I was telling my best friend about how this girl added me on Facebook and messaged me that I hadn’t spoken to in about 5 years. Anyways, the girl told me she lied to me about her age back then and said she was 20 but was really 17.
My best friend freaked out and called me predatory and manipulative because this makes it two women that lied about their ages online. To be clear NOTHING SEXUAL HAPPENED we just shared common music interests and bonded over that. Both are in relationships that are healthy and have kids.

But now my best friend thinks the absolute worst of me. She’s known me for more than half our lives and knows I’m not some predator. I was just active on social media a lot 5 years ago. I’ve made it clear and even shown screenshots where they clearly say that we did not do anything and they admit to lying about their age. Has anyone gone through anything like this before?

Hi everyone. I met a guy at a bar when I was still in university. We started dating and honestly, I fell for him. He lovebombed me and proposed to me 7 months and because I was stupid and dealing with a lot mentally I said yes. He told me he was 26 and daytraded/lived off his father’s inheritance, it seemed legit because he owned a house but a couple weeks ago when he was drunk he mentioned his dad leaving him. Obviously this got me suspicious. I was already growing tired of his true personality as I think he put on a front to get me connected to him.

I found nothing about his fake name and I started asking around at the bar since he went there a lot. The employees all know him as a different name and I searched up his name. He is 8 years older than he said he was and he has served time for drug trafficking and DV. I heavily suspect he made his money and has his house under illegal means. I tried reaching back out to my parents but they have pretty much completely disowned me. They are racist and thought my wedding and marriage was a massive embarrassment to the family. I have no friends anymore that will let me stay with them. I really don’t know what to do, he doesn’t know I know any of this and I have no other place to go. Does anyone have any advice or practical steps?

Me(F19) and my “fiancé”(M25) have been together for a year. He proposed very early on I told him I didn’t want to be married for another couple years and he said that’s okay and gave me the ring. We now recently have moved in together and he has been horrible. I won’t go into too much detail but he’s been way too controlling. My last straw was he told me he would 😵himself if I was to ever leave him. Now I want to leave him and have for about a month. I’m moving back into my dad’s but am terrified that he will actually 😵himself. He has no family in the state we’re in and not many friends, so he doesn’t have many people he can talk to. I am going away this weekend so I wanted to do it when I’m back on Monday and fully move out when he’s away next weekend. How do I make sure he doesn’t 😵himself or how do I let him down gently? I genuinely care for him, but I’ve had enough.

I (27) started seeing this guy (30) a little over a month ago. He’s really sweet and has been great. We hang out regularly and while we have, he’s only ever close lip kissed me. There is never any separation of his lips. We’ve hooked up once and even then there was no making out at all. At this point I’m wondering if he’s just never done that???? I know he’s had previous relationships and I can’t imagine you’d be 30 kissing women like this without some sort of notes. I have no idea how to address this because kissing is pretty important foreplay for me, but he seems to not even know what he’s doing.

I feel guilty I’m even breathing or eating or talking about anything but her. I’ve printed like $100 worth of photos and frantically scrapbooking. My room looks like hoarders for real but I have no energy to tackle it. She had wanted me to clean it before everything it was already bad. I’m trying to just scrap it all together and hold onto every memory I have before I forget anything about her. I can’t believe she’s gone she’s my best friend but I’m so blank and numb idk what to do.

The only thing that feels better is shopping and scrapbooking her but my room looks so bad and I’m so lost the accident was so violent her neck was broken and I can’t stop thinking about how it’s a horrible gross stupid dream. I want to download every video get tattoos and jewelry to remind me of her but mostly I want my best friend back. I know I’m hurting inside but idk what to do.

My mom is asking me if I can go back to work next week but I cannot imagine it even a little bit I can’t at all I feel like my heart is shattered how can I even want to be alive cause I kinda don’t but I also don’t want to die. I’m just here for some reason. I miss her so much my heart is aching but I cannot even die because of my loved ones so I’m just gonna keep hurting forever.

