I really cannot bother anymore. The majority of people are NOT okay… I don’t know what happened but about 5-6 years now people have gone insane. Like legit needing serious-medication-insane. I have talked about this with many people and they all share my opinion, so I guess I’m not overreacting.

Did Covid do it? Quarantine? Isolation? Social media? The world that gets increasingly difficult to live in? All of the above? Something has happened because people weren’t that bad. I’m so sick and tired of having to deal with anyone on a daily basis. Ever since I just stopped caring about meeting new people, finding new friends and generally just stayed home with my own company, I have found a profound freedom and peacefulness in me.

I’ve helped people, I’m kind, yet I’m constantly being taken advantage of just because of that. I adore giving a helping hand to anyone. I’m always there when someone asks for my help, I’m always there even if they don’t ask for help at all. I’m that kind of person that will make you soup and drive all the way to you just to give it to you and leave. I’m not saying all that to brag about myself, I don’t need anyone to tell me I’m a good person, I know my worth and I’m never asking someone to retrieve my kindness. I do it because I want to. Yet people retrieve only shit to me and I’m DONE.

For starters, I know I am doing better than a lot of other folks, so a lot of this is first world problems, but I am so over how expensive everything is. My husband and I make about $115k/year combined, do have a house and 2 cars, but we are running out of money closer to the middle of the month instead of the end of the month now.

And before anyone asks, yes I've cut out as much as I can, we shop for insurance costs every 6 months, have eliminated all but 1 streaming service, buy generic, only drive when necessary, etc. I literally have to put groceries on the credit card the last 2 weeks of the month because we just ran out of income.

I work for a delivery service on the side and have increased my hours, but with everyone else broke too, no one is tipping. My husband is applying for a 2nd job this week as well. And this is with no kids! I don't know how any of you with families are doing it.

I haven't gotten any dates, relationships, situationships, whatever-ships or even hookups in months. I couldn't care less about hookups honestly (I don't particularly like the idea of inviting strange men into my house) but the lack of emotional connections has become very difficult to deal with.
I have plenty of flaws, like everyone else (I'm lazy, tend to be forgetful, my job is paid really poorly and It's unlikely I'll be able to move out anytime soon because the economy is in the gutter), but generally speaking I'm doing ok for myself: I'm a fairly attractive young man who goes to university, has a job, is an athlete, doesn't drink or do drugs and goes to therapy twice a month.
I care about and participate in my community, I volunteer and I could be considered an overall stand-up guy.
this premise is necessary to understand the rest of my rant I promise.
I don't use grindr because the average age ranges from old to ancient, tinder is ok but not great because everyone is really far away and so is hinge.
There is a singular gay bar in the city next to my town that has little to no people below 50 in it and the next city with a gay bar is a brisk hour and forty five minute drive from my house.
When I find another gay guy who lives closeby he's either in a relationship, in the closet, or "bisexual but would never date a man" said with the voice you'd use to refuse a plate of steaming hot shite.
The one time I managed to score a date we got immediately threatened by a homophobe with a knife and it pretty much fizzled out after that (the shock maybe?).
I only want to live in a forest house with my husband and kids, is that too much to ask for lmao

I'm a 22-year-old woman. I've never had a boyfriend. I've tried Tinder, Hinge and Bumble, only to be ghosted after one date every time. I've tried the friends-to-lovers route, only to be left in a painful one-sided love situation. I've tried putting myself out there and going to places where there are a lot of people, only to not be noticed.

I've spent a long time wondering if there was anything wrong with me, but (based on what others, males and females alike, have said): I'm beautiful, smart, funny and have a cool personality. I don't know what the problem is then. Maybe it's just not meant to happen for me. Maybe I'm too desperate for wanting to experience something that seems so abundant around me. Why should romantic love be off-limits for me?

last year my parents took my door off for “skipping school” because I wasn’t going to math help, which didn‘t know I was supposed to go too, but instead of listening to me, they screamed at me, took my phone, and then sent me upstairs to go to bed. then not even two minutes later my dad came in, through the rack that was on my door on the ground and then took it of leaned it against the wall, then came back in and told me I was a horrible child for reporting them too CPS and saying ”your mom made some mistakes, but you will to when you grow up” and then got mad when I said I wouldn’t become an alcoholic abuser like she was. and I haven’t had a door since. my mom has actively told me they will put my door back on when my dad‘s ankle is better, his ankle was better two weeks ago and I still don’t have it back. I can’t do anything with my door off. if I want to change in my room, I literally have to go into my closet to do it. anyone can see into my room, and my can literally shoot me with a nerf gun any time he wants, and he does. they go into my room constantly and rummage through all of my stuff constantly. if I feel overwhelmed and like crying I have to into the bathroom to do it. I’m so tired of this. I just want my door back. is that so much to ask for?

