All my little stresses boiled over and I’m finding it really hard to want to keep going.

I don’t even really have anyone left to talk to because my obligations and responsibilities kind of just pushed out the small social network that I had.

I know these things come and go, but I’m exhausted and this ride doesn’t seem to end and I just want to stop for a little while.

(I am not in danger, just at my wit’s end.)

My bamboo sheets were very soft at first, but they started feeling stiffer after several washes. The set is from Bedsure, and I may be using the wrong detergent or drying temperature. Is there a reliable way to restore the softer feel?

31F. Growing up, I was never one of the girls that fit in with a friend group. I had a good number of friends, but almost always preferred one on one time. Now as an adult, I find myself in a group with three other women. After almost 8 years of monthly dinners, marriages, babies, loss, and so many other seasons of life shared together . . . I am over the moon annoyed with them.

Over the past 6 months, they have all reached out individually to share their concern for my lack of engagement in the group chat and individually. With two small kiddos, I'm not typically on my phone and reply when I can.

Are there moments when I see the text and decide not to respond right away, yes. But I if I'm being honest, the lack of support or interest in the ideas and responses I do send don't make me feel very eager to engage.

To provide some examples, there have been occasions when we've picked a date/time weeks in advance. A couple days prior, someone says they need to change it. Everyone replies quickly, decides a new day/time, and I reply after work saying that the new option doesn't work for me. Rather than keeping the original play, I'm told I'll be missed and they'll see me next time.

Last month, I pitched the idea of taking a yoga class together but everyone said they wanted to save money and spend some quality time together. The day before, one of the gals says we should do dinner and a movie instead. Without hesitation, everyone else says yes and I'm stuck deciding if I remain a people please or not. To make things even worse, this get together was the day before my birthday and not a single person acknowledged it until later on day-of by sending a text. Meanwhile, we've all pitched in to get flowers or plan a little something for some of the others.

I want to share these frustrations with them, but I feel like they have zero awareness or concerns with the current flow of our little group. While I know I should be a grown up about it and speak my mind - I've decided to share my hurt here and ask. Any advice? Thoughts?

Just to clarify, this isn’t one of those posts about someone who lost everything because of gambling. I’m not here to tell a sob story or ask for sympathy. This is more of a general question, driven by curiosity and, perhaps, a little bit of self-awareness.

I started gambling around two years ago. My first experience was at a private poker table, and surprisingly, I did pretty well. Looking back, I think one of the reasons I played well was because everything was still new to me. Hindi pa ako desensitized sa possibility of losing money, so every decision felt significant. I was alert, cautious, and actually thought things through instead of relying on instinct alone.

Then came my first big win.

Naturally, that gave me the confidence to explore online gambling. After around four months, I hit a max win. To be clear, I was using money I had won from private poker games, not money I had set aside for necessities or anything of that sort.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve been away from gambling for around four to five months. I’m doing well financially, and I’m still significantly in the green when I account for my private poker games, online gambling, and a few other substantial wins. In that sense, I don’t have the usual story people might expect when someone talks about quitting gambling.

Here’s my concern, though.

Despite having stopped, there’s still that little voice in the back of my mind that occasionally whispers, “What if?”

What if I could win again? What if I sat at a table with inexperienced players and knew how to capitalize on their mistakes? What if that previous success wasn’t just luck, and I could actually replicate it?

Minsan, naiisip ko na kapag may mga bagong players sa table, there’s an opportunity to take advantage of their inexperience. And I won’t pretend otherwise: somewhere along the way, there’s still greed involved. I know that recognizing this thought doesn’t necessarily mean I have to act on it, but I also understand that entertaining it too much can eventually lead me back to something I’ve deliberately walked away from.

I’m not struggling to pay my bills, chasing losses, or trying to recover money I’ve lost. If anything, the fact that I’m still ahead makes the temptation a little more complicated. There’s no painful financial consequence to remind me why I should stop. Instead, the temptation comes from remembering that I have won before.

So, for those who have experienced something similar, how did you learn to deal with the possibility of winning again?

Did you eventually stop thinking about it altogether, or did you simply learn to recognize those thoughts without acting on them? And for those who were consistently profitable, or at least believed they had an edge, was walking away harder because you felt you were leaving money on the table?

Curious to hear your perspectives. I’m particularly interested in how people distinguish genuine confidence in their abilities from the kind of overconfidence that gambling can quietly cultivate.

I’m 26, and I’ve never financed a car before. I’ve only ever bought very cheap and used vehicles that never last long and always end up breaking down on me. I’m tired of the constant struggle and anxiety from not having a reliable car. I get anxious idling at red lights because I’m scared my car will die. I’ve put $4k in repairs into my current car just to keep it running for the last year and a half and it still has problems.

