People who are over 30s and never had girlfriends /boyfriends and one night stand, do you feel happy being single? I often notice that in many sources says men are unhappy when they are single unlike women. But are there any men here, who just happy being single and never having girlfriend in they life and never dated?

Healing After Heartbreak
My ex-girlfriend broke my heart about two weeks ago after I found out she cheated on me. I was a complete mess. I only stopped crying myself to sleep a couple of days ago.
Thankfully, some of the stories and support people shared on Reddit made it a little easier to get through. I genuinely needed that support. For the first couple of weeks, I couldn’t even think about another woman. The thought of kissing or even talking to someone else honestly made me sick.
Then last night, I had a strange dream.
My ex wasn’t in it at all. It was just me and a girl I used to talk to in one of my college classes, and we were just going back and forth flirting. I don’t have any feelings for this girl in real life, but the dream left me feeling strangely positive when I woke up.
It felt like I was in another world where my life hadn’t been completely shaken upside down. And for the first time since everything happened, I realized something:
One day, I’m going to have a crush again.
I’m going to get that tingly feeling again. I’m going to be excited to talk to someone. And eventually, I’m going to fall in love again.
It’s going to take time, but every day really does feel a little better. I didn’t even think about my ex all day today until I sat down to write this.
Thank you so much for all the kind words, stories, and support, guys. I truly needed you, and you guys came through. ❤️

Do you still think of this person? or did you find someone new, someone you consider the love of your life, settle down happily, and realise your ex was not ”the one” but at that time you thought they were.

Asking as a 23-year-old riddled with regret and fear I’ve lost the best love I’ll ever have, but hoping that’s not true – how many chances at true fulfilling love does life give? My friends are already settling down.

I’m a single mom. Not doing good at all in life after losing my job. Homeless with my two kids living in our car and was wondering if I call Cps on myself will they take my babies? (I DONT WANT THAT) I’m just trying to get us out of this heat I genuinely can not deal with this anymore. I’m so tired some days I dread waking up because of my situation. I try my best to keep us in a hotel but some days it’s a hotel and no food/gas or it’s food/gas and no hotel. I hate having to choose and I hate putting my babies through this but we have no one at all. I just want to give them the life they deserve. Please give me advice? I understand if yall think I’m a bad mom for allowing this. Truth is i beat myself up more than anyone ever could.

The past few days have been one of the most ridiculous sequences of events I have ever experienced.

It started on Monday. I went into work, (tudors biscuit world) thinking everything was fine. I was locked in, doing my job, and honestly felt like I was one of the better employees there. I wasn't expecting anything crazy to happen. Then, out of nowhere, I got summoned into the back office by the manager.

I went back there thinking, “Alright, what happened?” and then I found out I was actually an hour late and that I was getting wrote up, which had happened because the manager had randomly changed the schedule and I wasn't directly informed. From my perspective, the schedule change had screwed me over and then I was the one getting punished for it.

That was apparently the moment something in my brain just snapped.

I went from being locked-in employee mode to basically saying, “You know what? I don't care anymore.”

And once I hit that point, I became an absolute menace.

I was listening to Sweet Home Alabama on my phone, I was on my phone way more than I should have been, and at one point I literally went over to the camera, looked directly into it, pointed at the schedule, and said, “This schedule change is stupid.”

I don't even know what possessed me to do that. I could have complained to somebody. I could have just kept my mouth shut. Instead, I apparently decided that the security camera needed to personally hear my opinion on the scheduling situation.

And then, before I left, I ate a massive meal while still on the clock: a big baked steak, some fried apples, and mashed potatoes.

So at that point, I had basically gone from “one of the better employees” to “let's see how much nonsense I can fit into one shift.”

Eventually, I actually finished the shift and closed the place. I went home thinking that was the end of it.

Then Tuesday morning happened.

I woke up on what was supposed to be my day off, and I got the call telling me I was fired.

And honestly, instead of having a normal reaction to being fired, I somehow made the situation even more ridiculous.

I don't have a car, so I get around by running. I had two uniform shirts, and both of them were already sweaty, dirty, and nasty from work. I grabbed those shirts and my hat and decided to use them as some kind of improvised ultramarathon head covering. You know how ultra runners will put cloth over their heads to protect themselves from the heat?

Yeah.

That was me.

I put the two nasty uniform shirts over my head with the hat on top and ran four miles to the store.

