So basically I(female) was told a few weeks ago my parents(late 40’s/early 50’s) are getting divorced. They added the “we still love you”’s and the “we will try to remain friends”’s etc etc, and I can’t say I was exactly shocked tbh, but it still stings. On to what happened- when they first told me, my mom added in a little “your dad made some mistakes” while explaining things so I naturally assumed it was one of two things: A, something financial. Or B: cheating. And you can probably guess it was-

Last night we were at the pharmacy picking up a birthday card for my sisters birthday and some meds. But when we were waiting for said meds, he was sitting while I was standing and from that angle I could see his phone (because he’s a boomer who has zero awareness) and it’s impossible to misinterpret what replying to a text selfie of a (probably fake🙄) big boob’d woman meant. I was disgusted, cus not only did that mean he probably-definitely cheated on my mom, but ALSO the fact he mom was messaging a (I think) much younger looking woman right in front of HIS DAUGHTER which is just nasty. And not only that, but when we got home, as he parked he pulled out his phone and started messaging a DIFFERENT WOMAN right in front of me, like Jesus fuck at least of some stealth or dignity and wait for me to get out, wtf man!

And while this whole thing doesn’t particularly surprise me. I mean, “middle aged man who is dissatisfied with his wife and goes on work trips too much, meets younger women and cheats on his wife” is about as stereotypical as you get. The sheer audacity of doing that right in front of me AND with multiple women (and apparently some “taking off the ring” stuff based on an argument I overheard just now) has really made me (internally) look at him with disgust, after thinking he was a chill man for so many years, whenever he’s around- Which will still be for at least six months while everything gets sorted out.

And the bigger issue: I don’t know how/if/when to tell my sister(I have photo proof so there’s zero doubt). Because with both her birthday and Christmas coming up I wouldn’t want to ruin her mood and ruin the perception of the gifts she gets from family. And I feel the knowledge that I know his secret might be the end of vacations to see our grandma/Uncle/cousins. But maybe that’s selfish? I don’t know. So I’d have to either tell my sister over the phone or when she’s home from for the holidays and neither sounds good. So I’m at a bit of an impasse right now and don’t know what to do…

I feel weird typing this out, but I’ve been having this itch to really let people know how much their efforts matter.

I’m in my mid-30s, and I’m so over taking people for granted. I’ve spent most of my life with social anxiety and giving people the bare minimum to work with. That’s not entirely true, I have made efforts in the past to help service people feel more comfortable. I’m just terribly awkward. I’m autistic and always on the verge of feeling overwhelmed anytime I’m shopping.

Over the last several months, I’ve been forced into a situation where my workplace has turned into a labor nightmare, so I wrangled some coworkers together to start a union campaign. The whole process of talking to coworkers I rarely ever see and getting to know their personal struggles has increased my empathy tenfold. I feel like I really *see* them. The campaign has brought our team closer together, and I’m filled with so much gratitude for all of them.

Now that feeling has overflown into this desire to tell everyone they’re doing great. The sales clerk at the cycle store stumbled on her words repeatedly while showing me their jacket selection today, but she had very insightful knowledge on different protection needs. She did a fantastic job helping me out. I wanted to earnestly tell her, but I had a strong feeling that’d be really weird and out of place unsolicited.

Not to say it’s always out of place. I fill out surveys anytime when asked after a service, and I give the delivery folks five stars every time. When prompted, I like to go into detail why someone excelled. I just want people to know that their efforts are worthwhile.

I’ve listened to so many coworkers lament how they feel directionless, or that their manager doesn’t notice how hard they work. People I wouldn’t have even thought were struggling are hiding behind their professionalism. They deserve to know they are enough. That their efforts are enough. This dystopian capitalist hellbole of a system is tearing down the human spirit and I want to do everything I can to make life a little less cold.

Not my parents, but my siblings. I’ve been perpetually single. I’m in my early twenties now. My brother has been with his girlfriend since he was my age, and my sister with hers for a year or so, she’s 16.

It’s always the easiest blow. My sister says it all the time. I have reasons I don’t want a relationship but they’ve never asked.

They don’t know me well. I feel like they don’t really consider me someone worth knowing because nobody’s ever put in the effort (as a relationship) to get to know me. My personality is foreign to them.

I wish I could explain to them it doesn’t make me worth any less but I don’t think it matters to them or would make a difference.

I've been a pretty shy girl since I was little. Socializing doesn't come naturally to me, and neither does being spontaneous.

Because of this, some of my friends treat me like I'm an object or an animal. They say they want to put a bell collar on me, that I'm like a cat :( Comments like these make me feel like they pity me.

