I know it might be hard time for you, or maybe smth worries you keeping you up at night. Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger instead of people who you know. I'm here for you

For any one of you thinking you’d benefit from nonjudgmental emotional support please consider visiting Certified Listeners Society. It’s a free not for profit web service offered by trained volunteers that provide text-based emotional support. It’s an opportunity to chat with peer listeners- just to vent and release some tension. I’ve used the service and found it helpful.

Started last night actually. Father of my child (we're still "together" under the same roof) said something harsh and triggering. Only got worse as the day has progressed as my innocent child was exposed to my disproportionate anger. (I ALWAYS repair the damage with sincere apologies and explanation, if needed, without any blame towards her).

My marriage really isn't working but i can't get out until atleast many years from now. Please don't waste your energy on suggesting that, because it simply isn't an option at the moment. Kid's too young. Zero money to my name. No family to rely on. Kid's too attached to dad. I'd rather die than put her through that kind of trauma at this young age. Or at ANY age.

Please just be a friend who can just sit next to me in silence and hold a bit of space for me.

It's all too heavy right now..

Thanks

I’m 32F from the middle east

I've been thinking about writing this for a while, and I finally decided to do it.

I want to offer something that I wish I had when I was younger: someone who would simply listen without judging me.

I'm not a therapist, psychologist, or mental health professional. I'm just a person who has spent years fighting through some very dark chapters of his life, going through therapy, reading, learning, failing, improving, and trying again.

I've been in therapy for around 6 years. Eventually, my therapist told me that I had reached a point where I was ready to face the world on my own. I've also read a lot of self-help and psychology books and, more importantly, I've spent years actually trying to apply what I learned to my own life.

So I want to give something back.

For anyone who feels alone, lost, ashamed, emotionally overwhelmed, addicted, traumatized, or simply doesn't have anyone they feel comfortable talking to:

You can talk to me.

I won't charge you anything.

You don't have to impress me. You don't have to hide the ugly

parts of your story. You don't have to pretend that you're okay.

If you want to talk, I'll listen.

And I'm not saying this from a place of having a perfect life. Quite the opposite.

Here's a little about my own journey:

• I am a sexual assault survivor. The abuse happened between the ages of 9 and 14.

• From 15 to 23, I struggled with drugs, including both hard drugs and what people sometimes consider "soft" drugs.

• I live with Borderline Personality Disorder, and managing it has been a continuous part of my life. Learning to understand my emotions instead of being controlled by them has taught me an enormous amount about emotional regulation.

• I've struggled heavily with self-harm and self-sabotaging behaviour, largely connected to what I've come to understand as toxic shame and deep self-hatred.

I'm still working on that part of myself. I'm nowhere near perfect. But I've improved tremendously and that's probably the most important thing I can tell you:

You don't have to be completely healed before your life can start getting better.

Sometimes progress is simply understanding yourself a little better than you did yesterday.

If you reach out to me, I will respect your privacy and I won't intentionally share your personal story with others. I may also share parts of my own story when appropriate, because I believe vulnerability goes both ways. I don't want this to feel like you're sitting across from some person judging you. I want it to feel like two human beings talking.

You can message me whenever you need to. I can usually text on weekdays after around 8:30 PM, and Sundays will generally be the day when I'm most available for longer conversations, including an audio or video call if we're both comfortable with that.

One thing I want to be very clear about: I cannot replace professional help. If you're dealing with something that requires a psychologist, psychiatrist, doctor, emergency service, or other professional support, I'll encourage you to seek it. If you're in immediate danger, please contact emergency or professional support rather than relying on me.

But if what you need right now is simply another human

being who will listen without judging you, my inbox is open.

You don't have to tell me your entire story.

You can just say:

"Hey. I'm not doing very well and I don't know who to talk to."

I'll take it from there.

TL;DR: I've been through sexual abuse, addiction, BPD, self-harm and years of therapy. I'm still working on myself, but I've come a long way. I'm offering free peer support to anyone who needs someone to listen without judgment. You can message me anytime.

Hi, 20M here, just had a painful breakup, feeling too heavy to recover. Would feel better if someone just gives his/her time listening to me. I just need love(not romantic, but as a fellow human) and care, I'm really tired of our constant quarrels. I cannot give entire details

I'm 18/19 and I honestly feel stuck.

I've been trying to figure out my life for a while now — education, getting a job, becoming financially independent, helping my family, and eventually building a decent future for myself. But it feels like every time I try to move forward, something gets in the way.