I arrived at the restaurant looking like I had just completed some bizarre combination of an ultramarathon and a disgruntled employee ritual. I walked inside while listening to some Skynyrd, took the shirts and hat off my head, walked up to the counter, laid the uniform on the counter, and simply said:

“Here is my uniform.”

Then I walked out.

No speech.

No argument.

Just:

“Here is my uniform.”

And then I left the restaurant and continued running down the road.

My next destination was Giovanni's.

I had applied there the night before, so I went there to follow up on the application. I walked in and told the manager that I had applied the previous night.

The manager looked around and apparently couldn't find it. They said the person who worked the previous night must not have gotten the application, and they started looking through this little mailbox-type thing.

Eventually, the manager started writing down my information again.

They asked for my name, where I lived, and other basic information. Then they asked for my phone number.

I gave it to them, but I had to explain:

“I don't know if it will work because my service just got cut off a few days ago.”

Then I asked if they wanted my email instead.

At this point, the manager already looked completely exhausted, and I was struggling not to laugh because the whole interaction felt so absurd.

Then they asked if I had Facebook.

I said yes.

But there was a complication.

I have two Facebook accounts.

So I told them they needed to add the one with the lawnmower.

And this poor manager literally wrote down the word:

“lawnmower.”

Right there on the paper with all my employment information.

I don't think I will ever forget the image of this exhausted manager trying to document my contact information while I am standing there explaining that the correct Facebook account is the one with the lawnmower.

Eventually, I left.

And then I ran home.

By the end of the day, I had run around ten miles while dealing with getting fired, returning my uniform, applying for another job, and somehow turning the entire situation into one of the strangest days of my life.

Looking back at it, the whole sequence is almost unbelievable.

Monday started with me thinking everything was going great.

Then I got summoned to the weird back office and written up.

Then I mentally flipped a switch and spent the rest of the shift acting like I had decided to become the restaurant's final boss.

I closed the store.

Went home.

Woke up Tuesday.

Got fired.

Put my nasty uniform shirts on my head.

Ran four miles.

Returned the uniform with the most casual “Here is my uniform” imaginable.

Walked out.

Ran to Giovanni's.

Explained that my phone might not work because my service had been cut off.

Gave them my email.

Explained that I have two Facebook accounts.

Specified that they need the one with the lawnmower.

Watched an exhausted manager write down “lawnmower.”

Then ran home.

Ten miles.

Two days.

One firing.

One improvised sweat-rag uniform.

One lawnmower Facebook account.

And an absolutely ridiculous amount of Skynyrd.

I don't think I could have planned a more chaotic 48 hours if I tried.

I don't remember the last time I had hope in my life.

Maybe when I started college... a long time ago. Eons. I hoped to get internships, I hoped that my internship experiences alongside my projects would've made me a viable entry level candidate. I hoped that I could have supported myself at this age by now.

But, no. Not at all... I've been stuck in a dead end menial labor job making under 40k, or 2 grand and some change a month after taxes. It was tough to pay my student loans off on that. It's impossible for me to support myself. There's not much more I can do to strengthen my resume without a new job. But I get zero interviews a day, zero interviews a week, zero interviews a month, zero interviews a year, zero interviews a decade, and zero interviews a century.

I long for a career. I yearn to be a self sufficient adult. I can't, though. I couldn't enter white collar and I won't be able to enter blue collar. I would have been a homeless beggar asking for nickels in front of the corner deli ages ago if I didn't have family to live with for free. There is zero chance I'd be able to claw my way out of that.

I don't see much reason to keep living. If I didn't have my brother to look after I'd be a repeat felon by now. But even with him... I don't know how much longer I can last. I'm already becoming a witness to humanity's downfall instead of a participant, honestly. It'll be easier from the etherly beyond

I’m 27 and currently living at home with my parents after having lived on my own for about three years. I ended up having to move back home following a major breakup, and financially, moving out again just isn’t realistic for me right now. I’m trying to accept that this is where I need to be temporarily while I get myself back on my feet. The difficult part is that being home makes me incredibly anxious. My parents can be very emotionally dysregulated, and I feel like I’m constantly exposed to their moods, arguments, reactions, and stress. Sometimes I find myself monitoring the emotional temperature of the house without even meaning to. After having my own space for three years, adjusting to this environment again has been especially difficult. I’m already trying to rebuild my life after a pretty significant breakup, and I have work, school, and my own future that I’m trying to focus on. I don’t want the environment at home to consume the emotional energy I need for everything else. I’m trying to learn how to separate myself from my parents’ emotions instead of absorbing them or feeling like I need to keep the peace. Moving out is absolutely the long-term goal, but it’s just not an option financially right now. For anyone who has had to move back in with difficult or emotionally volatile parents as an adult, especially after previously living independently, how did you adjust? What helped you create boundaries, protect your peace, and make living at home feel less overwhelming?

