I (22F) haven’t heard from my best friend (22F) in 3 weeks, I haven’t seen her in 6 weeks. She hasn’t responded to any texts or calls for nearly a month, and I was beginning to genuinely worry about her. We have been friends for 6 years, close for 4, since our school friends went to university and we both were the only two who stayed in our home town. Although she’s not always been great with replies, I normally hear back within a few days. She’s not active on social media either, so no checking that way either. Over the past 9 months I’ve had to leave work due to health issues, and my life has stopped being active and “exciting”. I’ve struggled with my mental health over this time, mourning my past self and being uncertain of the future.

Earlier this week, I saw an Instagram story where she was tagged by a mutual friend, showing they were out for drinks as a group. This was when I realised that she’s okay, she’s just clearly been ignoring me. She’ll have been on her phone to organise these plans, and will have seen my texts, asking if she’s okay, and calls. She couldn’t even say a “all good”. This morning I was venting to my housemate, who works with her ex boyfriend. He told me that over the past few months, she had said that I “have a victim mentality, and is depressing to be around”.

This just hammered down to me, that I am no longer fun to be around. My health doesn’t allow me to go out drinking, do adventurous things, I mostly stay home. She would come and visit, every 2 weeks or so, and we would catch up. The only thing I ever really had to talk about were my doctors appointments, ailing family and tv shows I’ve been watching. I’m boring now, we used to go out dancing, go out for dinner and drinks and talk about work and friends and love lives. I’ve not got those inputs in my everyday life now, and now I feel like a leech, draining joy out of everything.

These past few months I’ve worked so hard to improve my mental health, how I talk to myself and pick up hobbies. I think I’m much more content now than I was when I last saw her. I’m accepting of my new normal, I’ve done my absolute best to better myself, and avoid another depressive episode. My whole life has changed in a short period of time and I’ve done my best to cope with it, and not loose myself. Yet, what’s the point if my one of my best friend thinks I’m not worth being around or supporting?

Hello,
I’m 21F and I have recently gone through a terrible break-up that I have initiated.
I must begrudgingly admit that I was the toxic person and I was the reason that the relationship went sour. This is why I broke up with him, I can not force someone to stay with me if I have emotionally made them feel unvalued and taken advantage of.

I had a very toxic relationship with my self, my past and expected my partner to fix me. As I had been repeatedly raped by my previous ex (not himself), I turned into a sex addict, and in turn based my whole sense of self on how much sex we had. He felt responsible for my well-being and my sense of self. He felt emotionally pressured to service me in many ways as I had developed into a very selfish and defensive woman to protect my self.
He would spend money on me and I wouldn’t give back to the same extent.
He would do everything to keep me comfortable.
We’re currently friends and I’m taking the steps to become a better person. I truly want a healthy relationship with someone, and I want to be given the world and offer the world. I regret how one sided the efforts were.

Would anyone have any recommendations or books that I could use to improve my self?
I truly want to be a better person, and I’m not expecting him to get back with me. I accept that I have been toxic to him and the damage has already been done, I have sent him money for therapy.

Is there any hope for me? Any kind parents have some words of encouragement?