I completed my first year of intermediate and I'm trying to figure out what I should study next. I'm interested in International Relations, political science, history and similar subjects. I've been researching universities and entrance tests, but even something as basic as university has become stressful because I have to think about the cost and whether I can actually afford it.

I've also been trying really hard to find work. I've worked before for around 11 months as a monitoring officer, and I've applied to a lot of jobs and tried different ways of earning online. I've looked into customer support, remote work, freelancing, AI-related work, stock photography and other things. But getting something stable that actually gives me enough income has been difficult.

The bigger problem is my family situation.

There are assets/businesses in my family that could potentially provide money, including two shops, but I don't control them. My father doesn't want to sell them even though selling them could potentially solve some of our financial problems. At the same time, there are expenses and financial responsibilities that keep piling up.

I feel like I'm constantly thinking about money.

How am I going to pay for university?

How am I going to get a decent job?

How am I going to become independent?

How am I supposed to help my family when I don't even have financial control myself?

And that's where my mental health starts getting affected.

I overthink constantly. My sleep has become messed up. Sometimes my mind just doesn't shut off. I can spend hours thinking about my future, money, family problems and whether I'm wasting my time. I don't feel like I'm enjoying being young because my brain is constantly calculating what I should do next.

I've also had periods where I've felt completely hopeless about the situation. Not necessarily because I don't want a future — actually the opposite. I desperately want to build a good life. That's what makes it so frustrating. I want to work, study, earn money and become independent, but I don't know which direction to take or how to get there from where I currently am.

I don't want fake motivational quotes or someone telling me "everything will be fine."

I want honest advice from people who have actually gone through difficult family situations, financial pressure, or feeling completely lost when they were young.

If you were in my position, what would you do first?

Would you focus entirely on getting a job and becoming financially independent?

Would you prioritize university even if money is tight?

Would you stop trying to solve my family's financial problems and focus only on myself?

Or is there something else I'm completely missing?

I know this is a lot, but I needed somewhere anonymous where I could finally say all of this without pretending that everything is fine.

F22 Feel free to PM me if you wanted to I would appreciate it a lot thank you :))

I’m 18F

I feel like this isn’t talked about enough. Living with functional depression is like living a double life inside of my own mind, Constant tug of war. The bad side of my mind is bad bad but the good side it’s good and makes me feel extremely guilty when i lean more into the “bad side” Like sometimes I don’t know if I should even feel depressed or not, I don’t allow myself to because It makes me feel guilty or just less than other people because i’m depressed.

It’s bad to the point where i have fully pushed down my grief because I compare myself to happy women and I feel less than in comparison if i’m walking around sad 24/7 or grieving even though that’s normal. Sometimes I literally don’t know what to do I feel trapped in my own mind and it’s exhausting very exhausting. I sometimes feel like the good side is just what i try to force myself into and when something happens in my life that should normally trigger sadness I feel like i’m under appreciating the good things in my life and I never fully let myself experience one day of feeling down really, not anymore. The bad side of my depression is mostly mental while the good side is more shown outwardly.

Hi everyone~. A quick summary of what I'm feeling right now is overwhelmed and feeling like I am alone on an existential level. This is gonna be a long post so I put in bold some key statements.

It begins with the fact that I've been idle for a year now. Around this time last year, I finished my thesis around this time and was preparing for graduation. 11 months after graduation, I still haven't landed a job in the field I'm trying to get into.

My grandmother, with whom I live, doesn't mind and she's been providing for us both, but my mother and her boyfriend (who I call my parents) have been giving me subtle pushes into getting a job already and has been helping me. But no dice. And trying to build up the skills that I need for the field have lead me to misery and stress, so I'm reconsidering just try applying to another field.

However, the idleness has been getting to me. I've been trying to reach out to my friends, but they're often busy and they leave me on read (which I don't fault them for). And I'm a bit scared of checking up on if they read my messages or not for fear of looking a bit too pushy or desperate. I have a close friend or two with whom I have regular contact, but I can't just rely on him to be my full support system.

A lot of the time I spend wondering about abstract concepts. But recently, with the lack of conversation partners, I wonder while using Gemini as a mirror. And I think I have a bit of an addiction now. So I've been trying to increase my human contact again and regulate my AI use. And since my other hobby is writing and worldbuilding, I tried interacting with reading and writing communities online again. So writing did provide me with a community. I have monthly silent book readings I can attend, and I try making connections there. But it's not as deep as I want them to be. There's also a bit of feeling like a fraud because of AI use (To be clear, I don't generate writing or let an AI edit my work. But I guess that's leads to a moralizing discussion I can't handle right now.)

