Life Stories and Everyday Drama

I'm a 28-year-old guy and I find myself asking this question over and over: why am I not enough??? In all my past relationships with girls, it feels like the narrative remains consistent. They leave so quickly... before anything meaningful can even develop. It's like I'm just an easily discardable component in their lives, a transient variable that never truly matters in the grand equation of love or companionship!😔 Sure, I try to put my best foot forward, be attentive, communicative, yet no matter how hard I strive for emotional congruence and transparency in these interpersonal dynamics, things fall apart real quick!

I guess it's possible that my approach is flawed or inherently incompatible with what they seek? But then again, am I supposed to constantly morph into something I'm not just to meet these elusive standards? It seems unreasonable at best!!! There's always that psychological jargon about 'emotional intelligence' but honestly, does it really apply when the connection fizzes out before genuine comprehension can occur? I'm stuck oscillating between questions and hypotheses...

Despite the repetitive setbacks I've experienced thus far, hope persists. Perhaps the path towards finding someone who appreciates me for who I am is steeped with these temporary misalignments; they're not failures perse! It's crucial to adapt yet without losing one's intrinsic identity. So here we go... trying once more with optimism intact!

im 15. ive arguably dealt with more than most people my age do. even with the problem i have, i feel as if it is insignificant due to my privilege.

the main issue here is with a friend? acquaintance? i have. i met them at the beginning of freshman year, and they will be referred to as L. we immediately clicked over music artists we both liked. they began to tell all of their problems to me. wanting to kill themselves, harming themselves, drinking, and (i think) beginning to vape. i, on the other hand, had not dealt with something like this since seventh grade—when i was feeling the same way (minus the drinking and vaping). their issues began to rub off on me at the same time, and at one point we were both suicidal and wanted to do bad things to ourselves. i didnt know this then, but they were slowly isolating me from my friends, and i had begun to think that they were the only person on my side. the prevalent issue at this time was that, whenever we fought (which was often), they'd either set a suicide date where i could see it and mention me, speak about killing themselves to help me, or audibly say/mention that they had cut themselves. after eight months of this treatment, i told one of my other friends (K). this was in an open space, with other people, but i spoke quietly, and she looked concerned. at best. at lunch she insisted i tell our other friends, which i complied, and they all began insisting i tell a counselor about the problems between me and L. i was not convinced for the first two weeks. i only began warming up to the idea when another friend of mine (who was originally a friend of L's) told me that she had the same issues that we (me and L) had. we tell a teacher about this problem. three times. and she does nothing. after a while, L finds out, and we all break apart. now, with all this in mind, i cannot stop wanting to talk to L and just interact. i want them to worry about me, and i want to be their favorite again. this has made me unable to really do anything without thinking about them. i think that i may be jealous or something—checking on their social media and seeing them matching profile pictures with someone else genuinely made me stress out, and i dunno what to do about it.

just wanted to get it off my chest, i guess.

Alright, so here's the deal: I'm 19, NEVER dated a girl, and now that I'm trying to get my feet wet in the dating pool, I'm hitting this wall. Dating apps are scary, man. Everyone's out there already got their game going while I don't even know where to start. Do you just slide into a girl's inbox with lame jokes? Sounds risky as hell.

I'm wrecking my brain thinking about icebreaker questions. What's too personal? What's boring? Like hey, sure I could ask her favorite color but then what? My friend told me it's all about memorable first impressions; she's supposed to instantly remember you're different from ten others asking dumb stuff.

Last week I tried being funny and asked about pineapple on pizza... she didn’t reply back... 😶 Now I’m replaying everything trying not to come across clingy, which I know ain't attractive. But seriously why do people assume every guy knows how this goes without ever having practiced?

When my buddy first went out with his now-girlfriend he said confidence was key because girls read into that like hawks spotting juicy prey miles away. Makes sense until you're standing there actually croaking 'cause nerves hit hard! What works though is genuine curiosity; someone mentioned quirky random things like 'worst job ever' or 'celebrity crush growing up.' Nerdy yes awkward much maybe depends how it lands!

Anyway feel free send those savior tips my way peeps really need some wizardry here breaking the ice ✌️ Thanks!