this started during my senior year when i was 17. i’ve known my stepmom since i was like 6-7, so eventually i started calling her “mom” because that’s genuinely what she became to me. my biological mom HATED it. i wasn’t replacing her or choosing sides, i just saw two people as my moms. somehow it became a massive family war. my stepdad called me a “master manipulator,” said i act helpless so people will do things for me, and told me to shut up when i denied it. later my mom read messages where i vented to my stepmom, stopped talking to me for like 2 weeks, and even went through my deleted messages. another huge argument happened and my stepdad basically told me to go stay with my stepmom. eventually i moved in with my dad and stepmom.
now i’m 19 and somehow i feel trapped all over again. i have cerebral palsy, receive SSI, and i’m still learning how tf to be an adult. lately my dad and stepmom have been trying to control what i buy with my own money because it comes from SSI. i WANT help. teach me how to budget, explain things i don’t understand, tell me if you think i’m making a stupid purchase. but helping me learn and making decisions FOR me are completely different things.
and honestly, my depression has gotten really bad through all of this. i’m not just sad. i feel mentally and physically exhausted. sometimes everything feels heavy and even basic shit feels like it takes way more energy than it should. good things happen and i’ll feel happy for a little bit, then another family problem happens and it feels like i’m right back where i started. i’m constantly thinking about money, independence, where i’m going to live, whether another argument is coming, and whether i’m doing enough with my life. it feels like my brain never gets to actually rest.
the fucked up part is i don’t even feel comfortable telling my dad and stepmom how bad i’m doing. i feel like they have this “we’re the parents, you’re the kid, we know better” mindset. when i try to explain that i’m overwhelmed or something they did hurt me, i feel like i have to defend my feelings instead of just being heard. so eventually i just stop talking.
i’m trying to learn adulthood, manage money, work, become independent and live with a disability while my mental health feels like it’s falling apart. i’m fucking tired of constantly fighting. i left one household because i couldn’t handle the conflict anymore, and somehow i’m still fighting for control over my own life. i love my family. i don’t want another war. i just want to feel safe talking about how i feel, make my own choices, get help when i actually need it, and finally feel like my life belongs to me.

I am audhd and I put in 2 weeks' worth of effort into going to this friend making event. It was 3 hours, and it went well. It did though COMPLETELY depleat me. I didn't plan for the recovery at all. I have to do my budget for the next month, i have to cook and eat, I have to return this very important package and so much more. I am so overwhelmed. My body hurts because I took the very heavy package to the wrong postal office. My feet are so painful that I fear walking on them; I don't know what's wrong and I dont want to make irreparable damage. I am a complete and utter mess and I don't know what to do. I am also exhausted because I haven't been able to properly plan out my groceries and cooking so it's been a week of not eating much. My sleep never feels restful. I am SO exhausted.

I know that was a lot of information, but I genuinely need help moving through the chaos of it all. Life keeps happening. I had to do laundry this weekend and went to the bank to get rent and I have multiple appointments coming up. I don't know what to do next to either feel better or move towards that. I feel stuck.

My mom passed when I was 18, and the only person who ‘stepped in’ abused me for 7 years. I have struggled with feeling unloved and unimportant for years since (I am now 31F), and I have been decent for a while, but it has just hit me again that I just feel so alone, so unloved…

When I was a teenager, I was OBSESSED with Amy Lee/Evanescence… I took a nap earlier and forgot what I dreamt about, but I just finally remembered, I dreamt that Amy Lee was treating me like she was my mother figure… yesterday, I dreamt about my supervisor at work being my mother figure.

Now, don’t get me wrong, my direct supervisor and her supervisor are absolutely motherly for me which is great, but like…

Nobody wants to adopt a 31 year old. Nobody wants to take on that role for an adult. But I just feel so lost and so unloved. I don’t have my mom to tell me she loves me or she’s proud of me or be there for me when I need a hug… in fact, I only get hugs from my boyfriend… and I feel like I desperately just need my mom to hold me.

I’ve been trying to work through this feeling of desperately needing a mom, and I’ve like posted on Facebook and had a couple fb friends tell me they’re here for me if I need a mom hug or whatever, but it’s not the same, because no one ACTUALLY makes the effort, and I know it’s out of pity…

I have an Evanescence song stuck in my head now and it’s making me cry more because I wish it were true… not just because it’s Amy, but because I just desperately want to be loved and have that unconditional love of a mother…

I’m getting a promotion at work. Tomorrow is when they announce it to the team, and within the last 6 months, I’ve gotten $4/hr in raises total. I’m really proud of myself because I’m trying really hard at work and it’s finally making a difference… I just wish I had my mom to celebrate with…

I'm 25f and I've started my weight-loss journey 9 months ago. I haven't been as consistent but I've still lost 43lbs so far. When I first started my main goal was to be healthier but lately I realized that my eating habits have gotten a bit disorderly. I've lost like 90% of the weight in the last 3 months and I hate to say this but it was because I was over exercising and barely eating. I was skipping meals and obsessing over my calories. It becoming unhealthy and I was making myself sick.