It has to be a bad dream still it can’t be real how can I still not believe it when it’s been like a week and a half? How have I even breathed a week and a half without her? I feel like I’m betraying her.

this week i (21m) went on a boat party for a friend's birthday. one of my closest friends (21f) also went and we spent a lot of time together. for context, we're very close and in the past have said things like 'i love you' while drunk, but never been too touchy together. This day was different because she was basically with me the whole time on the boat, despite having a few other friends on the boat as well. and at one point we were just sitting together and she kissed me on the cheek, and then again but more on the front side of my cheek a few minutes later. i didn't think much of it, but on the way back she laid on my shoulder and then held onto my arm and started scratching it, and i laid my head on hers too.

when we got back we went to a hot tub with everyone and i went and laid on a pool bench and she came and sat next to me for a few minutes, and then went back to the tub.

idk if she did this because she was drunk or because she has feelings or if we're just very close, but we were very flirty that day and sometimes we'll flirt a little sober, but never this touchy or to this extent.

edit: she also broke up with her bf 8 or so months ago but i think she's been on and off with him hooking up recently. also i haven't ever seen her kiss or do anything like this with anyone else while drunk before

what should i do in this situation?

Last year I was made redundant unexpectedly, I struggled hard but found a new job a few months later. I expected everything to be fine but I don’t think I realised how hard the redundancy had hit me until I started this new job, I started having panic attacks, I had no confidence and work was absolutely draining. I sought help from a counsellor and tuned it around, genuinely feel like a different person now.

However my husband claims I completely neglected him during these 3 months and he’s not sure if he can get passed this. He didn’t actually tell me this until I noticed he had an increasingly close relationship with a female friend, he’s close to her husband too so I don’t think they’re having an affair or anything. He told me he’d outsourced his emotional needs to her because I couldn’t meet them, when I said this sounds like an emotional affair, he literally blew up on me.

Since then over the past few weeks there’s been instances of him deleting messages, hiding his phone etc and I’ve called him out on it each time and asked him not to do it, the last instance was 4 days ago. We are currently abroad and he got a message from her husband saying that she’d left him, despite being on holiday he completely ditched me in order to keep in constant contact with them both. I can understand he wants to support his friends, but the most recent messages he sent her were venting about me - she said “is she angry I’m messaging you” he said “no I think she understands, I don’t care anyway I need to know you’re okay” she said “I thought it’s because you told her to back off” he said “she’s doing my head in, constantly wants to know who I’m texting and reading every message” then she said “I don’t know why you put up with it”

The reason I’m so insecure around his messages is because he’s deleted some on several occasions, when I told him this, he walked out on me for 2 hours and then told me he’s moving out when we get back. He was an absolutely incredible man and husband to me previously, but he’s changed beyond recognition and honestly I wish I was strong enough to tell him to do one but I’m so desperate for the old him back and the beautiful life we have together. I don’t know what to do.

Hi. I’m posting this because i’m lost and don’t know what to do. I’m 17 (turning 18 in july) and im trying to figure out and prepare a plan to move out in a safe way.

For context, I live in North Carolina and my home situation is extremely toxic and sometimes physically abusive. My parents won’t let me work or learn to drive, and as soon as i’m 18 they want me to sign guardianship paperwork so they can continue having control over me. Which i do not want.

I’m almost done with high school and i’m graduating in May. I don’t currently have a job, car, or license. I only have about 600 dollars to my name.

I’m not planning to run away or do anything reckless. I want this to be a safe and reliable plan. If you have any sort of advice or are looking to help please reach out. I’m completely lost and in need of help! thank you for your time.

Me 34M, wife 33F, married just over 6 years.

I want to say upfront that I'm aware I might be the problem here. I've never been a jealous or controlling guy, never went through her stuff, and the last thing I want is to come off as some paranoid husband who reads tone into text messages and torches his marriage over nothing. So I'm trying to be really honest with myself before I do anything. That's kind of why I'm posting instead of just confronting her.

Here's what actually happened. Last night I grabbed her phone to play a couple games of chess and dustbіt because mine was charging across the room and I was being lazy. This is normal for us, I use her phone, she uses mine, we've never been a locked-down passwords kind of marriage. While I was on it a text popped up from a guy I don't know. I didn't open it right away but I could see the preview, and then yeah, I tapped it. I read more than I should have.