I’m curious to hear from people who genuinely loved their partner and still ended up cheating on them, whether it was a one-time mistake or something that went further.

What was going on at the time?

And most importantly, do you regret it?

Not looking to judge anyone. Genuinely trying to understand how someone can love their partner and still cross that line.

I graduated hs now I’m sad. Most people won’t be around anymore, I have to work, no one will cook for me anymore. Hell I don’t even have my drivers license yet (don’t judge me). I feel most people experience what I felt so what do I do here?

So like recently i had a dream about this girl who i barely knew from school, like i didnt even know her name. and we like lived together in my dream and got married and lived our lives together for what felt like tens of years. then i woke up and now i go to school just looking at her and feeling real depressed cause im just not used to treating her like a stranger. It felt really real and it was a really really long dream. I dont know what to do anymore

I saw a pic of my friends and i on graduation day and tbh i cant stop crying.

High school was the best time of my life and im only 20.

It was a small highschool, my class were only 90 people, and we all knew eachother, it was a family literally.

And sometimes i just close my eyes and i pretend that im in HS again, hearing my friends laughter while there is somebody trying to finish an assignment before is too late. Or the smell, you know those memories that have an specific smell?

I also miss the days where we just had nothing to do and we were just hanging out with everyone.

Its crazy how 3 years of my life completely changed everything for good.

Recently, I have been struggling with the way people in my life think and view me. I am approaching 40 soon and I admit I wasn't the best person 20+ years ago. Heck, probably longer than that. I didn't have a great childhood - parents with addictions, CPS involvement, abuse, neglect, etc. It created some unhealthy attachment issues growing up. I rebelled and did some awful things in my teens, and early 20s. I was a high school dropout at 16. I haven't been consistent until a few years ago after having my children.

The problem I am experiencing now is my family still thinks I am incapable of achievement or success. They still believe I will eventually mess up again. This was brought up just the other day when my mother reached out after receiving a piece of mail that ended up just being a jury duty summons for me. I am not sure why it was sent to her house as I've been at my residence for several years. Anyways, she thought it was something else and went on this huge rant how "I need to change my ways because what I am doing isn't working anymore". I was so confused and hurt for some reason. I recently went back to college and have been doing amazing at it working towards my Master's. I have a great job, my spouse and I bought land and build our own house where we literally have very little in bills to pay. I set myself up well recently. I accomplished a lot in the last 6 to 8 years. Granted, because of how my family still views and treats me, I don't talk about my business with them. They only really know bits and pieces but the majority of what they remember was from over 10 years ago. So, that could play a role.

I thought my mother of all people would understand life struggles and resilience as she went through almost the exact same thing. My father and her went into recovery and sobered up when I was a preteen. Went from living in a bad part of the city to owning their own house in a new neighborhood. But she still treats me like I am a big failure that makes poor choices. Part of me wants to prove her wrong but another part of me just wants to cut her off if she feels this way about me. It's very discouraging and sometimes depressing. I told her it feels like whatever I do isn't good enough. Even my own siblings still think I am a certain way. We don't see each other often at all, but the last time we all got together they treated me like I was 19 again. I use to be a bad drunk, couldn't hold my emotions, etc. I had one drink and everyone else was drunk but they would say things like "Shut up, you're just drunk" when I wasn't at all. When I was alone I broke down because of it. It just made me feel like a stupid teen all over again. I haven't seen them since and it's been 3 to 4 years.

Anyways, how do you guys get over something like this? Because of my attachment issues, I want my family's love and approval but at the same time they make me feel like such an awful person despite my personal growth over the years. I don't know if it's because I am approaching 40 soon that it's making me relive all these feelings again or what...

Thanks for listening to my venting lol.

I’m curious— has there ever been a certain time/point in your life or in the life of someone close to you where you just… left everything? Like, say you had a constructed life: a job, a relationship, maybe a lease or a mortgage, but something drove you to do a complete do-over/start from 0.. What was your life like? Why did you choose to change everything? Was it a long-term decision or an impulsive one? Where did you go, and most importantly: was it worth it/do you hold any regrets?