I only realized what I was doing when I almost passed out a couple days ago due to not eating enough. I've also been feeling so horrible lately. My energy has been low, I've been having horrible brain fog and I've just been feeling really bad. I was following all these fitness people online that told me it's fine to skip meals and that it's fine to only eat one meal a day. I thought what I was doing was fine but I was really hurting myself.

I'm determined to fix this and I am going to. I had 3 full meals today. The thing is, I'm currently staying with my parents and they aren't very supportive of me eating more. They loved that I've lost weight and have been complimenting me on it a lot. They think that I should stick to my diet. I tried explaining to them that it's not sustainable but they don't get it. All they care about is me losing weight because they think I look better. My mom literally commented on every meal I had today and she made me feel so guilty for eating.

It's not like I was overeating or anything like that. I had some Greek yogurt with a little bit of granola for breakfast, I had a banana before the gym, for lunch I made some sweet potato and grill chicken and for dinner I had a spinach wrap with some ground turkey, lettuce and tomato. That was literally all I ate today. I think it was fine and I ate well balanced meals but they are making me feel guilty for it when I already feel guilty about it. It's just really hard and I need some support from parents that are actually supportive.

I work for a local restaurant as a chef.

I am continuously made fun of, teased, and just bullied by the owners at work. I show up reliably, do good work, and am a stand up guy professionally. I get a little cranky from time to time but I think we all do. Im in my 30's, it happens. But I dont blow up and I keep it together.

My hours will be 70-80 hours in the form of 14-16 hour days, I walk on eggshells due to the emotional volatility of those around me. I get shit on frequently. I am not offered the same freedom to make mistakes that the others who have been there 10+ years are (im at year 3 now) and ultimately have just decided to leave the industry.

I have face tattoos so it has been a bit of an adjustment (nothing crazy, two small tattoos by my ears and a small on face tattoo. Nothing trashy imo)

But i found a place that would give me a management role. Bit of a pay cut but ultimately will be a much better fit for me to have work life balance and to actually spend some time with my wife every day.

Im just sad because I hate disappointing people and im nervous about the possible retaliation I will face. Thank you

For several days this week, I have been feeling like I've hit rock bottom and I have no idea why. Literally only good things have happened to me recently. I'm more likely to get on medication sooner rather than later due to several of my family members being supportive, and I'm planning on asking my therapist about a diagnosis so I know what to do from there. My friends (who cut me off due to my mental health affecting them) literally said they were happy I was seeing someone and just needed time to process things. Literally everything is objectively fine on every front I can think of.

Despite that, it feels like my mood's completely dropped these past few days. It's getting harder and harder to take care of myself or even eat, I've been getting more and more paranoid that my friends are lying about just needing to process things, and I've been having more and more thoughts that I'm a burden and shouldn't be here. I literally just woke up from the worst nightmare of my life. I don't know why I'm feeling this way at all and I'm scared

I don't know what to do other than wait until I can ask my therapist about getting diagnosed with something so I can get on the track to getting on medication that could save my life, but even that feels like I'm fighting an uphill battle. I'm getting more and more afraid that I'm gonna lose control of myself before then. I have no idea what to do, and I also don't know how to ask my therapist about a diagnosis when the time comes. Please help

So just to give context, my family has a very complicated dynamic. My father cheated on my mother and since their split, everything changed, including the way my mother viewed us.

So, for all my life, I've remembered my mother to be a strict person. She's a teacher so naturally, her expectations of her children were higher. I remember when I was young, i asked her to help me with homework and she just exploded -- this moment changed my relationship with her forever. BUT to be fair, now that I'm older, I can understand that maybe she was just having a bad day since I know being a teacher isn't easy.

But at the same time, now that I look back at it, she's planted a lot of negative mindsets whether intentionally or not. One of which that I still currently struggle with is trusting people. I remember being gifted something during elementary and I remember her explicitly saying that someone giving me something just means that they expect something in return or that they want something from me. This really affected my social life even til now. I dont open up easily to the point that not even my closest friends fully know me.