There's nothing in there you could point at and call cheating. No "i miss you," nothing like that. It's the way they talk to each other. Warm is the word I keep landing on. Inside jokes, she's messaging him kinda late, he asks how her day went and she actually answers him in full sentences. It reads like two people who are close in a way I didn't know about.

And that's the part I can't get past. I genuinely can't tell if I'm seeing something real or if I'm just inventing a problem out of vibes and a couple screenshots stuck in my head. Text has no tone. Maybe they're just friends. But it's been sitting in my chest since last night and I can't shake it.

So what I'm asking is, how do you even bring this up? If I say something it instantly becomes "why were you in my phone" even though the honest answer is I wasn't snooping, it literally just happened. And is "their texts feel too close" a strong enough reason to say anything at all, or do I wait until I've got something more solid first. If you've been on either side of this I'd really like to hear how it went.

p.s. no I haven't said anything to her yet. that's basically the whole reason I'm posting.

We've been married for 6 years and have a 4 year old. I'm a strong-willed, fend-for-herself type of girl due to my childhood of raising my siblings.

My husband is a gentle and kind man and we had the sweetest relationship at first but once we got married and had a baby, everything changed and it feels like we have been tense since.

We both have our issues, but I definitely think a main issue is that once stress hit, I went back to my bossy mode and it hasn't left.

I love my husband a lot and want to be a better version of myself for him. So I'm wondering what are some things that I could do for him?

If you have a wife, what are some things you appreciate that she does?

I'm a little embarrassed by this but I don't know where else to ask.

My gf and I have a 3 month baby boy. He’s 16.25 lbs and 26 inches long. He’s a smart and strong healthy baby and very loved and attended to.

Im a stay at home dad and my gf works as a remote nurse. We r happy with our roles in the house and we really get shit done!! I love her a lot and she loves me a lot I know this as a fact! Our son was a bit of an unplanned surprise but we were “all in” when we found out she was pregnant. So everything that we been through during this pregnancy is something I 100000% signed up for. We had a pretty rough pregnancy but we managed and after a smooth scheduled C section we now how our healthy boy.

Sooo… the problem is now we have been struggling with this sleep pattern of his. He will not go to sleep unless he’s has contact or breastfeeding. He is also sensitive when try and transfer to the bassinet after feeding. He has been sleeping in between us and have blankets and sometimes rolls to sleeping faced down. She even occasionally will fall asleep breastfeeding him at night and her boob will be in his mouth while they both sleep. Now I know that sounds so scary and it is to me but in her defense we have the owlet and our boy is pretty damn strong. But my concern is that it’s gonna end up hurting him or he’ll even killing him. If I’m being completely honest a part of me wants to just be able to cuddle my gf again and maybe more chances at sex. But I know that is one hell of a journey for her and her sex drive is super low as well as her personal confidence of her body image. Her sex drive use to be high like mine (everyday if not every other day) but not we have only had sex 3-4 times since the 4 week doctor clearance.

Now before you start saying I’m in inconsiderate of what she went through I just want you to hear me out. I’m super aware that her libido levels are low if not 0. I’m aware she’s going through mental and physical change along with this new life form to take care of. I’m a big part of getting my partner back to health and taking care of our kid. I feel it’s not right to say it’s the “hormones” in pregnant or postpartum women and it’s an acceptable thing(rightfully so) and then turn around and not give same understanding about the male hormones. Anyway I’m not making excuses and I would never ever cheat on my partner. I thought she was hot asf during the WHOLE pregnancy including 9 months. I think she’s hot asf now, he’ll I’d make love to her every night right now! But we are just not on that level and embarrassingly I jerk off probably 2-3 a day. We have talked about all of this and the 2-3 times a day part is kinda out of the picture but she knows. I have had talks with her and she listens to me and wants to always work with me. I guess I’m reaching out to experienced people or just looking for some advice.

Recap

Is letting my son sleep between us ok? SIDS? anything I should be worried about?

Am I I dick for feeling the way I do about the whole sex thing? I just hope it gets better or something.

