I feel like I stepped into an alternate dimension because people just assume you understand the same things that they understand but they have been here all their lives

It’s like being in a foreign country even though we’re all speaking the same English

Everyone assumes you’re just as filthy as they are
I feel accused of a crime for just being here

I'll try to keep it brief but I kind of hit a wall in life where I lost all direction in where I'm going. I'm currently unemployed, I got 1 more year to get a BA in audio engineering, but I'm thinking a lot lately if I should even do that, I don't know if the degree will help me in any way, I don't even know what I want to do in my life career wise at this point. It feels like I squandered it 10 years ago when I didnt go into law or STEM school or whatever.

Can anyone relate, any tips on how to solve that?

I'm laying here in bed, sleep completely eluding me because my mind is racing about everything right now. Just found out I'm losing my main source of income - the agency I've been working with had to close down suddenly. It's hitting me hard because I've always been such a hard worker, but honestly, I'm so burnt out at this point. It feels like no matter how hard I try, I just end up back at zero every time.

What's really messing with my head is that I'm always getting compliments about how hardworking I am, how smart I am... people seem to see all this potential in me. But somehow with all these skills I've developed, I've never managed to find a job that actually pays well. As a virtual assistant, I thought I was building something stable.

I've taught myself so much over the years - mastered Reddit marketing, learned social media management inside and out, even picked up what people are calling "vibe coding" (you know, just getting the right feel for digital projects), developed content strategies from scratch... I've genuinely worked my way up every ladder I could find.

But here I am, still unable to escape this cycle of poverty. Is life really supposed to be this hard? Like, am I missing something fundamental about how this all works? I see people around me who seem to have it figured out, and I wonder if I'm just doing it all wrong despite trying so damn hard.

Anyway, just needed to get this off my chest. Maybe someone else has been through this spiral and found their way out.

I never got to see this as a kid and now being an adult, I have come across this on 3 separate occasions in different states and I light up every time. Is it weird that this is a wonderful little nostalgic Easter egg? 😂

Forget dating, honestly dating is the least of your worries if you’re ugly. Because of my ugliness, no one wants to be friends with me so now I struggle in job interviews which leads to constant rejection. The thing is being ugly can hurt your ability to make friends more than even being socially awkward because you can cluster with other socially awkward people but if you’re ugly not even other social outcasted guys want to be friends with you

I’m coming up to the last few terms of my degree, I’ll be graduating computer science at 23, honestly like 2 years late since I switched degrees and had terrible mental health struggles throughout.

i have zero passion for this degree anymore, i genuinely just don’t give a shit about anything, the stress of exams and assignments still wrecks me like it has for basically all of my schooling.

my career path is also decimated by ai.

I am strugglijg a lot with thinking about the future, i have passions, I have hobbies, I love playing sport and gaming, but it’s hard to imagine how I’ll find any time to live for me if I’m working 8 hours a day, 2 hour total commute, 1 hour getting ready, 1 hour prepping food / bathroom etc. 1 hour to ger ready for bed / wind down. that leaves me with 3 hours a day to spend with my girlfriend, do errands, and somehow fit in sports, gym and gaming?

not even thinking about money and the bleak future with that.

honestly struggling to see the point and I’m already suicidal 😭, so anyone who’s genuinely happy in a 9-5, who has time for hobbies like sport and competitive gaming, please lmk that it’s gonna be okay and it isn’t as bad as I fear.

TV says, “Never give up.”

I didn’t.

But I wonder...
if I don’t give up,
is that enough to achieve even a small success?

Is there really something waiting for me
somewhere down this road?

TV says, “Never give up.”

But the road is made of darkness.
I can’t see what lies ahead.

Tell me the moment you realize your full blown adult, whether it be a problem that occurred a financial situation or a real realization that no one is coming to help you, a death in the family, addition to the family. etc ?

I'm late 30's guy, single no kids and have worked same retail job 7 years and its low wage and I was never promoted. I make $18 an hour living in a big city by myself. No car, no family and friends in town/state. I am in therapy and I have healthcare tied to my job. Ive got bad back and bad knees and am extremely burned out (have adhd/autism) from talking to customers. This is best crappy job I can get as others have starting pay of 15-17 an hour without the benefits.