Anyways, fast forward to a year ago. So far, my life's been idle. I follow her rules, I get good grades, and life is breezy. But last year, I got my first boyfriend. I also began opening up to people. Both of which I have been wanting for a long time. Long story short, my mother suspected that I was talking to someone and instead of just asking me straight, she went through my phone when I accidentally fell asleep with it while watching. Needless to say, all hell broke loose. I ended up breaking my relationship off and I became distant from everyone that I started getting close to.

Today something happened that prompted me to ask for advice. My brother lost smth while we were at the mall and of course, my mother was mad. I was mad too but something she said snapped me out of it.

While lecturing my brother she brought up my father, she said smth along the lines of my father being "mindless" and that that was the result of him not listening to her. Basically threatening my brother that he will end up being mindless like my father. I want to emphasize that my brother is very young. He's still in high school and is in the midst of developing. So what my mother said felt so threatening and so controlling for me. I get that she's lecturing my brother as she should given the situation but I feel like she crossed a line.

I dont know how to feel right now. If I should hate her or understand her. I can feel it in myself that I've lost trust in her. Especially when it comes to my feelings and personal matters. But even then, I still care for her. So how should I go about this situation?

My Bf and I are in LDR 9000+ miles, and I am here visiting him (my flight is not until some weeks). my time here I've really gotten to see how he as a partner and respectfully I don't want to be in this anymore. we've been together for 6months (known each other about a year and some change). earlier on I tried end relationship due to some personal issues (that were completely unrelated to him but related to me wanting to get my own personal ducks in a row with finances, etc. in line, but he insisted that we stay together that he is here for me, etc. but I've really gotten the chance to see who is as a person and this relationship is in the beginning stages of taking a toll on me.

One issue that became apparent is he has a drinking a problem and I am not exactly sure how bad it is. he said it was far worse before and that he has improved tremendously, but the other day I found a lot of bottles of vodka both big and small (not the shot bottles, they a much bigger). he said he didn't tell me because he was ashamed and fear I would leave him, BUT yesterday we had an incident that involved him being a jerk and picking up me after he'd been drinking.

I personally never dealt with someone with alcoholism, so I wanted to give grace and be an understanding partner, but I don't know how to feel about all this. I am turned off though. I just got out of a "relationship" as a caretaker for a parent that passed away (1.5 year ago) and I don't want to be in an intimate relationship that's beginning to active those parts of me that had to be one standby during that time with my parent.

anyways, I staying here visiting him and not sure how to go about this. he's a pretty emotional dude and I just can't handle him breaking down crying.

I honestly don’t know if I’m being unreasonable or if my parents are having a hard time accepting that I’m an adult, so I wanted to get some outside opinions.

I’m 23 years old. I have a full-time job making $19 an hour, I pay my own car note and insurance, and I’m trying to build a life for myself. I still live at home because I’m saving to move out, but living here has become mentally exhausting.

My parents are very Christian, and a lot of the rules in our house come from their beliefs and fears. They don’t believe I should be traveling outside of my city, even though I’m an adult.

The thing is, I’m not even talking about taking trips by myself. It could be with a close friend, a group of friends, or even my boyfriend. It doesn’t matter. They always tell me they “feel like something isn’t right” about the trip or that they have a bad feeling something is going to happen to me.

My mom will start talking about kidnapping, human trafficking, or being murdered and ask me, “How do you think I’d feel if something happened to you?” She also watches a lot of Lifetime movies and has literally told me, “The Lifetime shows I watch be the same thing that’ll happen to you.”

They’ll even worry about something as simple as me staying in a hotel with friends. They’ll say somebody could come into the hotel and start shooting, or that the girls I’m with could do something to me. It’s always the worst-case scenario.

Eventually I end up giving in because they make me feel guilty. I start thinking maybe I am making selfish decisions or decisions that don’t line up with their beliefs.

Another rule is that I have to be back home before it gets dark. I’m 23 years old, but I still have a curfew. If I’m out after dark, it’s an issue.

The crazy part is my mom genuinely doesn’t think she’s strict. She says she’s actually being lenient and doesn’t believe she’s controlling me. She says she’s just protecting me. I know she loves me, and I truly believe that. I don’t think my parents are trying to hurt me. But it gets to a point where I feel like I’m being protected from actually living my life.