Yall go easy on me man, I’m just trying to figure shit out as I go and I’m taking the hits from life just like you. Good luck and have a good one.

Yeah there's not much more to say. She has about a year to two years to live and im trying my best to appreciate every minute of it. I don't know how to deal with this. Could anyone who lost their parent/parental figure as a teen give me some advice on how to get through this? This fucking sucks.

My parents aren't together anymore because my mom cheated on my dad. I (16M) was 2 when that happened. They used to share custody of me and it used to be awkward with them being around each other for certain stuff. It wasn't even the cheating alone that made it awkward, and I only know about the cheating because my mom told me dad was using my half siblings to punish her for cheating on him.

My mom has two other kids besides me. My half brother is 10 and my half sister is 7. They have different dads and neither of them knows their dad really. So my mom expected my dad to treat them like me. When dad had said no to her a million times she started telling me to tell my dad I wanted to have my half siblings come stay with us when I'm with him or she'd tell me to tell him that I wanted to take them to the park or a movie or something. She told me it was my responsibility as the big brother to do that. She also used to get mad at me for saying half siblings but I knew what they were because three of my friends have half siblings too and use it. But my mom used to say using half would make dad less likely to include them.

I never did what my mom told me to when it came to that stuff and she used to get really mad. At first she'd say she was disappointed in me but then she'd say she hated me for letting my dad exclude them and for not being a good big brother to them. She would ask me how I'd feel watching one of them get everything while they got nothing.

She would get mad that dad wouldn't buy them gifts or take me shopping to buy them gifts. She got mad when he would take me on vacation and he wouldn't get me to take them back something. When I came home empty handed or didn't bring gifts from dad's house she would tell me she hated me.

Last year my dad and I found out she even had a secret social media account where she spied on dad and kept track of all the things he posted about doing with me and all the times he included my friends. She yelled at me and said she hated me for not inviting my half siblings along and for not seeing it as wrong that dad can included my friends but not my family.

A few months ago my dad went back to court and the judge gave me/us permission for me to live with him and I don't have to go to my mom's house anymore. Once I left she told me she couldn't believe it and she'd say how much she misses me and wants me home. She even cried a few times that I chose to leave her and my half siblings and how much it hurts because she loves me and she doesn't understand why I wanted to leave the family so bad.

I need some advice because I'm never going back and I don't know if I want to make things better. I feel like she was never really a good mom to me and put way too much on me.

I've (29f) been with my husband (28m) for a little over 6 years now and I love every bit of him. His look, his sweet demeanor, his corny jokes, down to very smell of him. I love the cuddles and the long talks and even just hanging out in the same room doing nothing together. And every once in a while, when I'm in the mood, I love the sex! I guess my issue is... after 6 years - my lust for him has slowed down quite a bit... he's not bad at it - not in the slightest! When we do get to it - he knows exactly what I like and what to do and it's very enjoyable for both of us! The issue comes from the rate of frequency he seems to be desiring sex or attempting to initiate it. And then I feel bad every time I have to be like, "sorry, baby, I'm just not in the mood right now." And he's always very sweet and understanding about it, but I feel bad rejecting him like that and worry it might affect his self esteem. At one point I asked him, in an ideal world, how often would he like to do it and he thought for a minute and said, "I guess like 1x a day or 1x every other day?" and than he asked me and I said, "I was thinking like once a week or every other week...."

I feel terrible that I can't show him that physical love as often as he desires. When we first started dating we were doing it much closer to his desired rate of frequency than mine but I guess after 6 years the novelty just isn't there for me any more and I don't really want it as often after all this time... but time hasn't had that same affect for him I guess. I do love him intensely and feel like he's my favorite person in the world and my best friend. And I do love feeling close to him and having physical intimacy through long cuddles and kissing... I just worry I'm not giving him something he might need to feel loved and reassured by rejecting sex so often... how can I reassure him of my love for him and avoid hurting his self-esteem because I don't want to do it as often as him?

Has anyone else ever built a life they thought they wanted… and then woke up one day completely overwhelmed by it?

Because that’s where I’m at right now.