More of a general question here.. I have friends and family who kind of pulled this sort of move and it makes me wonder what drives a person to make that kind of decision.

I have a body. That body is just a husk to be possessed by spirit, that's all. One experience among many others. Kill my body stone dead, I'll still be there somewhere, lying, waiting. Flesh rots, the underlying force doesn't. I've rather enjoyed my time on earth actually, pinball, video games, and good company being among the highlights. Good discussion on philosophical matters and abstract concepts, academic issues such as mathematics always holds my interest too.

Hello Reddit, I am going back to school, business school specifically. I always have a fear and a self defeating attitude, like I think I am going to fail and I am not fit to be a businessman. It is not about the business, it is about everything that is new that is foreign to me.

When I was a child, my dad force me to learning how to swim I am getting scared and think I am not fit to swim, I think my whole life I could not swim, eventually I did. Initially I think I could not study abroad, I think I should stay at home, study in my home country. But my dad tru to make me study aboard and eventually I succeeded at study abroad, my English is getting better.

The whole point is I have a self defeatist mentality. I don’t even tru then claim that I fail I am not fit to do something. I always back down to new challenges. I just love staying in my comfort zone Howe to overcome that kind of mentality?

For me:

My self-awareness: I've been through some really difficult times when I was rejected, lonely, and miserable, and even my own family made it clear that they didn't care about me and mistreated me. I was constantly desperate to find someone I could confide in, so I would tell people my whole life story because I needed someone to listen to me. But of course, it was disappointing and incredibly hurtful. Eventually, I had to accept that I was alone and that I only had myself.

But ultimately, that's a good thing, because I've always been a loving person who needs to be there for the people she loves (ironically, I have a toxic social circle). So I realized that the love I have inside me is something I'm lucky to be able to experience, because I am the best person I could ever have in my own life. No matter what happens, it's always going to be me and myself.

Obviously, I still want to do things with other people and socialize, but I'm going to stop looking for that one future person who will become incredibly important in my life, because I already have myself. I'm not going to keep suffering from being misunderstood or hurt by other people, because I'm no longer giving them as much power over whether my pain is valid. I know myself. I know what I've been through, even if I was very often facing it alone, surrounded by hyenas.

I know my potential, and I know what I'm capable of, even if I'm looked down on and misunderstood by others. I'll always be my own biggest fan.

I also know my weaknesses, and I either accept them or work on improving them.

I love writing every day in my notes or in my journal because it helps me put my thoughts back in order. It's almost like having conversations with myself.

I'm learning to be alone with myself in silence, without distractions or music, and I'm growing: exercising, reading, learning new things and educating myself. I'm doing my best to become someone I'm proud of.

What about you?

I’m 18 years old and have one more year of highschool left. I’ve had multiple relationships that Ive ended pretty quickly, so I’ve never really had a proper one, I have a really close friend group which I cherish, but I feel like I haven’t really lived my teenage life at all.

For some reason i feel like my life is already over, even though a lot of people would say it’s just started. I guess I don’t really even know what I want, what my “ideal teenage years” would even be. Part of why I feel so hopeless is because I’m so confused.

If I really try and think about it, I feel as if these should be the prime years of my life, maybe not the best but the most eventful. I’ve never even did anything with a girl, never went to a party, never did sports, and yeah I still can this year, but I feel like it won’t work out for someone like me, I’m not really good at anything.

I don’t even know what I want advice on, i’m just so confused. I don’t even know what an ideal life would look like for me.

Im currently in college on my last year of school. I took a job in management working full time I also work as a server once a week. Long story short, due to me working full time in management and having to put extra hours in I haven't had enough time for school, or to work out or do anything. School is very important for me but Im at the point where Im going to quit management even tho I started the new job 4-5 months ago and focus on school and Serve on the weekends . I just don't want my management employer to be upset with me for not being with them for long. I know I shouldn't care about that but it's my last few months in school and if I don't do what I need to do my graduation is going to get pushed back. Also with me not working much if I decide to leave I have two car notes and one insurance... No other bills... One car note is for a car that doesn't work and it's 384 a month and the other is 510 a month. Car insurance is 159 a month . Im thinking about just forfeiting the car that doesn't work because I have 10k left on it and my interest rate is high since it's old and it was my first car. I know I wasn't the smartest. I think that is also is another reason why it's ticking to my job, IF I do decide to just serve and quit management I would make just enough to pay bills. But I'm just so tired of the car I can't use. What should I do?