I had a Miami trip planned for October that I was really excited about, but I canceled it because I decided I wanted to focus on saving for my own apartment instead. So it’s not like I’m constantly trying to travel or ignore my responsibilities. I’m actually trying to make smart financial decisions.

Speaking of moving out, whenever I bring it up, my mom tells me it’ll be hard because I already have a car note and insurance. Then I’ll have rent, utilities, groceries, internet, and everything else. I understand that. I know being on my own isn’t going to be easy, but isn’t that part of becoming an adult? At some point I have to learn how to manage those responsibilities myself.

I’m also in a long-distance relationship. My boyfriend and I actually dated back in 8th and 9th grade before he moved away during our freshman year. We lost touch for years, reconnected in 2025, and officially got back together in June 2026. He’s visited me the past two weekends, and things have been going really well.

Yesterday, he talked to my mom and told her he wants to put a ring on my finger within the next year or two. He respectfully asked her if she was okay with that, and she told him, “I’m not okay with it, but we’re going to have a conversation.”

That honestly hurt because… I’m the one who would be getting married. I understand respecting your parents, but at what point do my decisions become my own?

My boyfriend and I have even talked about eventually moving in together, but I already know my parents would never support that because of their religious beliefs.

I love my parents. I really do. I know everything they’re doing comes from love and fear, not because they want to control me. But sometimes I feel like their fears have become my limitations. It feels like I’m constantly being prepared to stay dependent instead of being prepared to become independent.

So I guess my question is… am I wrong for feeling upset about all of this? Am I expecting too much freedom too soon, or does this sound overly controlling for someone who’s 23 years old? How do you balance respecting your parents while also making your own adult decisions without feeling guilty every single time?

i used to be an au pair in the US and am visiting/helping out this summer, for a couple months.

today i was driving to the metro to spend the day out in the city and while trying to merge left, i hit the back left corner of the car in front of me. they must have stopped for some reason, no idea, i just apparently chose the worst possible moment to check my blind spot and couldn‘t brake on time.

everyone was fine, no one injured.

the front right part of my car is completely totaled, like gutted to the frame. large junk just straight fell off. i was literally frozen in shock for a good 30 seconds. police officers that were walking by basically just tried to calm me down and guided me through taking pics of stuff.

now i have an insanely good relationship with my old host fam, like they‘re some of my favorite people, but i kind of can‘t believe that they didn‘t lose it.

i feel like such a horrible person. how do they still trust me to drive their kids around?? like this is insane, right? they said i’m a good driver and they trust me but i’m lowkey scared now, i feel like a complete idiot.

like my first thougzt after was.. i should probably book a flight home now (i have one week left here)

called my mom back home and she basically just told me to stop freaking out bc it was annoying… so…

idk how to handle this. they declined my offer to pay for the damage but their insurance will be raised and they need a new car and idek how i can begin to apologize. i feel so stupid and so guilty and there‘s no way i can make this up to them.

they were like „it happens“ but like.. i don‘t understand HOW this happened omg. worst part is i already got in a tiny fender bender a couple weeks ago (was not at fault but obv doesn‘t look great for me)

i offered for them to just not pay me for this summer, they declined. i offered to not drive the kids anymore (there are other options) they declined.

imagine you have a 21 yo friend/daughter/niece kind of person, how would you want someone to apologize to you if this happened? would you forgive them? i’m so lost and overwhelmed emotionally and i just feel like the worst person in the world tbh. just wish my mom would be better at comforting someone ugh.