I have a friend who I call my sister. It did not start out that way. We met in social interactive chat room. I was curious about my sexuality, and this space let me explore that. She came into that room and we chatted she almost left, but I got her to stay and chat.

Now mind you I was already in a relationship with my now partner of 20 years. At the time I met my friend me and my partner had been together about 10 years. My partner is rather non adventurous when it comes to intimate exploration. I wanted explore my sexuality before I made a full commitment. mind you I only explored online not in person. All this is relevant.

At the time me and my friend only chatted online and threw video chat. It was wonderful we connected as friends. Nothing sexual, just two friends chatting. Occasionally it got raunchy, but it remained online and not in person. She did not push and neither did I.

My friend was suppose to come out to visit, but she ended up moving to where I lived. She moved out with 2 friends who ended up stealing from her and abandoning her. They left her stranded. She had by then found work and had people who helped her when her 2 friends abandoned her.

Before things went south me and my friend after she moved out to where I lived hung out and explored and got know each other in person. One thing led to another and we got sexual. She was into women, and I was exploring that aspect of my life.

It lasted a good year or two (the sexual exploration). But, there was a rift that was happening between me and my partner, and I stepped the sexual exploration with my friend.

My friend also has some mental health issues. she has had 2 thoughts of not wanting to be here anymore when she was out living in the city I lived in. Each time I took it seriously. She lived there for 9 years. Then her only parent got terminally ill and she had to move back to help her parent. Mind at that time one of my own parents had died, and financially things were not looking good.

My friend asked if I wanted to move back to where she grew up. It was less expensive and when discussing it with my partner we agreed, and moved back to the city she grew up.

The move was 2 years ago. I have since gone back to visit the city I use to live in for a friends wedding. My friend came with me because she recently had surgery and need help. I was the only one who has been helping her. Also her parent has since passed and her other parent passed years ago so she has no one. I stepped up to help her. So she came with us, and was miserable the whole time. Even though I took her to explore our old haunts while we were there.

On the last day she questioned me and grilled me about why our sexual interactions stopped. And I told her that I had lost my labedo and really had no desire for sex not just with her, but also my partner. Who I am still with. Still keeps hounding me about, three days after we have back to the city she grew up in. She is now talk about not wanting to be around anymore, how she cannot find a partner. How she has nothing to stick around for. Now that her only parent is gone she has no purpose anymore. How she cannot find any sexual release (she is hypersexual, due SA).

I am exhausted, I trying to get her to see how valuable she to as a friend and adopted sister. But it turns into arguments. I am doing my best but we are fighting. My partner say I just need to be patient with, but I don't take thoughts of wanting to end lightly. I am mentally and physically exhausted. I don't know what to do. What does one do? Any ideas? I am not afraid of being told I am in the wrong or what I have done wrong

So, here's the deal: I recently cut my finger pretty deeply while I was trying to slice an avocado (I know, classic move). It bled a lot and honestly looked like it needed stitches. But being the stubborn person I am, I just slapped on some band-aids and called it a day. Now I'm kinda worried about what happens if you don't get stitches when you probably should have.🤔 I've heard things like 'your skin won't heal right' or 'you'll get a gnarly scar.' On the other hand, I've read some people say it's no biggie if you keep it clean and covered up.

Anyway, as someone who's not exactly in love with hospitals or doctors' visits (who is?), I'm curious if anyone's been in the same boat. How'd that work out for ya? Did you end up regretting not getting stitches or was it fine after all? It's been two days now and I'm starting to wonder if maybe there are more consequences than I'm prepared for. Plus, it's still sore which isn't helping me chill out about this whole situation.

I'm also a bit paranoid about infections. Like how do you even know if it's getting infected without having to rush off to urgent care? There are so many mixed opinions online and it's hard to figure out what's reliable info and what's just scare tactics. So yeah, any advice or personal experiences would be super helpful at this point! Thanks in advance for any wisdom you've got.

alright, here's the deal. out of nowhere today, BAM! Full-blown panic attack. Right in the middle of lunch with those coworkers I can barely stand. You know the type: they keep talking about 'synergy' like it’s a religion or something. Trying to eat my damn sandwich while feeling like I'm suddenly drowning in anxiety soup? It's not fun, let me tell you. And they're all oblivious, of course... chatting away like nothing's happening because who notices subtle signs of distress when you're too busy discussing quarterly profits?

