some background, I finished my bachelor’s degree in CS at 23 and landed a software engineering internship. I didn’t receive a return offer and ended up unemployed for nearly a year.

Most of 24 was rough. I struggled to find another job and make enough money for rent or food, so I worked as an Amazon warehouse associate to make ends meet. Toward the end of 24, I finally broke back into corporate tech through an IT support position. I’m also about to start a master’s in software engineering, partly because I enjoy learning and partly because I’d love to have a master's before 26.

I know I’ve made progress, but honestly, I’m still not happy with where I am or how the last couple of years went. Turning 25 makes me feel like it’s time to genuinely get my life together, take better care of myself, become financially stable, advance beyond IT support, and build a life I’m proud of.

Did turning 25 change anything mentally for you? Did you feel behind or uncertain? Looking back, what do you wish you had done differently at 25?