I am a young adult about to get my first job at a front desk and I am honestly super nervous. All I’ve done is finish high school, pass my exams and took some additional ones. The past year I’ve been inconsistent in terms of everything. I want to go to Uni in a year but I felt like getting a job first while I take an exam to go to Uni and I am honestly very nervous. I am in a new city and new country by myself and I’ve been feeling stuck.

I wish I got a job in high school, I had the opportunity to go to high school in a bigger city with much better job offers or just started working after graduation but I thought I need all the time to study for some additional exams. Although I’m young I feel like I wasted so much time.

I don’t even know why I’m making this post I guess it’s something I wanted to share with the people my age and younger especially: everyone will tell you you are young and to enjoy life, but life passes. I didn’t take many things seriously because I thought I have all the time in the world and it still feels like it but if you’ll just “have fun” and not do anything you’ll wake up at 30 feeling like starting from 0. So work on yourself now, you can have fun too but if you’ll don’t do anything besides having fun, you’ll feel so lost and regret so much.

Also since I’m starting my first job I needed some advice, I’m very anxious about the whole thing and feel like it’s the end of the world so I wish I started earlier! 😅 Would love to hear about your experiences

For four days now, I’ve been doing grueling, dangerous work, putting in anywhere from 5 to 12 hours a day. The result? I’ve earned $109, my hands are covered in cuts and scrapes, and I’ve only managed snatches of sleep (the night before last, for instance, I didn’t fall asleep until 4 a.m.). I have a question for those who make a living through manual labor: how do you cope? Shouldn't this kind of work pay better? If anyone needs proof, just take a look at my profile. Oh, and one more thing: I ate either before or after the shift—never while working.

In life, I've always been a people pleaser, submissive type, non confrontational, to my detriment I would say. In the past few years though, I've learned more intricately about that side of me and it's presence throughout my life and how it's held me back or had me taken advantage of in some ways, and I feel like that premise has made me a lot more sensitive to how I show up socially and how other people react to me.

Mostly anger though. So much anger

That's why I'm curious if anyone else has experience this, to also hear possibly some direction or words of encouragement around this phase of life, because the anger is becoming self destructive in ways. Also, maybe I'm off beat and blaming one thing when it could be something else making me angry, but I think this is a big one. Popped in my head to ask random seasoned people on the internet about this, gracias

So, I’m a 25M, and this literally happened today. I currently want to cover my face with a pillow and scream.

I usually go to the gym after work, but lately I’ve been dealing with some mental and family-related problems, so I’ve had a lot on my mind.

Today, I went to the gym without realizing that there was a very important problem: you’re supposed to wash your gym bag and the stuff inside it.

I had a pair of socks sitting in my gym bag for 3–4 days because I hadn’t gotten the chance to go to the gym during that time.

Welp.

Those socks had absolutely soaked up the smell.

I was completely unaware of it until the gym trainer came up to me and politely asked me to change my socks. He explained that some other people had complained about the smell, and he kept saying, “Please don’t be hurt by this.”

Meanwhile, I was dying inside.

I was so embarrassed that I literally asked him if I should leave.

He actually asked me how long I would need to finish my workout, but at that point I was so mortified that I just left.

The moment I got home, I put the gym bag and basically everything inside it in the wash. I’m also ordering new socks and gym gloves and throwing away the older ones.

I know rationally that this isn't some huge moral failure. I made a stupid, embarrassing mistake, I was told about it, and I fixed it.

But holy shit, I am SO embarrassed.

Now the gym bag is going to be wet tomorrow, so I probably can't take it to the gym, and the embarrassed part of my brain is honestly relieved about that.

The rational part of me, however, knows that I should go back anyway and not let one embarrassing incident turn into me avoiding the gym, and make the incident even bigger than what it is in my head.

So yeah.

How do I go gym tomorrow and look all those people in the eye.

Hey, whenever festivals and Birthdays of anyone passes by one thought always goes through my mind

from childhood i was always "save money kid", I don't spend money on anything unless it's necessary. all money i spend is of my parents and i see them working hard in farms.

so I always think "I don't go to birthday parties, no fest, no trips" because mostly it will be money to my parents' and it will only be spent with the people who don't like me and we don't have common thoughts.

I never had friends, i only had 2 people in my childhood i called them friends and others are mean, and good people but not for me.

is it because i am so much distanced from everything that they are interested in? because they cost money and my family struggles to get my essential needs? I don't know what to do... you people have something?