So there I am, trying to breathe slowly (like that ever really works) and control this ridiculous urge to just burst into tears right there in front of everyone. Lovely, right? Classic public meltdown scenario straight out of a bad sitcom. But hey, at least it wasn’t during an important meeting.. that'd be just too much to handle... though part of me thinks maybe then someone would finally notice I'm struggling and say something helpful.

Instead, it's all panic sensations and the delightful experience of feeling like my chest is about to explode while sipping on iced tea that suddenly tastes like cardboard through my straw; can't even taste anything properly when your brain decides it's time for a malfunction party. So much for keeping things cool under pressure—guess I'm not winning any awards for composure today!

And after managing to escape to the bathroom without totally making a scene, it hits me how bloody isolating this whole mess is. Ever tried explaining this crap without sounding like a complete lunatic? “Oh hi yeah I just felt like I was dying over sandwiches.” Great conversation starter... Not!!! Anyway, if anyone's got tips beyond ‘breathe deeply’ (tried that) and ‘think happy thoughts’ (doesn't work), I'm all ears.

Hey so I’ve been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety disorder for some years and I’ve been going on and off of different medications trying to find the right fit. I’m currently on Lexapro, and I feel like I have lost all my emotions. I don’t feel anything and I don’t have the motivation to do anything. Especially small things like brushing my teeth and eating I ignore a lot. Should I stick with this medication or tell my doctor immediately. I just feel like I’m never going to be able to live normally.

[Translated from Spanish. Reminder: IIWIARS is English only] It’s been 3 weeks since we ended, a beautiful relationship of 1 year and one month, both women. There isn’t a day where I stop remembering your smile, your eyes, your skin, your hands and your voice, all I have left is to hold onto the beautiful memories, it wasn’t a perfect relationship, we had so many things to learn you from me and me from you, I love you so much, that you are in my thoughts every minute, I never cheated on you, I changed many things in my behavior for you, I did things I had never done for anyone, I felt loved, I hope you also felt loved by me, I had so many plans for the 2 of us my love, but it had to end, not on good terms, because where could I put all this love I have in my chest, that was for you, I will always remember your funny little things, your bursts of passion, your details. It seems to me that you are calm, so I don’t want to break into your peace my love, I won’t be able to fall in love like I was with you <3, I thought I had found my love for life, but God and life had other plans for both of us, I hope you are well, because I am falling apart in pieces. I wish I could disappear and erase every beautiful memory, because I know I won’t find someone like you. I LOVE YOU AND I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU, YOU TAKE A LITTLE PIECE OF ME WITH YOU, I LOVE YOU LÍA.

moved into a tiny village and guess what? I have no friends (that makes sense, doesn't it?). it's like being stuck in an episode of some old sad TV show where the main character shuffles around with nothing to do. seriously! you think moving would make life more exciting, but all these promises of 'fresh starts' feel totally fake now. imagine walking through narrow streets that either look deserted or filled with folks who've known each other since birth, judging every step you take; feels like i'm walking through a movie set every single time, only here i’m the extra nobody cares about.

the boredom's brutal. watch paint dry kind of epic levels of bored; dying for social interaction that doesn't involve inner monologues or imaginary conversations with thought bubbles: 'what brings me here again?' everything i've read about moving it’s always this societal promise that if you transplant yourself somewhere new, suddenly life's problems magic themselves away. damn lies! met two people at the grocery store and they barely nodded back when I asked for cheese recommendations! 'breaking the ice,' they said. more like skimming along without causing any waves scared of potential cracks appearing anywhere in sight. tried quoting lines from my favorite shows (you know bingewatching while avoiding house chores), didn't even warrant a chuckle... Next time i'll try books.

I guess I’ve always been out of place since I was like a kid,like from 1st grade(I’m 18 now btw) I was littering an outcast cause I could only speak English yeah imagine.Now it’s 6th grade and everyone suddenly has a crush and there I am being all confused and weirded out by love in general which made me feel more out of place and to try and fit in I just pointed at a random guy from the next class during lunch break and said that he was my crush (I’m so dumb for that).