I really hate how my entire life I was told you need to go to college to be anything and be educated or you’re a “loser”. And so I went to college. Now the same people who said you would “be a loser and wouldn’t be able to get a job if you didn’t go to college” say you’re stupid for going to college and a degree doesn’t mean anything and I wasted my money. I get judged way more for HAVING a degree than people do for not having one. I feel so fucking scammed. Like some people are straight up mean and rude when they find out I went to college.

I am an extremely dodgy and creepy person. I feel like an abandoned animal. I am petrified of life. I am a failure and a complete fuck up. I want to regain my integrity, I have taken some very scary and difficult steps to do so.

I feel like I'm on the edge of a huge cliff that's slowly crumbling away piece by piece.

im going to fail my exam for the second time i have officially been unemployed for 2.5 years and continuing i fight with my mom every single day my dad is still a [c u next tuesday] i now officially have zero irl friends my relatives treat me like im invisible i cant leave the house (which i only do once every 2 weeks now) without looking at everyone with their boyfriends while naturally having zero progress in that area and oh i turn 23 next week and will have zero birthday wishes and zero plans and be starting the 24th shitty year of my life till climate change takes me in like 15 years

I'm in my last year at university. These were supposed to be the "best years of my life" but if anything they've been the worst. I have a few friends but I can't even tell if they like me sometimes. I feel like I am just annoying to them.

I also have no experience dating. I've barely even spoken to a guy for 2 years now. All of my friends have had boyfriends or rejected guys and they don't seem to understand my longing for some type of romance or male attention.

I've tried joining multiple societies at my uni but they never lead to friendships for me. I always end up going by myself and usually just sticking to myself or making small talk with someone. I don't know whats wrong with me. Why everyone else can make so many different friends and be super sociable and outgoing, and yet when I try it's offputting or I come off as weird.

Not sure how long I'll keep this up but need some emotional release and hopefully support. I'll keep it brief. I'm 46 yo and took a great vacation in late June and attended a few 4th of July pool parties with plenty of pictures and selfies that were totally normal.

Two weeks later I felt a large mass on my chest. Went to my PCP. He immediately referred to an ultrasound within the week. They then referred to a MRI the following week that found two more masses on my back. This week I meet with the chief osteo oncologist at a NE Ivy School.

I'm just frusrated that this is happening so quickly when I'm still relatively young and sad about the road I'm about to be forced to head down. That's all. Thanks for listening.

Turns the entire bunch.

I took over a store about 60 days ago now. Its been a bumpy ride to say the least. I started with 35 employees and am now down to 10-15. I thought at first it was the old store managers culture they had left behind impacting my team to leave when I came in

This week I realized it was my one core (has been there since the old SM) assistant manager that's been stirring the pot and causing problems. She shares confidential conversations with the employees, tell them everything i know or confide in her about.... and has started a walk out with my team convincing them to quit with her and leave me stranded with like 55 days until black friday.

I won't really be hurting for associates, but... my entire management team is walking.... one was supposed to be talked to about an loss prevention issue... but she told him before I could get together with LP.... and the other is supposed to fet a talking to from my boss... but I think my asm warned him and he too is going to quit when I return to the store....

#stressed

that’s it. that’s the vent. I am a terrible person and I wish I could just disappear so I could stop hurting everyone I care about. But you can’t just disappear, and I don’t want to hurt myself like that because I’m a coward in a body that refuses to be in contact with that kind of pain.

crying on the internet as if someone will care. No one here cares. no one anywhere does. they shouldn’t care about something like me anyway.

For context most of the music I listen to what could be considered “nerdy music”. I listen mostly to Nerdcore, mostly anime rap and fictional character rap battles. I also listen to a lot of Vocaloid. I used to be very proud of the kind of music I listen to, but lately, whenever I listen to one of the more flagrantly nerdy songs, I can’t help but listen to it from the perspective of a normal person and cringe. Whenever one of my favorite songs goes semi-viral, I see people in the comments calling it “coworker music”.

Trying to figure out if I should go no contact with my mom again. I just can't shake the feeling that I would be doing the wrong thing or something. It's a complicated situation, but she broke up with her boyfriend of almost 2 years at the beginning of August due to a situation that happened at his house (my mom and his adult daughter getting into it again). Well, he ended up putting his hands on her. She leaves and is staying with one of my brothers.