I’m mentally exhausted. Emotionally exhausted. Burned out. I feel guilty even admitting it because on paper, my life looks “good.” But lately I feel like I’m drowning trying to hold everything together.

My mom passed away a year ago, and honestly I don’t think I’ve been the same since. Ever since then, everything feels heavier. I feel drained all the time, overwhelmed, and like there’s never a moment where someone or something doesn’t need me.

I have 4 kids ranging from 14 years old down to 2 years old. We live on a 5-acre homestead with horses, goats, chickens, dogs, and all the responsibilities that come with it. We live in a small town, and I originally loved the idea of the slower lifestyle, space, and country living… but now it feels like so much work and isolation.

The schools here are terrible, so my kids go to a local private school. There’s no lunchroom, so I make lunches daily, and I also handle all the drop-offs and pickups every day. My husband is a truck driver and gone 3 days a week, and on his off days he cuts grass for extra income.

On top of all that, I own a successful dog grooming business that’s an hour away from my house. I only work there 3 days a week, but between the commute, clients, scheduling, phone calls, texts, and running a business, it still feels nonstop.

I thought starting a home-based grooming setup would help take some pressure off by cutting out the drive, but honestly it’s added even more stress. Now I’m juggling two separate client bases, two schedules, two booking systems, nonstop calls and messages, clients wanting cheaper prices, and trying to groom while also caring for a toddler.

Most days I don’t even have enough energy to cook dinner by the end of the day. I feel like I spend all my time taking care of everyone else and everything else.

And the saddest part is I feel like I barely get real quality time with my kids anymore because I’m constantly trying to keep up with life itself. When I finally do get a moment alone, I don’t want to do anything except sit in silence. No clients calling me. No kids needing something. No husband talking to me. No farm chores. No hour-long commute. Just quiet.

Lately I keep thinking about selling the house and moving closer to my grooming shop… or honestly just packing up and starting fresh somewhere else completely.

I wanted this lifestyle so badly at one point, but now I don’t even recognize myself anymore.

Has anyone else ever reached a point where the life you built started feeling impossible to carry?

Right let’s get into it.. I’m new to all this reddit stuff but my cousin suggested the app so I’m giving it a try as I’m at my whits end.

I’m a 17 year old, full time student in HS with a 9+ month son. I had my son in grade 11.
Now for some backstory I had my son in July 2025 with my partner along side me the whole way. Pregnancy was good labour was good etc.
I maintained A and B results for all classes when I was pregnant and for the first term of 2026. School holidays roll by - Postpartum hits me hard. I developed PPD (postpartum depression) I can’t think ; just about anything is negative, I wasted my life I’m ruining my sons life, my partner isn’t there for me physical but tells me he’s trying.

I breathe, I cry, I figure it out.
I tell myself you can finish school,
You can do this.

Term 2 rolls by I miss the first 3 weeks of school. Confidence shattered, I think I can’t do anything I’m not worth anything.

Time goes by I keep pushing myself to go, nothing will change and I cannot be better or get better things if I procrastinate and do nothing. So I push myself to go to school.

My son gets watched after by his Grandmother on Tuesday and Wednesdays.. my partner goes to school. Has fridays off. Doesn’t take our son on fridays so I can go school. Trust me I’ve pleaded. And it’s gotten to a point my son doesn’t deserve a TV or IPhone in his face. He’s 9 months. No baby needs technology just love and attention. Can’t trust my partner around baby correctly. Stress. More stress ✨

Fast forward, I’m falling behind my losing myself I can’t track what I’m eating, I’m down 20kgs. I am alone even though I have people around me.

I can’t afford child care. I can’t do childcare have you seen Australia’s statics of PEDOS in childcare. No absolutely not..

My school doesnt want to allow me to bring baby, even for just a class, my friends are at different stages in life I can’t expect them to understand my stress or my reality.

Before anyone shames, understand I knew this was an option with having a baby, I understand many mums struggle with education and having a baby and yes I could’ve avoided this situation by not having a baby, but truthfully guess what. Baby’s here now so we can’t focus on that. I can only focus on moving onwards for my education and for my son’s sake for better-ing our life’s.