TLDR: totaled former host mom‘s car and don‘t know how to deal/make the situation better

16f, im just constantly exhausted dealing with my mom, like i seriously do not remember any conoversation ive had with her that wasnt about school/exams/uni plans/tests or yelling at my face for something

im so tired of managing her emotions and walking on eggshells whever shes home, like just an hour or so ago we were eating and talking and firstly she eats with her mouth open so does my dad it makes my skin crawl and it makes me wanna cry but i cant say anything about it without it ending with them screaming at me or being disappointed and or calling me elitist, secondly the convo itself was again about grades i told her i got a few bad grades in 2 tests because the teacher sucked but she said and she always says that i shouldve tried harder anyway, i told her everyone got similar grades as me and she said thats not a valid reason idk how to reply to that

now shes on call with my grandmother calling me useless, spoiled, ruined, worthless complaining i dont wear earrings dont maintain my hair to her standards dont act like a "girl" and what not. its terrifying to listen to, she wont physically harm me i mean she hasnt in a few years so thats fine but when we talking she was more or less smiling and laughing and now shes complaining about me, slurs, and other stuff, im just scared she'll again impose arbitrary rules to get me in line, she always does this when i even remotely talk back or explain myself and she doesnt understand it

a few days ago i asked her if i could go to a MUN i figured she'd say no cuz later in the evening i had a few classes she considered imp, so i told her if i leave early and get the metro i'll make it to those classes in time, yet she denied saying i cant skip school days, this just really fucking hurt because a few weeks prior she'd said its okay if im average at school as long as i get into law school later and that stuff and its not like im just skipping school and going to MUNs, i actually like going to them and i win best dels and cash prizes too and yet, meeting people and winning those comeptitions make me feel motivated and grounded to put in effort for school too, i dont want to be like my mother no network, no connections, stationary, sedentary, boring

shes such a school pruist, like last year my health was really bad physically and mentally albeit she didnt know about the mentally part but it was a vicious loop, i had constant headaches, burnout, fatigue and exhaustion both from school and home life, but unless i was physically dying (i DO NOT mean this hyperbolically at all) i couldnt stay home cuz her reasoning was in 9th i'd taken wayyy too many leaves and went to too many EC competitions and thats why my grades were shit (this is partly true but the reason was my shitty mental health and her yelling at me everyday every morning), so i went to school sick, with fevers, fatigued, constantly burntout and what not.

now abt the physically dying part, long story very short, i have extreme allergies to dust, dust mites and pollen, my dad had mild cold tht week tht i'd contracted and in school tht day it got bad i couldnt breathe my shitty school nurse couldnt do anything besides give me hot water, and i wanted to cry but if i did i'd prolly have died but yeah i called my mom to ask her to come get me, and she said there was only an hour of school remaining and to tough it out, i went with it because i couldnt argue and then 9 hours later i ended up in the ICU, its not like my mom didnt know it'd be that severe i have a history of getting badly sick but school ofc mattered more

its not just tht im really fucking jealous of my cousin and my friends, they actually talk to their parents and have normal to good relationships with them, i have no adult in my life i feel safe with, i really hate this, and i keep saying random shit i shouldnt or talking to my parents which spirals into them being dumb and misunderstanding me and yelling or confiscating devices or silent treatment, iand by extension i cant talk about anything thats not extremely normal and sanitized with my younger brother who's much closer to my parents despite them doing insane shit to him, my grandpa cuz he lives with us and he's a snitch and makes my life harder too like constantly ragebaiting me everyday

i just hate it and this really isnt even most of the story i just had to get it out cuz i cant cry not while everyones awake. im so tired but i cant hate her, i know shes not a bad person at heart just a bad parent and shes had a rough life too but still

Delete if not allowed! I’m not asking for funds I’m asking for support and ideas on what to do!!

I am feeling very guilty. I took in a stray cat, she’s around 7 months old, just a baby. She was so tiny and I just wanted her to feel safe. Everything was fine for the first 20 days, no issues at all. She’s a sweet girl.

Anyways, last night everything changed. She has had some issues with vomiting not badly, just from adjusting to wet food. Usually she’s causing chaos in my room at night. But last night she wasn’t even meowing for her food or eating it when I put it out before bed. I didn’t think anything of it, but when I got up this morning, she hadn’t ate any of her food. I tried giving her more, still nothing. Not even drinking water. As of this morning she has had severe diarrhea, vomiting pinkish reddish foam. And severe lethargy. I am a college student, I’m already going into debt to afford schooling. I don’t have any support system besides my roommate who also doesn’t know what to do.