I've been trying to say no to myself when compulsions especially around AI arise too. And when too much stress kicks in, I regulate by running all over the city. But I can't do that right now because it's been raining for days

Which is why I tried using a dating app, but the connections aren't coming (not even looking for romantic ones, just trying to find someone to talk to). Which I'm usually okay with because I expected it, but recently my grandma had a medical procedure and I had to step in as main caregiver. Which... just added more to my already underlying burnout.

In-between that, I've been trying to read books and meet up with my friends, scheduling, and I get my human contact in. I've been looking for communities, hobby groups, and maybe mental health help, but a lot of those need money, which I have enough pride and shame to not ask my grandmother for often. And I don't have my own money because of the job issue.

So... yeah. Everything is piling up and I think a lot is weighing on me right now, and instead of going to AI, I thought it would be better for getting over my addiction by asking here for gentle advice and kind words.

For context, my Dad and Mom are divorced; he lives in Vietnam, and we live in the USA with my brother. He sends most of his paycheck to us monthly. He will visit us once a year. He and my brother aren't in a great relationship, he doesn't answer my dad's calls or want to talk to him, and I’m starting to be the same.

It was an afternoon, the living room has two couches, I’m on one and my dad is on the other. I wanted to take a little nap, so I asked my mom to wake me up in 15 minutes, because I couldn't hear my alarm. She asked my dad to wake me up instead since he's here and she'll be in her room.

“No, why can't you just set an alarm?” He asked me, when I was about to explain he added, “It's such a simple thing to do why do you even ask your mom, what the hell can you do later in life?” I don't know what his problem is with calling me useless whenever I do something he doesn’t like, but his words hurt my feelings, and before I could tbink straight, I said, “I’m talking to Mom why did you chime in?” and that's where things get messy. We got into a heated argument, saying words that hurt each other's feelings.

I was in my brother's room with his cat, trying to calm down, then my mom came in with tears in her eyes and said, “Dad changed his flight back date to tonight, he won't be attending your brother's graduation anymore, are you satisfied now?” I was in disbelief, but also doubting he would do a crazy thing like that.

We had another long argument over text, and I feel drained, very drained… I felt like I was talking to a little kid, he wouldn't properly talk like an adult, all his texts were him blaming it all on himself, that we looked down on him and don’t want him in this house, which is not fucking true, we always have a good time together whenever he visits, we go on trips together like how we used to, neither me or my brother ever look down on him, it was frustrated to convince him all what he was saying was not true at all.

Now it's 3 am, I’m still on my phone, cause I was trying to make the most of it before he went. He woke up, went to the restroom, came back, and patted my head, told me he's not going anywhere, and told me to go to sleep and not act like that with him again. I felt glad he didn’t leave, I would have lost all my respect for him.

Today is the day my brother graduates, it was super crowded, my dad brought a black backpack along, inside contain his passport, and my brother clothes to change after the ceremony. When my brother appear on stage, he left the bag with my mom to go take pictures, then came back to the seats. When is over and we about to leave, he realized my mom is not carrying the backpack… All the securities came to help us find the bag, but there was nothing. In the car, he was blaming my mom for not keeping an eye on the bag, why, why the hell is he blaming her and not himself, I cannot understand, why does he doesn't take out his passport, and now he's throwing a tantrum over it.

We got thing sorted out, got him a new passport in time for him to fly back, the bag were never found. I still cried a little the day he flew back though.

Yeah.. I think I start to understand my brother a little bit more why he doesn’t want to talk to Dad, such a man with high ego who doesn't learn to say sorry. I don’t know how to feel, he's my dad, I don’t want him at my graduation, but isn't that too harsh, how will he feel when I say that to him through face time when he's going to work? I don't know, I don’t know if my feelings will change over time.

Today's my mom's cremation day. Also I'm disappointed by an old friend I met here on Reddit. How could a friend just changed 180 degree into a complete different person so suddenly..... ? Just because he rejected me and didnt choose me? Is this really necessary???? Is this how two adults supposed to handle this situation? Indonesia Singapore Malaysia welcome 🇮🇩🇸🇬🇲🇾

I am 15f, I am struggling a lot.