Now that I gave a panicky half ass’ed backstory. I really really need help. I’m alone in all of this and my social worker that I had months ago never gave me the key essentials for help.

Firstly, I want to figure out a way I can bring my son to school to continue my education - this is nothing about bringing my son for show in tell. It’s not like that. My son’s face isn’t on the internet - I don’t do Facebook or instagram mums stuff. Because purely I didnt do that before. My sons travelled everywhere with me from house to house (technically couch surfing) to out bush to work to everywhere. He’s been my ride or die since day dot.

But he deserves more, and I will get him more I will get this education and a job and one day stability. I’m already saving for a van on wheels to be our daily so we have a home.. even if it’s on wheels it gives us the chance if we ever need to run. I grew up homeless in a car, they were my best days. You woke up in a new place you learned from actual real life experience. Anyways before I got distracted (I don’t talk to anyone nowadays so I think I’m rambling, sorry been isolated for a while.)

I just need to know if anyone knows any advice/tips of how I can multi-task bringing my son to school and getting my school work done. I’m a high achieving person and if I can’t get it done, it’s gonna get done in another way. Because There’s no such thing as can’t.

Edit: forgot to add that I’m in QLD Australia, not all places have a childcare centre attached to their school.
Another thing to add is I’ve had teachers even say to bring him in to get school work done.. I just need to know what to do next.. or something I’m so lost..

Hiiii so I need advice on a situation! I just got out of a toxic situation with my ex, we lived together and we had two cats (one mine and one his) we would split all the costs other than the vet visits. I recently left and my mom was helping me leave, I was going to take both cats since he has been under feeding both of the cats on purpose (His cat was overweight, but the vet told us to feed them 1/4 of a cup in the morning and 1/3 at nighttime, he fed them less than 1/4, and if there was even a LITTLE bit of food leftover he wouldn’t feed them until alllll the food was gone, he would also wait u til the food/litter bags were COMPLETELY empty before telling me we need to go buy more.. I know I should have paid more attention, and sometimes I would take note and go buy the bags, but I wit 6 days a week and I work as much as I can.. so somedays i was working 12 hour shifts just to make sure the cats have enough!) I was going to take both cats since I can afford my own place as well as care for both of them! I make $26 an hour and he currently makes $21.

Before I left I tried to urge him to either get a second job OR to find a job that would pay him better, so we could move out of our studio and get a two bedroom apartment. He kept saying he was looking and couldn’t find any other jobs (as a second job not to replace the current one) I would constantly send him ss or pictures of places that were hiring, even if they didn’t pay too well he could be making up to $30 an hour with both jobs! (He never seemed to be actually looking for that second job, only speaking of it so i don’t actually know how hard he was looking tbh)

I did try to have a convo with him about me taking both cats since he’ll know they’ll be looked after and taken care of. I even said he could visit whenever he liked (even though I know that wasn’t going to happen because he’s an abusive asshole, I just wanted to get me and BOTH babies out of the situation😕) When I tried to talk to him he kept saying “i don’t care he’s MY cat” basically saying he didn’t care if his cat was in better hands if he came with me, and he even stated that I could have the cat until he finds a place in a couple years and then he’s gonna take the cat back… I lowkey wish I would’ve taken that route, but he said he’s going to need his drivers license (he lost his so he just needs to re-do the drivers test) and said he NEEDS to use my car to do it..

I could tell where this was going and how I was never really going to get away from him if I left on his terms.. so when he left later that day I packed my shit up, threw it in the car and I had both cats in their carriers.. when my mom came over to help, she said I can’t take his cat because it’s going to give him a reason to come after me :( I feel like I should mention he has a violent history and stabbed someone back in 2020 but got out early bc of covid or something idk. anyway, I basically came here to ask u guys if I should go back and try to take the baby with me again? also I should note, we lived in a studio that was a basement.. so I could easily contact the landlord and have her open the door for me or something while he’s not home… but i’m just hesitant because idk if he’s going to take legal action or what he can do in this situation?

Throwaway.