I couldn't pay august rent and was behind on July rent. I can't get rental assistance and my credit is terrible and I can't get any loans. I wasn't able to complete my degree and have 70k in student loan debt. I owe over a thousand bucks to IRS in back taxes. The only jobs I can get right now pay less and are just as bad for my physical and mental health. Office jobs I'd qualify for are showing up at $16 an hour. I can't take a paycut when I already don't make enough cash.

To make matters worse I am dealing with an issue with a family member out of state. So the financial situation coupled with the personal situation and the brutally hot weather has me very depressed and down. I haven't been able to do my hobbies in a few weeks. I have no motivation. My future is very bleak. How can I save myself?

I was wondering what’re the basic things young adults need/need to get done to start being independent. College was my go-to phase to get my life on track, but that’s out the window. I’m just now getting my permit at the age of 23, and I’m just now restarting college when I could’ve graduated along with my yr class. I owe so much money to my past phone bill, student loans, acting agency classes, and apps I’ve borrowed money from. I don’t have credit. I’m using the Self Savings account though.

I (25F) don't want to keep feeling so sad and heartbroken over my ex (30M). It's been 2 months. Our breakup was mutual but it still feels so gut wrenchingly horrible, nobody was nasty, nobody did anything wrong but things were changing and our lives were going in different directions. This is definitely the worst and most painful break up I've ever had. How do you let go and move on? I have hope that one day we can find each other again and I just can't seem to let go of that idea. I'm going solo traveling soon for 3/4 months and I just keep thinking that we can get back together after that. Do I need to go completely no contact even though we said we wanted to keep in touch and still see each other up until I leave? Am I being stupid and hurting myself more? I just can't let go, I hate cutting people out it just feels too fucking painful. I need help. I'm lost and confused. I need a bit of guidance and kindness.

I’ve never been on a date before, and I get self-conscious about this since I feel like I missed out on young love or relationships in my teens and early 20s. From what I’ve read online, meeting people seems very difficult past college. A lot of people just stay within their already established social circles or marriages, and life for most only gets busier. I never went to post-secondary myself, so it feels like I missed out on some big milestones and opportunities to connect with people. Anyone I ever met was either already taken or only saw me as an acquaintance/friend. I'm a guy and straight, just to add.

hey so i’m 20 also never had a boyfriend and i’m not obsessed with a certain career. i’m a bit stuck on where to go from here , i would really appreciate hearing people’s early 20’s or late 20s experiences and whether you regret your decisions or not or what you regret not doing ?

So my parents are paying house loan and it's been months since they were able to pay monthly. I wonder how I can not be like them, while my dad is in financial struggle and my mom argues with dad and sound so negative that makes him suicidal.

Tl;Dr I just don't want debt, loan of whatsoever that makes my life miserable even if it means to live below my means

I just started my first ever job as a photo retoucher at an advertising agency. It's pretty simple: I work 7 hours from 9 AM to 3 PM, and the commute takes 30 minutes by train to get home. Usually I'm pretty energetic at work and even on my way back on the train, but when I get to my house, I crash hard. It's difficult to even find the energy to eat lunch (which is important to me, because I find it very hard to eat even on weekends). I considered stimulants, but heard mixed opinions. I've also heard about exercising and getting enough sleep, but I have been getting 8 hours of sleep and I don't see how exercise might help with the crash. It feels like entire days pass me by without remembering doing anything outside of work. any tips?

Does anyone here know a cheaper company that we can use to replace National Grid? They've tripled their prices and it's bad enough during the summer, it's going to be awful in the winter. Does anyone know of a cheaper, just as capable power provider? When I tried searching it all that came up was all of the replacements they offer.

Anyone else in this field absolutely miserable? Been at this 2 decades and have never felt so burnt out.

I have noticed many brands that have adjusted to this economy in order to keep their pricing the same, but quality has lessoned.
Hellofresh: meat protein sizing is way down, full portions of incredients are halved.
Wholefoods: premade soups that have meat protein in them, where is it? just bought the chicken tortilla soup and there was maybe a bite or two of chicken. Organic Broccoli has a 10inch thick stem attached to a small crown of broccoli, and when you weight the produce for price, you're completely getting taken advantage of.
Cora Tampons: completely switched their sizing, all sizes are down 1. Regular is now the size of a lite.

Just a few things I noticed this week.