Anyways high school rolls in and everyone is dating left right and center well except me-maybe because I was a chopped ahh with a buzz cut-and like every other girl had long hair except me(side plot:I was very gender dysmorphic at that time so I cut my hair and told people to address me by they/them🫪).Everytime someone would ask me why I didn’t like anyone I just said I didn’t because duh I don’t,so someone started a rumor that I was lesbian which made me a target for a lot of homophobic remarks and when I confronted the person who spread the rumors so they stopped and then proceeded to say I was trans mtf which was out of pocket and I then had to confront them again😭(Promise this leads some where and I’m an ally yallz )Anyways this made me realize that this was all because I didn’t have a boyfriend and wasn’t interested in having one at all and I genuinely thought it was a skill issue or I was just emo🥲.I then started talking to ‘Josh’ which was actually pretty fun cuz he was a nice and friendly person and we had a lot in common but I didn’t feel what you are supposed to feel when you love someone I guess,so I just kinda ghosted him after like a year and guess what a new girl comes and 2 weeks in to them talking they are dating 💀🔫.Like okay so clearly the problem is me right.

At 15,I became friends with a guy from my church,’Kyle’.So he was literally the only friend I had since most of my friends and moved out of town and he was literally the only person who talked to me.I never really thought to much about the idea of us being together cuz we were just church buddies until we started hanging out more and my brother noticed and started shipping us which annoyed the hell out of me.Kyle then started flirting with me and I obviously was blatant about it and flirted back thinking it was a joke and long story short he asked me to be his girlfriend (over text💀) and I said yes-but I felt guilty about it because I didn’t see him in that way so I kinda had to put some emotional distance between us cuz I felt like a horrible person.

So yeah he broke up with me 3 weeks later saying that God spoke to him 🥲 (over text) and I wasn’t upset it felt like when you see a funny TikTok and before you save it your FYP refreshes….okay maybe I am the problem.So I tried doing my own research to find out why I’m like this and apparently I might be AROACE,which means I experience little to no sexual and romantic attraction to anyone,which is soo gut crushing for me cuz if it is true does it mean that I will never fall in love 😭😭😭Like dude I want to get butterflies and feel heartbroken,like why am I like this it’s the biggest whomp in the world my life.This is like a basic human experience and I just can’t have it.I like to see love like I genuinely do enjoy 2000s romcom unironically okay shot me.But at the back of my mind I think I just have this deep feeling that I can’t love myself enough to love someone else like I don’t have love to give and I just repress my emotions…..So yeah any form of advice would help🥀

So, I've been feeling REALLY trapped lately. I'm 48, in a relationship with my girlfriend for what feels like forever; we're not married, no kids or anything, just two people co-existing under the same roof (I own the house). The thing is, she’s been in burnout for a long time now and honestly... I don't think she's capable of living alone at this point.

Don't get me wrong, she's great in so many ways but it feels like I'm doing all the work literally and figuratively. I commute a lot because my job is far away; spending hours stuck in traffic each day just to provide for us... It's taking its toll. But here I am every day grinding my way to maintain this life we've built together when it doesn't even feel like mine anymore?

I'm not sure if this makes me an awful person but I don't love her like before. That spark has faded away over time which leaves me wondering why stay? But thinking about leaving and seeing her struggle tears me apart; am I supposed to just abandon ship when things get tough? Is it even possible to find happiness again without crushing hers?