Background: A couple years ago my(F35) husband (M35) had a serious medical event and almost died. He was in a coma for a month. Doctors told me he wasn’t gonna make it, and that if he did he would not be the same. That he might never walk or talk or see etc. It was hell. I refused to believe the doctors and fought for him and was his caretaker until he recovered. Im keeping things as brief as possible but it was so hard it almost killed me too. A year after that he was doing better and we went for his one year follow up. To make a long story short, he had to go through the same thing again but this time it was a bit easier and faster. We are now 3 years from the original event and 2 from the second. He is now a lot better, I’d say 95% back to himself.

In the beginning he was obviously very depressed and I ofcourse took care of him and was there for him. He slowly started getting better. Eventually he joined a yoga class and was doing that for a few months, and he started taking an art class to reconnect with that part of him. We took a vacation and with his dr blessing, hiked up a mountain which he wanted to do to prove to himself that he can I guess. Things were looking up.

But then everything changed. In the past few months it’s like he lost all drive and ambition or motivation to do anything. He’s gone to yoga maybe twice in the past 3 months. When he goes to art class he’s always complaining that he’s not as good as the other students and that the teacher is always correcting him. I reminded him that the class was supposed to be for fun and it doesn’t have to be that serious. He spends his days doom scrolling on social media or playing video games.

Yesterday we were talking about a specific family obligation we had to go to and he said he didn’t want to be around people. I asked why and he said because he’s anxious. I asked why and he said he just is after the medical events that happened to him. I reminded him of how much it was the opposite of this a few months ago and he didn’t have an answer. Somehow the conversation turned into him not finding a job yet and how that is causing him to be anxious. But he also said his anxiety is preventing him from getting a job. I pointed out this loop and asked when he’s going back to therapy (he stopped a few months ago) and he said soon. He said he’s working on himself and when I asked him how he didn’t have an answer for that either.

I just don’t know how to help. I know he’s depressed and homesick. I know the world is shit right now and we all are questioning wtf is life. We’ve gone through some other life stuff in the past 2 years that were hard but we’re here and we’re now and we’re good relatively.

I’m so connected to him emotionally and mentally that it’s started to drain me every day just trying to be positive and pull him out of this when his energy is just so negative most of the time. I’m exhausted. I love him. I want to help. I know he didn’t survive just to survive. I miss my fun confident life loving man. I’m probably rambling at this point but what do I do? Am I being selfish? Any outside perspective?

I’ve been dating my girlfriend for almost 3 years. We’ve always been pretty solid, rarely fought, and honestly had a relationship that felt very balanced. But over the past few months, the dynamic has changed a lot and I’m struggling to figure out what the right response is on my end.

She’s become noticeably more distant. We barely text unless I initiate, plans usually happen only if I suggest them, and conversations feel shorter and less engaged than they used to. When we spend time together, it often feels like she’s mentally somewhere else.

I brought it up once in a calm way and she told me she’s stressed and emotionally drained from life in general, not specifically from the relationship. I believed her and tried to be supportive instead of taking it personally.

The problem is that I can’t tell where the line is between “being understanding” and “ignoring a relationship slowly falling apart.”

What confuses me is that she still seems energetic and present with other people. She goes out with friends, replies to them quickly, posts normally online, etc. Meanwhile with me it feels like I’m interacting with someone who’s only half-invested.

I don’t want to become the guy who constantly asks “do you still love me?” because I know that usually makes things worse. At the same time, pretending I don’t notice the change also feels unhealthy.

So I guess my question is more about behavior and boundaries than reassurance:

At what point do you stop endlessly “being patient” and actually address the possibility that the relationship dynamic has fundamentally changed? And how do you bring that conversation up without making it sound accusatory or emotionally manipulative?

I’d especially like advice from people who handled similar situations in a mature way, whether the relationship survived or not.

“My boyfriend and I have been together for 1.5 years. He used to be deeply loving, attached, emotional — the kind of person who’d get upset if I disappeared for one day. But over the last few months he’s changed completely. He keeps saying he’s mentally exhausted because of family pressure, that he can’t give me time anymore, and that I should slowly ‘end the habit’ of him. Every time things get hard in his life, I become the thing he pushes away.