I finally have an opportunity to finance a car, I have a decent and stable job, and I was pre-approved for an auto loan at my local credit union. Now I’m having anxiety about being locked into a car payment for 3-4 years, especially with the state of the economy. Oh, and the car market is outrageous right now. I wouldn’t buy anything brand new, just something nice and pre owned with low miles, but that still looks like it’ll run me $20k. I’m pretty dead set on only buying Honda or Toyota because they are the most reliable in my opinion. It feels like a lose-lose situation of keep buying used cars that don’t last, or buy a newer car that might last and will add on a big monthly payment and higher insurance cost.

People say financing a car keeps you broke and is a bad investment because it depreciates as soon as you drive it home, but I’m thinking the peace of mind from not worrying about breaking down constantly would be worth it. I would love any advice or insight on this because I’m just totally lost here.

Hey everyone,

​I’m 30 now, but mentally I don't feel anywhere near this age.

It makes me feel so broken. Chronologically, the number says 30, but inside I just don't feel like an adult at all.

​Honestly, I feel like time just slipped right through my fingers. Most of my 20s went by in a blur because I wasn't really working and I was basically stuck in a total survival mode. The days just kind of vanished into nothingness, and I didn't actually get a chance to build a normal life or grow up. On top of that, my parents never really looked out for me or gave me the support I needed back then.

For many years I suffered from deep mental distress that made it so hard for me to progress or function day-to-day, and nobody helped me.

​Because of all this, mentally I don't feel like I'm anywhere near 30. I don't feel like an adult at all.

​Lately, people around me—like a psychologist I saw, and a friend—have been telling me that "that's just how it is" and that I have to start adjusting myself to my actual age. They keep saying I can't expect my parents to take care of me like a teenager anymore, and that I should probably think about moving out of my parent's house so I can finally "step up" and act my age.

​What makes it even harder is how other people react to me in real life. Sometimes, when people see that I still need help with basic stuff, or when I act or react in a way that feels way younger, they literally look at me in total shock.

Some people have literally yelled at me: "Come on, seriously?! You're 30 years old, how can you act like this?!"

The truth is, I don't even have any desire or ambition to align myself with this age. I have no dream of being a 30-year-old who lives and progresses like a typical 30-year-old. I am simply sad about the time that has passed, and I have zero interest in viewing myself as a 30-year-old woman.

​It makes me feel so misunderstood and frustrated. Is it really that impossible to understand that a number on an ID doesn't automatically mean you feel or function like a full adult?

growing up, i was taught to grow up and live 2 lives.. one taught by my father who said grow up and marry a nice wealthy man who will then take care of you, one taught by my mother who told me to be independent and never rely on a man.
Today i am 25 years old in india, unemployed for the past 3 months, neither married nor independent living with my parents.
Nobody shames me for being unemployed, but everyone does, iykyk..
and today, i dont want to work because i need money or independence, i want to work so that i have no time to think or see the realities everyone around me present for me. Some call me a failure, some call me a loser, some call me a coward, some call me lazy.. and all of these names, probably given to me by me. i hate seeing my own face in the mirror. i am nowhere close to where i thought i'd be when i grow up.

I recently provided my one week notice in a role I have been in for about 6 months.

I had a discussion with the director in person, and said that Wednesday would be my last day. I also sent an email out to confirm that it would be the Wednesday in line with my notice period.

Wednesday came, and no one seemed to know it was my last day. My manager left the office to go home in a rush and did not even say good bye. The director also did not know, and it wasn’t until I was handing in my stuff, he realised.

I feel like this is my fault, should I have reminded them?

I've been depressed. Please DM

i can have a pretty normal workday, close my laptop, and then suddenly remember three emails i needed to answer, someone i promised to follow up with, and a task i completely forgot about.

somehow my brain waits until i'm finally relaxing to start working properly.

i've tried keeping notes and making to-do lists, but the problem is remembering to actually check them throughout the day.

how do you guys manage all the little follow-ups and random tasks without feeling like you're constantly forgetting something?

29F
I’m currently very happy being single and genuinely enjoy my own company. I’m not actively looking for a relationship, and I don’t feel like I need one to be happy right now.

However, I sometimes get anxious when I think about the future, particularly when I imagine being in my 40s or 50s and still being single. I worry that it will become much more difficult to meet someone compatible as I get older.

Part of me wants to enjoy the present and not worry about something that hasn’t happened yet, but another part of me worries that I might regret not putting more effort into finding a partner while I’m younger.

How do I get back into dating at 33? I only go to the gym and work. Before being single…again, I was with my husband for 12 years. Most times, I just want to makeout with someone but men my age only seem to want a sexual relationship.

