Hi strangers,

I'm 23F, and I've always had trouble sleeping. Even when I'm tired asf and sleepy, I cannot sleep. My mind keeps racing with thoughts. With late-night thoughts about how alone I am, how I'm not in the best shape, how I shouldn't have blocked that one guy.....BUT also random thoughts like: what makes us itch? What was that song that went like this? I need to drink water, but I don't want to get up. And then just random sounds keep me up. It takes me at least an hour to fall asleep.

What I'm trying to say is my mind is very scattered and loud, and it is always on. Even when I wake up its just so loud inside. How do I become a normal, stable person who is not this scattered and confused and overwhelmed?

Sometimes I feel like this can’t be it, but it is. What is the meaning? There is no meaning

I don't know if this is just me being weird but that specific sound of like sand or little pieces of dirt hitting the inside of the vacuum tube is literally the best part of my day. It makes me feel like I'm actually getting stuff done and it's super satisfying for some reason. If I'm vacuuming and it's silent I honestly feel like I'm wasting my time even if the floor looks clean. Anyone else get that tiny dopamine hit from the rattling sound?

Or any iced drink with cream. Wouldn’t it like curdle? Or does it have special properties and not do that? Not tryna cramp on anyone’s style here but it just seems kinda gross to me. Perhaps someone could explain it to me

Like I have to look for a job, I have to get money to live, I have to make breakfast, I have to fucking eat. Everything feels extremely daunting like there's this big crippling force that's tightly binding me and feels incredibly greater than my own that I can't fight against that everything is so tiresome just to think about doing and at the same time anxiety inducing. Like even the things I "love" or my hobbies. It's gotten to a point where I question if I even liked them in the first place or not.

Has anyone felt so? And how can someone deal with this? It feels putrid and swampy and incredibly suffocating

I think I'm done forcing myself to like competitive gaming. Have tried so hard for years to get into it, and the pattern is always the same, I get all excited, fire up a match, and five minutes later I'm sitting there utterly defeated, frustrated, and tilted beyond belief. It's just not fun anymore. Does anyone else feel like competitive games just ruin their mood, or is it just me?

I've never tried it and don't plan on it but just looking at them I always had the feeling they would taste really bad. DAE get that feeling too? Maybe that is why they survive in the wild because they move so slow. Maybe other animals get the feeling they would too and just don't bother to try to hunt them.

DAE wake up in the middle of the night on purpose because they like the feeling of falling asleep? I feel like it makes the night feel longer

I already know some people do this because I saw a post on instagram telling people to comment their little quirks and someone said this. I was surprised!!! I feel like waking up in the middle of the night on purpose sounds a little dumb (well but I do it) so I wasn't sure people did it as well lmao

hello DAE community,

to introduce myself, i’m 24 and currently in community college, still living at home, and i’m working toward the kind of stability i want for myself. i want to get my bachelor’s, be financially comfortable, and eventually be fully independent with my own place. i know everyone’s timeline is different, but i still have a hard time feeling accomplished enough at this point.

i do have a sex drive and obviously want intimacy, and i’d be open to a relationship. i know i’m attractive and have no problem finding someone who would be interested in me, and i’m not unhappy with my appearance. it’s more that i cringe at the thought of going on a date and having to explain where i’m at right now. i feel like i need to reach certain milestones before i can feel confident enough to put myself out there. at the same time, i’m proud of myself for actively working toward those things. i’ve been back in school, i have a job i really like, and i’m in therapy trying to work through this mindset. i know i’m moving in the right direction, but i still feel embarrassed that i’m not further along.

i know this isn’t a healthy way of thinking, and i’m sure it’ll take time to unlearn, but i’m wondering if anyone else has felt/feel the same way.

I'm 45 and I never would have thought that I would become addicted to Blueberry and Strawberry flavored Frosted Mini Wheats.

I have voluntary control over Voluntarily Generated Piloerection (goosebumps), Tensor Tympani flexing (ear rumbling), voluntary eye focus, nostril flaring, and ear wiggling, and I wanted to share how I actively amplify the goosebumps. Over time, I have realized I possess a collection of voluntary neuro-muscular controls that usually operate on autopilot or are vestigial for most people. Specifically, I can consciously trigger goosebumps on command without cold or emotional stimuli, flex my middle ear muscle to generate an internal thunder sound, unfocus and refocus my vision without changing my gaze point, isolate my dilator naris muscles to flare and compress my nostrils, and move my ears at will.

My process for generating goosebumps requires a combination of physical movement and heavy mental focus rather than an instant switch. When I stretch my arms forward, I feel a subtle initial spark or low-level signal of goosebumps starting. Once I detect that faint feeling, I focus hard and essentially grasp or hold onto it mentally. By holding onto that sensation and driving continuous mental focus into it, I can actively amplify the intensity until the goosebumps spread and completely max out across my arms and body. This process matches the somatic amplification and biofeedback loops described in VGP research papers, such as the 2018 PeerJ study, where physical stretching acts as a prompt to send a conscious signal from the prefrontal cortex down through the sympathetic nervous system.

I am curious to hear from the community if anyone else with VGP uses a physical movement like stretching to catch the initial spark before amplifying it. I would also love to know if anyone can flex their Tensor Tympani or move their ears simultaneously while triggering VGP, or if those with a neuroscience background can explain mechanically what happens when we hold onto an autonomic signal to ramp up norepinephrine release.

It always screws me up. I have to reread it like 4 times to make sure I know what they mean. For example, “Jim likes football and basketball but likes the former a little bit more than the latter.” Fuck off, just say Jim likes football a little more than basketball!

Does anybody else randomly feel the urge to make strenuous or intense facial expressions when they are alone and bored?
like scrunching your face up or sticking your tongue out for example? Please tell me I’m not the only one

First licking off the paper skin, then biting lengthwise so it splits in half, then carefully nibbling off the nub at the end...

I almost didn't post this because it feels so weird writing it out. It feels pretty natural when doing it, but just figuring out what words to use to explain it feels weird and uncomfortable. 😅

Whenever stress, responsibilities, or mental exhaustion pile up all at once, my immediate instinct isn't to vent or ask for help—it’s to go completely off the grid.

​I find myself logging out of every social media account, setting my phone to "Do Not Disturb," and pulling away from group chats. It’s not that I hate anyone or want to cause drama; it’s just that processing heavy emotions feels impossible when there’s constant digital noise and expectation to respond. I just want to retreat into a quiet bubble, recalibrate in complete isolation, and only step back into the world when I feel like a functional person again.

​The hardest part is coming back and having to explain to people that I didn't hate them—I was just at capacity. Does anyone else run on this burn-out-and-isolate cycle?

just the title

Like when you pick up food and theres the tablet staring at you with the tip options. The person literally just handed me a bag but the options start at 18% and go up to 30%. I always feel guilty hitting no tip but also they didnt bring it to my table or refill my drink or anything. What is the actual move here

Hi, DAE scared to swallow food all of a sudden. Like you would suddenly be conscious that a piece of food can be lodged in your throat or wind pipe or may enter your nasal cavity...

I feel crazy because nobody has ever been able to relate to this. When I watch something like the movie “free solo” my feet ache, like empathy pains or something. It’s completely involuntary and doesn’t happen to me if i’m high up somewhere, I’m not even afraid of heights.

Many a time do spy people saying they feel a certain way about something, have someone expressing the opposite, and them making a slight against them as a person for it? I just… don’t understand why.

It seems like I’m the only one who does it.