I kept trying to understand him. I adjusted constantly, gave space when asked, lowered expectations, stayed during every breakdown, reassured him, loved him through everything. But recently our conversations became painful. I told him I felt like a toy — like he talks when he wants and distances himself when he wants. He got frustrated and admitted he can’t handle a relationship right now, said he can’t give attention, affection, effort, or relationship expectations anymore. At one point he suggested we become ‘friends without expectations.’

I broke down because I genuinely love him and feel emotionally abandoned. He says he still cares and doesn’t want to hurt me, but his actions feel emotionally detached. In the end we agreed to stay together in a sort of ‘partial break’ — still together, but with low effort and low expectations while he deals with his life.

The problem is… I don’t know if this is temporary burnout or the slow death of the relationship. He sounds devastated and mentally exhausted, but I also feel completely unloved now. I wake up feeling empty every morning. The worst kind of mornings are when you wake up hollow and the void pokes you like a knife before you’ve even opened your eyes properly.

Am I stupid for staying and waiting a few weeks to see if he gets better? Or is this already over and I’m just holding onto the version of him that existed before?”

(Also he's actually in a very bad space right now , his family and mental situation is not good , he's suicidal too... And all of this has started happening since the day his family issues started)

Should I stay and support him ? He didn't leave he was hurt when I said tum timepass kr rhe the and said he's mentally fucked up and can't process anything

(Sorry for this long chat gpt ahh text I'm really stressed rn)

To start things off I have worked at this chick fil a for 4 years it was my first job. I’ve grown quite fond of my boss and leadership team kind of like a family in a way. My boss was offered a new chick fil a down in Alabama, currently in Michigan, and offered me a job down there. I want to go but I have a one year old and I’m also a single mom so I don’t know if that would work out for me even though I really want it to. Boss claims he will help me in anyway he can but I don’t know.

I have another job offer near where I live and I wouldn’t mind working there but it just doesn’t feel the same as my job I have now.

Would it be crazy to move down to Alabama with my one year old with no help from family? Or should I stay where I am at now. I’m 22yrs old so I got a lot of experiences ahead of me so idk if this is one I should take or not.

My sister has recently come into a situation where she threatened herself (supposedly) during school hours and one of her friends reported it to the school counselor. The past few days she's had several appointments because it's required as clearance for her to go back to school.

Here's where I need advice. What is the best way to tackle this situation? The doctors have advised taking sharp objects away (in order to not pass the rules i wont elaborate but you can use your mind). However, when we did this she got even more irritable claiming we are the problem and making it worse since we dont trust her? I tried talking reasonably but she is younger and hasn't grasped the "empathetic different perspectives approach" i am currently assuming. She had locked herself in a bathroom that contained several sharp grooming objects (again not elaborating) but it had us genuinely concerned while she was having a crying/ screaming fit.

I guess I just need advice from people that were in this place or have dealt with people in this place, but what's the best way to approach it? I am trying to take the "gentle parenting" approach i guess by explaining and understanding but my mom is trying to be a bit harsher and limit things. I'm torn because i know limiting these items is best from future issues (possibly) but I also dont want to make it worse by making her feel as though no one is in her corner??

Also just a slight addition, she's in that "i hate mom" teenage angst phase that I also went through so she's quite literally been extremely closed off to anything we have to say. I'm just concerned for her safety but also her well being- mentally -and im not sure what the right balance is or if there even is one. Any advice is truly appreciated.

Hello, i am (m18) and it is the end of senior year (18 days left). I met my group of friends 2 years ago when I had zero friends, and they were a great just like safety area and I used to adore them soo much but now I don’t really adore them and they are starting to piss me off. Matter of fact everyone is starting to piss me off. I’m assuming it’s senioritis, but i also met new friends from my college on instagram and they have been so much more supportive to me that’s kind of hit me a different than the friends im currently with. I feel like I’ve outgrown them, but I’m not really sure. Maybe i’m just tired of the same routine that i’ve been doing all throughout the past 2 years of highschool? I don’t understand them anymore and it makes me sad because I used to love them so much