There's no manual on how these things should work out... Sure some would say communicate more or whatever – easier said than done! It's exhausting being rational while submerged in emotions all around you!! Sometimes it feels like there's no light at the end of the tunnel... How do you even begin untangling years’ worth of commitment without losing yourself completely?! 😩😖

so i'm just gonna spit it out here. i think my girlfriend might be cheating on me and it's driving me nuts. we've been together for like two years now and everything was great, or at least I thought it was. she's been acting kinda weird lately, you know? like suddenly she's all secretive about her phone and she never used to be like that.

the other day i glanced over while she was texting someone and she quickly tilted her phone away from me. 😒 srsly, wtf is that about? i asked her who she's chatting with so much and she got all defensive saying “it's nothing”...but my spidey senses are tingling hard, man 🤔;

i talked to one of my buddies about this and he was like dude chill, maybe you're just being paranoid but honestly can’t a guy rely on his instincts once in a while? i dunno if her behavior has changed or if i've just started noticing stuff i ignored before. might be both.

and get this: she's going out 'with the girls' more often than usual too. no offense but that's classic excuse material right there. we were supposed to have a date night last saturday but surprise, suddenly her bff had some existential crisis that needed sorting out immediately... yeah right 🙄

anyway what do people even do in these situations?? should I confront her directly or play detective for a bit longer? either way is kinda crappy cause trust feels super thin now. damn relationships are hard sometimes.

alright, i've never really questioned my sexuality before. i always thought i was straight, you know, like no doubts about it. but after last weekend spent with the boys, something's changed and now i'm all over the place. so we got together for this casual hangout at my buddy's cabin, right? nothing unusual. just beer, bad jokes and dumb dares that get out of hand every single time!! but then bam... during one of those silly games around midnight, i'm lying there thinking: what if? suddenly just looking at them feels kinda different?? it's like a stupid teenage movie we're in or some shit.

it's messed up! i even caught myself staring at mike - why would i ever stare at him like that? he's been my friend for ages and i'm supposed to be straight as an arrow!!! yet here i am twisting my brain into knots because of this? who even knows what's real these days? people say 'you'll just know,' but that's not true when your mind throws random crap at you without asking!!! feeling trapped between wanting to stay clueless and needing answers real bad.

do i need some kind of sign or what?! sitting around with bright eyes hoping lightning strikes doesn't seem very practical honestly... there's no clear guidebook on figuring yourself out without feeling loopy!! every article offers some fancy ideas about self-discovery - screw that! too many bleeding steps like it's a recipe or somethin'. all in all maybe it's just nerves from future worries creepin' up since everything seems wild anyway. freaked out but pretending nothing happened...

I've been thinking a lot about why people bully me. It's such an odd thing to try and wrap my head around. You know how you sometimes hear stories about kids getting picked on because they're different? I always used to think it was just something you'd see in movies but turns out, it's real life stuff.

People have told me things like 'you're too nice' or 'you care too much' and I'm like is that really why someone would pick on another person? I remember back in school days when that one kid used to throw my lunch on the floor and call me names for no reason at all. Made me wonder if they were dealing with their own issues; maybe projecting their unhappiness onto me.

Was talking with this friend once (who's had her fair share of bullies) and she said we gotta remember those folks doing the bullying often have their internal battles too. Maybe it's true? Who knows? She told me: "Don't take it personally", like thanks but easier said than done right?

One day in gym class, while waiting for our turn, a guy just randomly shoved me into a locker. At that moment, instead of feeling sad or angry, I asked him straight up why he did that... He couldn't even give a proper answer! Made me chuckle afterwards thinking how clueless some can be when confronted about their actions. So yeah, maybe people have quirky reasons we can't always understand but hey, at least we're not alone in facing this nonsense.

how do i become less judgemental of my f****g coworkers? it's like every single day is just an exercise in biting my tongue and pretending to follow along with their decisions. Seriously, I've tried so many times to see things from their perspective and I just can't help myself from thinking they're all so... well, dumb.

I work in a pretty typical office setting, dealing with project management software and associated lingo. The absurdity of some discussions is mind-numbing!!! They're using jargon like they're experts but missing the mark entirely in practical application. I wonder if it's me being overly critical or maybe they really are kind of dense? Does anyone else deal with this on a daily basis?? There's always this niggling doubt about whether I'm seeing the full picture or perhaps missing something obvious. Yet despite acknowledging this possibility, each team meeting (a.k.a "time for my inner monologue”) feels like an episode out of 'the office' sketches: ridiculous scenarios where basic logic seems secondary to superficial buzzwords... 🤦 And here I am with my constant internal commentary while trying not to roll my eyes too obviously! Is there a way to balance out all these judgments without compromising my sanity?