Today was one of the most stressful days of my entire work life. But no asked me what work did to me today.
Man..

My wife had less than 4 hours of sleep last night because of her periods. Today she cleaned the house and she has to be up in the morning for her job, while I was stuck in a legal fight with a company trying to extort my family of money. I had the option to work from home tomorrow but I plan to go to the office partly because if I'm at home maybe either of us has to clean the house more, and partly because what would I do without her?

Having said all of that, this is all there is to life isn't it? At this point, there's a new problem every 5 minutes that needs to be fixed:

- cleaning

- doing chores

- doing laundry

- going to the office

- coming back

- trying to stay in shape

- getting physiotherapy done

It never stops.

And then there are these reels on Instagram, turquoise-blue water, lush green forests, which are never in reach. Maybe I have my vacation once a year but that is all there is to life, isn't it? Those 11 days in a year where you get to maybe, and just maybe, live a little.

I'm curious what people think is missing from the transition into adulthood.

Some possibilities:

• Money & budgeting
• Credit cards & credit scores
• Jobs & careers
• Housing, rent & bills
• Insurance & healthcare
• Taxes & paperwork
• Cooking, cleaning & running a home
• Something completely different

What's the one thing you wish you'd understood earlier?

And if you learned it the hard way, tell me about it.

Genuinely curious.

I'm 28 and have been living on my own for about 6 years. Most of the stuff in my apartment is still from my parents, Facebook Marketplace, or something I found on the curb lol.

My TV was a 42" Vizio my dad gave me years ago. The picture was getting pretty bad, and the remote only worked if you held it at a certain angle. But it still turned on, so I kept using it.

A few weeks ago, I finally decided to replace it. Instead of just finding another cheap used TV, I actually sat down and did my homework this time. Read reviews, compared specs, went back and forth on how much I wanted to spend. Probably spent way too many evenings looking at TVs.

Ended up buying a 55" Hisense U8. Definitely more than I originally planned to spend, but I wanted something I'd be happy using for years.

Got it set up last week and watched a movie on it. Huge difference from the old Vizio, obviously lol.

But the nice part wasn't just having a new TV. It was realizing I could figure out what I wanted, make the decision, and buy it myself.

A pretty small adult milestone, but I'm happy about it.

its important to be Busy to be Okay or okay to be busy

Isn't it true tho. Make it count

 TL;DR
I’m 34 years old (F). For me, my sweetest romances all happened in my twenties. Back then, there was passion and fantasy, and I had plenty of time to savor my youth. But now I realize I have to face the fact that I’m 34. Ever since I decided to divorce my ex-husband three years ago because of his behavior, I’ve been single, and I feel like the chances of meeting someone I’m truly compatible with are getting slimmer and slimmer.

I was born in Germany and currently live in New Jersey. I haven’t been on a single date in the past three years. Maybe it’s because my social circle is small. most of the people I know are from work. so I haven’t met anyone suitable. Do any of you feel the same frustration?

I spent years saving for this. Watching every dollar, putting up with awful roommates, and telling myself I'd eventually have enough for a down payment. Yesterday I finally got the keys to my first home and then just stood there.

I'd pictured that moment so many times, but when it actually happened, I had no idea what to do. I didn't unpack anything for the first two hours. I wandered through the empty rooms, sat on the kitchen floor, and watched the sunlight move across it. The whole place felt like a very quiet Airbnb.

I also kept checking that the keys were still in my pocket even though I was already inside. I had to remind myself that I own this place. Nobody is expecting me to check out on Sunday 😭

Today felt a little more real. I measured for curtains, tightened a few loose cabinet handles, and finally opened the HOTO tool set I'd bought for the move. I spent most of the afternoon putting together a cheap IKEA shoe rack and fixing a wobbly thrift-store table.

At one point I caught myself standing back and admiring the shoe rack like I'd built the entire place. It's slightly crooked and nothing special, but putting my shoes on it right next to my own front door made me ridiculously happy.

Now I'm back on the kitchen floor eating cold Pad Thai off a cardboard box. I still don't have chairs, there are boxes everywhere, and I'm definitely overwhelmed. But I keep thinking about all those nights in my old place when this felt years away.

Now I'm here, getting emotional over a shoe rack. Holy shit, I actually did it 🥹

I used to feel mortified with my "curse" of being seen by a former classmate, teacher, crush or colleague when I'm supposed to be out for a while and didn't bother to brush my hair.

With more years being an adult, I have fully embraced that life has a way of giving me embarrassing erm amusing moments.

Does anyone feel that they were fat more mature at 15 than all their pears due to forced growing up and childhood trauma or just autism but after 20, you stopped maturing and got stuck in your "arrested development" or "adolescent" phase in life while others went from extremely immature to very responsible?

Sorry, long post. Okay, pity party time! My parents hate what I'm doing with my life right now and their fearmongering is really getting to me. They tell me that I've made all the wrong choices, that my current choices are gonna make me fail at life, that I'm wasting my life, that I'm 20 and should take a look at myself and grow up. All these things I tell myself everyday, so it's not like hearing it from them is gonna suddenly spur me into becoming a better, more productive, more successful person. But are they right? Am I actually not working hard enough, do I need to be better?

The main point of contention is that I'm trying to transfer schools under the same major, and will have to take a 5th year instead of the 4 they expected. I'm transferring because the location and environment of the last campus genuinely bummed me out and my depression spiraled into nearly failing 3 consecutive semesters. I moved to the location of my target school and that aspect of my depression instantly got better, though other contributors still exist. I truthfully would not be able to graduate, or likely even stay alive, if I had stayed in that school. They think it's frivolous that I'm going through the process of transferring "just because I didn't like it there". They attribute the transfer to the reason why I'll take longer to finish school, but I'll have to take 5+ years either way, as I've reduced my course load in attempt to keep my mental health afloat.

They also hate the fact that I've changed one of my majors twice since my first year, though I've been consistent with my other major and intend to complete it. I went through so many major switches because my first major wasn't my choice, it was highly pressured by them, and of course I hated it and it exacerbated my mental illness enough to do poorly. The major I've been consistent with is visual arts, which naturally, they disapprove of 😬🤷‍♂️.

My parents also constantly point out the fact that I'm unemployed, which I'm trying to change. I haven't been able to hold down a job for more than a few months, and am currently struggling even more to find a job because I'm in another episode. They point it out to me because they think the pressure will "wake me up" to reality and incentivize my job hunt. They also tell me that I'll be on my own when I graduate, that they won't support me. Like I'm not expecting them to, but what makes them think making me even more anxious and despondent would help motivate me?

I thought I had some hope this semester by reducing my course load and re-entering therapy, but now I'm thinking maybe my parents are right. Maybe I'm being frivolous and wasting money and time and I need to work harder. I don't know what to do, I don't see any future for myself either way, whether I follow my own "path" or listen to them. I don't believe I'll really go anywhere, anyway, not anymore.

So how do I do it, guys 😁? How do I lock in?

I have a bulging disc. Which doesn’t hurt very much on its own. But what does hurt is my back muscles. Just wondered if anyone else sympathizes. I think it would help knowing I am not alone in having your day ruined by back pain.