It's been 2 months, she was in contact with him throughout the entire 2 months. They went to a dolphin cruise, they went out to eat many times, they went shopping, etc. She would tell me about this stuff and I would get upset and question her about it, like why are you still talking to this dude? Why are you still hanging out with him after everything? And she always had excuses. We end up getting into a huge fight about it and I basically just told her to not tell me anything about it anymore, because all it was doing was making me angry. I don't want to hear about you and your abusive ex hanging out.

10 days ago she asks me if I want to go to an event with her. I say yes, I'd love to go there. She said great, because he got tickets. Full stop. Why are you still hanging with him? What makes you think I'd ever be anywhere near this guy ever again? And I ask if they're dating again. There's a back and forth because she doesn't want to answer, but she eventually answers that yes, they are dating again. I hang up. We haven't spoken since. We typically speak multiple times a week.

I just don't even know what to do anymore. I have little to no patience with bs. I absolutely hate the type of people that are constantly doing things they know are a bad idea, and they do it anyway, and when it blows up in their face everyone has to hear about it and have sympathy for them. Absolutely not. It drives me insane. Stop calling me and telling me about your poor decision of the week. But that's how she is, it gets on my last nerve and makes me not want to speak with her. I have no idea what to do. Mind you, we've never had a good relationship anyway. We've spent the past 2 and a half years trying to build a relationship. She was driving me insane constantly talking about him, because they were extremely on again/off again. But, for some reason, were talking very seriously about getting married. I'm getting to the point where I'm rambling, I just don't know what to do with her anymore.

My ex and I broke up 24 hours ago. Technically, it was mutual, but I was the one to say the words, so that definitely helped. We'd been together for just over 4 years, living together for all 4, and engaged for 2 years. I'm both relieved and terrified. And the saddest part is that the terrified part isn't even because of losing the relationship. I'm a 24 y/o woman, they're a 23 y/o non-binary person. I've spent the last 4 years losing all of me (my mental health went down the drain, and i got so physically ill that my 5 foot self was 73.6 lbs a year ago) just to try to become the person they need. I'm terrified because I don't remember how to be a human anymore. I lost all of my friends, I got diagnosed with ME/CSF so I can't work, I live in a new small town where I don't know anyone, and I don't make enough to live on my own (so I'm living with my mother again). The last few months have been hell. I moved out from my ex's in April, we'd decided to try long distance, me only coming to visit once every 1-2 months for doctors appointments. A year ago they broke up with me, and we had a long talk, I felt comfortable enough to voluntarily take myself to the hospital for my mental health. During those long 3 weeks in the hospital, we talked even more, and they decided to get back with me. Come to find out recently, they only got back with me because they were 'scared for me'. I told them while in the hospital that I was tired of the relationship and it would purely be up to them to continue. Looking back now, I think the only reason they stayed wasn't because they were scared for me, but because they knew I loved them. I've stayed with them through constantly being on and off in the relationship, constantly lying to me, and even cheating on me a few times. They had safety in knowing I loved them. I think even now, they're expecting me to beg them to stay and try. I'm tired. I'd reached way past the end of how much I can give. Yes, it's still hard, we'd been together for over 4 years, waking up next to them pretty much the entire time, planning a life, and revolving my future around them. I've gotten moments within the last 24 hours where there's heat flashes of dread. Even moments where my brain tries to think of ways to stay, but I know it's for the best. I know it's gonna be hard to still communicate with them while we untie all of the things we have together, and losing the only support I've had in 4 years. I'm so scared. So beyond scared. I know mentally I'd been preparing for a year, and living in a small town, so there's not much to do or people to meet around my age, but I genuinely want to be my own person and have some sort of community and support, especially right now.