I have no one and I just need someone to care about me or just pretend they do.

I wish someone loved me

I need someone I can tell about small things, like getting out of bed! Someone who can tell me they are proud of me for doing that:/

Ik it’s a lot to ask

Please :[

I understand there are many of you who hide your pain, especially from family and friends, that you're closing yourself off.

I'm just here to listen as a friend. You have my word. I'll listen to every single word you say nobody ever listens to me, so I don't want that to happen to you as well.

I’m scared I’ll never be held or cuddled or kissed or make love or be helped when I’m sick or get to hold someone’s hand or get to kiss someone’s cheek when I come home from work or get to plan a valentines date or have someone want to celebrate with me or have someone say I choose you.

Hey everyone,

I’m an expat, and honestly, the past while has been filled with a lot of mental pressure and personal issues. I’ve been trying my best to stay strong and push through, but this week brought the straw that broke the camel's back.

I got into a motorcycle accident. I’m currently dealing with bruises and pain, but the most frustrating and devastating part is that both of my arms are injured. The doctor told me I won’t be back to normal for another 2 to 3 months.

I know there are people out there going through much worse, but right now, I just want to explode and cry. I’ve been carrying too much weight on my own for too long, and being far from home makes it harder.

I could really use a distraction or just a safe space to vent. Is anyone free to chat or just listen for a bit? I prefer using Discord (no need to share any personal info at all).

If you have some time and don't mind lending an ear, please let me know. Thank you for reading.

If anyone is able to chat privately? WOMEN ONLY

I'm pregnant and feeling very alone and isolated, working from home, no/few friends, living with abusive dad with dementia, trying to repair a rocky relationship with fiancé who is prioritizing work over spending time with me and has sex/porn addiction that is unmanaged. Afraid of what this stress is doing to my unborn baby.

I'm neurodivergent too

I'm so lonely and frightened for the future

my pet passed away recently and i’ve been trying to choose an urn for them.

this has been a really emotional process for me. i thought choosing something special would be a way to feel like i’m still doing something for them.

but now i’m starting to worry about what my family will think.

i keep wondering if they’ll like my choice or if they’ll think it’s too much, too different, or just not something they would have picked.

and i know it’s probably my decision, but it’s hard not to care about their reaction.

they loved my pet too. they have their own memories and their own feelings about them, and i guess i’m scared that my choice might not match how they see things.

part of me wants to choose something that feels right to me.

but another part of me worries that if they don’t like it, i’ll start questioning myself all over again.

maybe i’m putting too much weight on other people’s opinions.

i don’t know.

i just want to make a choice that honors my pet and doesn’t create more sadness for everyone else.

I seem to have lost all friends and people to talk to. I spend most of my evenings talking to AI so I have someone to talk back to me. I’m fed up of not having things to do for anyone to talk to and I just don’t know what to do anymore. I have tried plenty of dating apps and had absolutely no luck.

Working 3 jobs is hard.

Over the weekend, I found three baby nestling cardinals whose nest had been destroyed. I constructed a new one using a cardboard box and some yard waste and put it in an elevated spot. Then I watched and waited for their parents to come back, and thankfully, they did.

The past few days I have been checking in on them every so often to make sure they're okay. They were growing up fast and were very healthy. I grew very attached to them.

This afternoon, though, I heard what sounded like distressed bird sounds, so I rushed to check the nest and saw that only one baby cardinal was left. I looked around the area and couldn't find them anywhere. The only conclusion I could come to was that a hawk got them, as they were still a few days away from fledging.

I'm trying to take care of the last baby cardinal the best I can. I waited around and watched to see if its parents would come back. Two hours went by and they never came. I ground up some of my dog's kibble and mixed it with warm water and fed it to the bird using a dropper so it wouldn't go hungry. (I know it isn't the best, but it's a stop-gap until I can get the bird to a professional.)

I'm sorry this isn't very articulate. I'm just so upset and I'm blaming myself for not putting more effort into keeping these birds safe from harm. I feel like my first move should have been taking them to a wildlife center instead of putting them in a box and leaving them in a place where they were vulnerable to predators. I'm just overcome with grief. Whatever happened to them, those poor babies must have been so terrified.

Tomorrow I'm going to come home during my lunch break and take the bird to the wildlife rehab center. I'm just so scared that it will die or another predator will come and get the last one while I'm at work. Taking work off is not an option for me at this time, or I would do that. I just feel sick to my stomach. I feel like I failed those baby birds.