Hello, I’m 24M and my life right now at my parents’ home is falling apart rapidly. It’s a long story, but I can’t stay here much longer. My grandfather left me some money in his will, around $150,000. I don’t have job experience. Where I live, there isn’t really any work outside of temp warehouse or factory jobs, (maybe a grocery store or fast food if you’re lucky) and even those are a bit of a hike as I have no car. I’m not used to having money at all. Milwaukee is the closest city near me and I’m thinking of going there.

My question is, what should I do to stretch my money as far as it can go? How do I get work so I’m not draining my inheritance? I don’t want to be in a situation where I drain all my funds in hotels and airbnbs until I’m forced to move back with my parents. I’d really appreciate some advice.

edit: Added a paragraph because I had more to say

I’m 19M so obviously many of you still see me as a child. Regardless, I have adult bills, an adult amount of working hours and adult worries. Just two years ago I was 17 having the time of my life. It feels so far away now.

From 15 to 17 I had so much fun. I was surrounded by friends and was pretty independent considering my age. I went to a very good school but I blew my opportunity there because I was too busy smoking weed and drinking. I certainly had my emotional rollercoasters and I haven’t forgotten about those. But man, I had so much fun. I had so much community. Life felt exciting, each time I met someone new we could immediately start flirting or making friends. I didn’t worry about much besides my grades. I have so many photos from this time because so many moments throughout my day were worthy of capturing. My camera roll is empty now.

All I do is work. I need to pay off the car and then pay off my credit cards so I can go to school… With a full time job on top of it. I recently got promoted so I have a pretty cushy and well paid job (for someone my age,) but man, I feel so empty inside. I have nobody in my life anymore. Most days I keep myself busy enough to forget what life used to look like and how depressing it is now. I do 50-60 hour weeks and my coworkers are all much older than me to where I can’t really form a friendship bond with them in the same way I did in school. Like we get along well and have good conversations, but there is still a line between me and a my 40 something year old coworkers for good reason. School was so fun and after school was so fun. Now I just try to get through the day.

Today I did what I’m not supposed to do and went through my camera roll. It made me cry. There are so many photos of genuine happiness, laughter, smiles, random funny things, me with groups of people. I used to have a friend group that all had pictures of the group as our lock screen photo! Now when I have something to share I open my phone just to close it again because I realize I have nobody left to share it with. Every day used to feel free but now I’m tied down with adult worries. I don’t know how I can do this for 6 more decades, man…. It feels like life will never be that fun again.

There is no way to regain that sense of community I had in high school where you’re surrounded by friends all day and then get to roam free with them when the bell rings. It felt like an adventure every day. The workplace just isn’t like that. I don’t know if any place is like that. How am I ever supposed to meet people if just having a full time job sucks up all my time? When I go back to school on top of it, it will genuinely be impossible. Do adults even get to have community?

I kind of knew this was going to happen too. It wasn’t that hard to predict. I knew that money was going to have to go before everything else because I need to survive. But I don’t know if I can get back what I had after I get a comfortable career. I dreaded turning 18 because of what I knew it meant, and the closer I got to it the more unstable and less responsible I became because I wanted to get as much fun as I could in before I had to hurry and grow up.

In my first real, important role my manager was absolutely lovely and trusted me so much that she gave me quite a lot of responsibility, autonomy, and exposure from early on. By the end of my first year I was frequently presenting to other teams, and by the end of the second I was doing solo presentations to executives. It was very nerve-wrecking for me, and looking back I think it’s what made me leave and take on more menial jobs that felt like they had lower stakes.

I am pursuing an opportunity that arose to potentially re-enter the field and do something similar to last time, but the idea of getting back into this is making me nervous. I love the idea of having a lower stakes job, but for my financial future I feel I have to get over this

I’ve reached that stage in life where I want good skin, a strong body, financial freedom, peace, and absolutely no unnecessary drama. 😂

I’m into Pilates, beauty, fitness, and figuring life out while looking cute doing it.

But here’s my question:

What’s one thing you stopped caring about as you got older that completely changed your life?

Because mine is definitely other people’s opinions. 💋

Hey everyone,
I’m 22 years old, and honestly, I’ve been spiraling a bit lately. Because of some really dumb life choices over the last few years, I feel like I’ve completely ruined my life before it’s even properly started.
When I look around, it feels like everyone else is figuring things out, and I’m just stuck recovering from my own mistakes. It’s making me incredibly anxious about the future.
My question to those who are older or further along: Do your twenties actually determine how the rest of your life i going to be? Or is it still possible to completely turn things around?

Did anyone else feel like an absolute trainwreck at 22 and still manage to build a good, stable life later on? I could really use some honest perspective or some tough love right now. Thanks.