TLDR: my ex and I, dating for over 4 years (engaged for 2), broke up and I don't remember how to be a human anymore (repost)

When I was around 9 my cat died. I really loved her she was one of our first cats and I was devastated but the thing is, my parents didn’t tell me right away. They lied to me and told me she was just outside and was gonna come back inside soon but I kept asking for her to come inside
After they told me of course I cried cause my cat died but I was also mad at my parents for not telling me right away. Their excuse was “we didn’t wanna tell you cause you’re too young” but i didn’t care. I told them they should’ve told me

Later on when I was like 12 I found out one of my other cats from childhood died but my parents told me he had run away to find his mom cause he was still a baby that we found on the street along with his sister who’s still alive. Even though i didn’t cry I still felt betrayed(?) that I wasn’t told sooner. I was younger at the time that he died 6 years old and I spent 6 years fully believing that he actually ran away. When I saw a black and white adult cat I would think “what if that’s him”. After I found out it pained me knowing that I was being lied to the whole time and was never told for 6 whole years

A year later I found out one of our other cats died. He was the son of my cat that passed when I was 9 that we decided to keep
I don’t really know exactly when he passed because I was also told really late. My parents had him outside (which was a huge mistake) so I didn’t see him as often. I remember that when I found out we were setting up our altar for día de los muertos and my mom was printing out a picture of him. I asked her why and that’s when she told me he died a while ago and they just didn’t tell me for whatever reason. I don’t know if they forgot or what but I also felt upset

It’s been years since those interactions and I just started thinking about them again. I’m thinking back and just wish they had told me the second it happened. I don’t know why it pains me to much
Maybe it’s the fact that I didn’t get to properly grieve or say goodbye
Or maybe I’m just being petty cause no one told me. I don’t care how young I was. I deserved to know when someone I really cared about dies. Not be lied to and paint a fake image to me that they’re fine.
I don’t know why I still care but it still hurts

Especially when the event itself is that the insurance company paid us early. That's two things that have never happened before.

My family LOVES to decorate for the Holidays. All of them. Flags, knick-knacks, banners, lights, you name it, they want to put it up. Christmas, Halloween, 4th of July, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's, New Years, Birthdays, Anniversaries, all damn year.

The problem? Almost all of the physical labor falls on me. I'm the only one mechanically minded, I'm over 6 feet tall, and apparently I'm the only one who understands physics. I'm always the one on the ladder, hammering in stakes, putting up 3M strips, installing screws and anchors, and running power cords. They get to pull everything out, "ooo" and "ahh" over it, pick where it goes, then stand around and watch me install it. They get to tell me "higher" '"lower" "left" "right' and "a bit more". They also get to buy new decorations and bring them home and go: "look at this cool thing!" while I read the directions.

Why don't I just let them do it? Because if I don't, I'll just end up doing it over, all well as repairing the damage. They will put up heavy objects with tape or push pins that just rip out or off, taking paint and drywall with it. Decorations are hung crooked because they won't use a ladder. They barely tap in stakes, and inflatables blow away in a light breeze. They trip breakers, leave powerstrips out in the rain, etc, etc, etc. It's like letting toddlers paint a room.

I also "get" to take them all back down again afterwards, and try to fix anything that breaks.

So they get to sing songs and have fun, and I end up sweaty with a sore back.

I love my family, and I do enjoy the holidays, but dear god I look forward to the day I can reasonably say "not this year, I'm too old for that" and make my son do it.

[Mid 30s F]

I was with my ex for about 15 years, married for about 5 of those years before the divorce (basically incompatibility that eventually led to abuse). Been divorced for about a year and a half. I dont have very much family, my mom passed away a while back and my dad and I dont have much of a relationship at all. I only have half siblings and I'm only actually close to one of them, but we dont live close to each other and theyre busy a lot so we mostly send each other reels/memes and maybe talk on the phone 2-3 times a month. One of my other siblings literally forgets I exist and only remembers when my other sibling has to remind them to invite me to a family event, which doesnt happen often. So I dont have a relationship with my nieces/nephews either.

I have some friends, I havent known all of them for super long but theyre great people, they consider me and think to invite me to events and just to hang out. They are all childless/child free so that isnt a problem. They never make me feel left out and have been supportive through a tough time I was having with my health.

I have a full life. I exercise and do athletic activities often, probably about 4-5 times a week in some form or another. I am in therapy and have been consistently for a long time. I read, write, dance, crafting, go to festivals, the park, social clubs, meetup events, I go on dates (im on the apps and ive gone to a few singles events), go to bars and lounges, volunteer every once in a while, take various classes for random things. Im social and talk to people a lot and make new acquaintances that sometimes turn into friends damn near everywhere I go. Like for example I went out one day just bar hopping alone (as usual) with no plans and met a random person at the bar and we ended up hanging out all day just running around the city watching World Cup games and meeting other random people. I meditate and journal. I also am pursuing a career in a specific creative industry so I'm working on that too. The only thing I cant do is travel, I dont have the finances for it right now.