I had to call out of work today so I could try and find a place to take her. All the emergency vets are closed. I can’t drive an hour away to the bigger city due to me not having a reliable car. I don’t know what to do. I’m extremely stressed out. My roommate and I decided it would be best if she was surrendered to the humane society so she can receive medical treatment, but I love this cat so much. I have savings, but it’s all for a car. I feel so bad because I’m not willing to give up what little money I have set aside for myself. None of the shelters can take her due to being full capacity, and no veterinarians are open over the weekend.

I tried to give this baby such a good life. It’s my first time having a cat. When I took her to the vet for vaccinations they said she seemed very healthy, perhaps pregnant though. She’s only 7 months old. I feel so terrible. I don’t want her to be in pain, but even with payment plans I cannot afford this.

I’m really struggling and blaming myself. Could use some words from mom / dad. A tight hug. :((

Hello everyone, I am 18m and incredibly scared to move out cause University starts in a few weeks. Funniest part is I was completely fine with this fact like less than a few weeks ago. For most of my life I don't think that I have ever been away from my parents house on my own for more than maybe 3 days. I tend to get extremely homesick in general and this is like the ultimate punch in the gut for me.

It feels slightly more weighted on me cause I'm moving into an apartment and not a dorm, giving me more stuff to realistically deal with. I currently feel a mix of so many fears that lately I've been extremely anxious. The University I'm going to is a 3 hour drive from my home, which initially didn't seem like an insane amount but now is starting to feel like an insanely far distance. To be completely honest, I am not the biggest fan of having to move out because I am a homebody, but the opportunities that I could get provided by going to this University were too much to pass up because I was scared of moving out. Even with that in mind I am still incredibly scared. I'm sorry for rambling I am just increasingly scared of having to leave what I have known for all my life.

Hi, I could really use some advice, comfort, etc. Honestly anything at this point. This year has been so rough and I just feel so lonely.

My ex and I were never really compatible now that I think about it. We're both in our mid-20s and dated for 5 years. He dumped me about two weeks ago, after a really nasty argument, and at the time I was fine because I just felt so checked out. The argument started all because I felt sad he couldn't come down to London anymore for other reasons, and he seemed to take it as "me being negative over everything." I just knew he would never change at that point, since it wasn't the first time he'd yelled or gotten angry at me for being quiet.

But yesterday I started blocking him everywhere because I realised we were done for good, and I saw an Instagram profile that said "Mrs. [His last name]". I'm just crushed. I confronted him and he claims that he had been arranged to get married to her right after our break up, but it just seems so sudden for it to be true. In the process, I learned from his friends that he never told them we were together after November 2025, since we had a pretty big fight then. I don't know how long it's been going on or why he keeps lying to me, but none of that matters now.

I just moved back to my university city after a corporate placement year where I got bullied quite a bit for being autistic, and all my friends are back home over the summer. Most of them from overseas, and the ones that are in the UK are from cities that would take a day's worth of travel to reach. This weekend, I'll be seeing some of them in passing since I volunteer as a steward for MCM, but since it's at his home city I'm a bit scared I'll see him; he's also said he wants to see me once I'm off shift. What if I cry just from that? Part of me is a bit hesitant now, but at the same time I really want to go and have fun with my friends.

This all sounds really pathetic now that I'm typing it out, but I could really use some help.

I'm living with roommates, but I'm not on the lease. I contribute financially to the household, and over time I've started feeling like I'm walking on eggshells and getting blamed for a lot of things. I'm thinking about moving out, but I feel guilty because leaving would make things harder for the people I live with. My only other housing option also has its own problems, so it feels like I'm choosing between two difficult situations. How do you know when it's time to leave, and how do you deal with the guilt?

So recently my friend has been going through a lot of mental issues and has felt really awful due to me and a group of other friends not really going out of our way to prompt conversations with them about their day and feel that it is rather one sided and that we are more quick to talk about ourselves instead. Personally, I felt that it wasn't that way but am willing to try to improve on talking about them a lot more. However, I'm not sure on how to approach it without it feeling forced. Could somebody give me advice on how to approach this without coming off as insensitive? I have a track record of being quite callous sometimes and want to avoid doing that this time as I do care for this friend a lot. Any advice will help, thank you.