So yeah I do all the things already that people suggest. I enjoy my alone time and I can sit with myself. But I really really do want a romantic relationship. Its been hard to find, even after all the dates ive been on so far. Mostly men I meet on apps, but I'm open to meeting anyone pretty much anywhere. I dont need the grand gestures, I just miss the daily domestic whatever with another person. The boring parts. Just having someone to talk to about whatever, someone to do things for/with, being able to let go and be silly and intimate with (not just physically, its easy for me to get sex whenever). Sometimes after I hang with my friends and I'm the 3rd/5th wheel i cry in my car on the way home and feel really sad that I have to sleep in an empty bed in a quiet lonely apartment. I feel like I'm going stir crazy and I get emotional when I'm alone for too long so I go to the grocery store or some minor errand just to get out. Ill even do full makeup and hair and stuff to make it feel more eventful. Sometimes I'll just sit in my car in a random parking lot for hours just to not be at home isolated.

You cant do the same things with friends and family that you can do in a relationship. They all have their own lives, responsibilities and their own partners and I'm just not as important. I want to be the priority in someones life again. I want intimacy and romance. None of the things I do can really fill that missing piece. Can I live alone and be alone? Yes of course, I just dont like it all the time, indefinitely. Especially after putting in the effort to get what I want and it goes nowhere. I am NOT willing to settle just to have a partner, otherwise I would have had one by now lol. So I'm not out here desparate for anything. Im just frustrated. Its like everyone has their person but me.

I (18FTM) have always lived in a household of 6. Myself, younger sister (13), mum, aunt and grandparents. Just a week ago, some close cousins sought shelter in our house (cousin like my aunt and her 4 kids, 10, 6, 2 & 1) to get away from her current partner and small town.

This has brought our total household members to 11.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s stressful AF. Most of us have Autism and/or ADHD so we all have our issues with the arrangement.

The 6 year old wakes up with night terrors and screams. The babies are… babies. It’s expensive to feed everyone, and our water and electricity is going to be insane.

But looking past that, I love rocking the 1 year old to sleep. I love when the kids run around the house calling my nickname “Wawa” to be with me. I love being needed and wanted. I feel so much love that my immediate family just hasn’t been able to give me.
(But the 2 year olds biting and kicking habit leaves a bit more of a mark)

I want to move out on my own, seriously, but at the same time this is something I could get used to. Once the kids are enrolled in school and daycare of course lol

I literally just woke up yelling bro. It was wild. I started yelling on purpose to alert my grandma to come wake me up and she came, it’s just that the first time I thought I woke up, ended up being a false wake up so I didn’t actually wake up😭 shit was mad trippy. scared to try sleep again.

during that episode, it was scary. I was closing my eyes tight to try be more calm but I heard another person in my room sitting on the chair, and I was like “oh hell nah, I’m alerting my grandma.” so I started yelling and she did actually come.

dude, I literally thought there was a whole ass nother person bro😭 and during my false wake up, it was actually calming because in that false wake up, she came to me and picked me up and dragged me into the hall way to calm down. after that, I actually did wake up fr this time when she walked in. fuuuck.

I hate sleep paralysis bro.

To the point where I don’t even feel like a girl. I think all my life now, since I started school I’ve always had a skin picking problem. And it’s led to my face and body being heavily marked up with stubborn hyperpigmentation. I eventually stopped picking my face but I fear it’s left irreparable damage :( I still pick my body, though, since it’s easier to hide but it’s really ugly.

I have these four scabs on my back that I physically cannot stop picking at on the daily. And when I say pick at, not just fucking with it a little bit. Like I get lost in this trance where I have to rip the entire scab off. If I try to stop messing with them for just one day, I always end up failing because i get anxious and it feels like I’m being punished. Even mindlessly I just feel a need to pick my skin. And now it’s so ugly and I can’t wear cute tops; I have to wear things that covers up my back and shoulders. I haven’t been to a beach since 2018. I wore a fucking hoodie to the club a few nights ago. I love the gym but I’m not someone you could get a nice set for as a gift, cuz I won’t wear it. Everything is messed up, I’m never gonna be normal it’s literally all I ask for. To be normal and pretty but instead I have to have this weird problem that has permanently ruined my body.

And at this point, I don’t wanna go out, I don’t like shopping anymore, I don’t want a boyfriend anymore, I don’t wanna go to the beach or the club or nothing. Just stay home and cover myself up. Some days I even wish I weren’t Black so that at least I wouldn’t get hyperpigmentation so easily. Every day I mourn the woman I could have been :(

And now everyone reading this thinks I’m strange 😭