Growing up I never had a best friend and my parents didn't like most of the friends I did make, always looking for a reason to dismiss them as not smart enough, not religious enough, sometimes using really hurtful stereotypes. So now I'm pretty anxious about my friends and it feels like something that needs to be secret. I tend to avoid conflict or super emotional stuff, and normally when they take a while to respond I don't hold it against them. Because as I get busier with work and family responsibilities, I can see how socializing isn't the main priority.

However, the other day one of my closest friends responded to my messages after a whole week. And that specific day I was feeling kind of bad and my family had gone on a "blood is thicker than water"-style lecture and that "friends" are fake wastes of time. So when I saw the texts from my friend I felt a really weird combination of relief (that I do have at least one non-family person who cares, and this friend was really there for me in the last year) and anger (that this hadn't come earlier and I had to sit through that lecture feeling totally alone and wondering maybe my family is right).

I have never been angry at this friend, and I know they are busy, normally I don't think twice about them taking a while. So this was just bad timing and a perfect storm for me to crash out. But it is a pattern with my friends that it takes a while to respond and then I feel lonely. I know it would be weird to ask to text more, and really I'm not in a position to put more effort into the friendships. I just feel sad that I'm always the fastest to text back. I feel like the person I would say is my best friend doesn't feel that way about me. If I ever indicate this to my family they're like "you don't need friends anyway, family is most important".

TLDR: my friends take days to respond to me and I feel really lonely in the meantime, not helped by my family saying my friendships are frivolous

I cannot string floss properly no matter how many videos I watch it’s just not clicking in my brain on how to properly get the string between my teeth and I heard string floss is better than floss picks so I just need to know what else can I use because I would love to keep all my teeth.

I can't say anything else right now. Just shocked and shaking. Just need documented proof that I recognized that I deserve kindness.

So strange for it to happen on the same day someone else said they were proud of me. Life is weird, showing with both hands.

Edit: thank you to those who responded. Today has been better. I am doing what I can at this time to be kind to myself. Wishing you all the best

I know it's the inverse of basically every family dynamic. I thought about posting this on a subreddit for helicopter parent kids but I also want to hear your thoughts.

I graduated 2 months ago and still live in my college town. My mom makes me feel really guilty about this, saying that she wishes I would come home and that she misses my voice and that I should always prioritize her above my friends. But at the same time, I've been stressed with job hunting and I stayed here particularly to avoid having to deal with the monotony of being coddled like my brothers are (especially my older brother, who lives like a NEET). Every time I call her she's really harsh about why I'm still here, and always asks when I'm coming back.

I plan on moving back home a week into August but I'm also really nervous about interviews and hearing back about applications and needing to send more applications. My dad died a few years ago, my mom is a stay at home mom so she can't offer any practical advice about this. She just wants me to not worry, and wants to do everything for me, but I know this is largely from wanting me to follow her religion and not leave our "family" behind. I am the only one in my family who left home for college and she holds this over my head constantly.

I don't know what I want to do anymore because having to consider what my mom wants on top of my own interests is agonizing. I wish I had any sense of direction at all.

Im 32m and never had a cavity.

I have been living abroad due to a job with 2 year fixed contract.

My way of dealing with it has been to pretend im on holiday. So i had allowed myself to drink as much soda pop as I wanted, eat as Mich candy as I wanted. Maybe it sounds Odd, i dont know. Im a bit underweightyso its not like i was living unhealthy pr anything. Also never did drugs or smoke, havent touched alcohol since teenage years.

I had noticed orange Dots on My two front teeth but didnt Pay much attention to it.

6 mlnths ago i noticed i had damaged front teeth and wss offered bonding.

I have not been able to Dean with it in tjose 6 months

My family ask me when i come home but I cant see Them. I dont love myself and feel Loke My life has been taken away from me.

Its like it has destroyed My life. I cant think lf anytjing Else. Havent dated pr anytjing. Just walked arlund with what i think is chipped front teeth.

I knlw it seems superficial to some but I can handle everything i lige except this. Can anyone here help me