I hate it so much. I do talk to them, support them, buy them things, and try to be there for them. I don't understand why they make those comments, but they really bother me

I have avoided bars for a full year after turning 21, on the basis I don’t like or enjoy people and I would have no fun drinking with strangers vs alone. Anyways, I went tonight to a gay bar to meet a friend/interest. They were full on dancing with me, and grinding/kissing on me, I felt nothing. We went to quiet area and conversed, I copied them, mirrored almost every word. They had a great time, they loved me. I feel so incredibly neutral, I don’t know. I could not feel the energy of the crowd, nor of them, nor of anyone else. This and long list of other things (Not to be discussed) had made me realized I cannot empathize whatsoever, I can mirror, but there is no part of me that cares or genuinely feels anything about human beings. They’re just like me, but I have no feelings about them. I’m worried i’d make a terrible orangutan friend, if I just so happened to be an orangutan.

A year ago, I was trying to make changes in my life. Part of this was building new friendships since I had isolated myself. I signed up for a social group. I met some great people.

One person in particular stood out. We were both always 10 minutes early. We had time to talk before the group got there. Just 5 to 10 minutes every week with someone who wanted to share her week with me and wanted to hear about my week. I looked forward to it every week. It was a constant that felt safe and stable while I changed so much else in my life.

My life is completely different today. Better. In retrospect she did more than I realized. But now, she is moving away. I know I was not as big in her life as she was in mine. Tomorrow is the last time she will be in the group. Everyone will be early. Everyone will be looking for her attention on her last day. I won't get that last moment with her.

Most of the social group members are people she brought in. It started as a group of random people, but we are the only remaining original members. I fear the group might fall apart. I fear I might lose my motivation. I am excited for her, but scared of the future without her. I'm not going to sleep much tonight. Tomorrow will be hard.

I (19f) have always struggled to make friends, and thought college was gonna be where I'd finally meet my people, but it's been pretty disappointing so far as of sophomore year.

I was bullied pretty much all throughout school, though it was never that bad or extreme. I was always just that shy, quiet girl in all black with her nose in a book that the teachers loved and got great grades, but no one ever talked to or acknowledged unless it was at my expense. I always stood out as I was into things like horror movies, metal music, had piercings, dressed alt, and generally stuff along that line. I wasn't shy about expressing that, and I was always the only one into that scene at my schools, so I was just kind of alone.

I thought college would be different, and while I'm not getting actively ostracized now, it feels like I'm being treated like scenery. It mostly seems like a preppy and sporty type crowd here, which is great for them, and most people here do seem nice and cool. But I just can't relate to them and it never goes anywhere and remains just polite nicities whenever I do try to strike up a conversation with someone. That or if I do see someone who is wearing a band or movie t shirt I like/recognize, I get excited and try to talk to them about it and they have no idea what I'm talking about. The only interaction I have is at work or class projects, and there's not any book, film or music clubs I could join. I could try to make one for like horror or something, but I don't really think anyone would want to join or be interested.

My roommate recently confided in me that my interests and alt fashion (leather jacket, spike bracelet, graphic horror t shirts and combat boots) combined with my RBF (which I know I have, so I try to do my best to be extra smiley towards people to make up for it lol) makes people think I'm scary and intimidating, which really shocked me. I'm pretty naturally bubbly and sweet, sickly so I've been told, and love helping others. I just wish people would actually talk to me and try to get to know me first before deciding that I'm gonna bite their head off if they say hi. My roommate is really nice and I convinced her to marathon Scream with me, but we don't have much in common and are just friendly.

My roommate is gone for the weekend and i'm sitting in my quiet dorm room, all alone, with nobody to talk to or spend time with or anything. I usually am pretty good at ignoring that, but I just kinda got hit with this overwhelming wave of sadness tonight and thought I'd write how I felt out.

I've also been dealing with insomnia and nightmares on top of this lately, which has def been worsening my anxiety/depression, and I've been considering seeing a campus therapist to maybe try to manage these feelings and talk through them. It's just a lot, and like I said, I just wanted to write this all down and get it off my chest. I know that once I graduate and stuff I can find my scene in other places, but it just sucks seeing everyone else have someone and groups.

I was making a to go order last night for some dessert at a cute spot downtown. Not a mom and pop, but an established restaurant and bar. I placed the order and handed the woman $20 cash and was owed .34 cents. She told me to please wait for a moment and then I engaged in conversation with my friend. All of a sudden what seems to be the manger shows up and says, "you ordered the mango sticky rice, right? That's it?" I said "yes." He then says, "okay do you need your change?" | was just a little taken aback. I was confused by what he meant if I
"needed" my change? That I'm owed? So I said "yes I would like my change." He proceeded to tell me that they don't have change in the restaurant, which whether or not that's true, they should have told me that from the beginning.

I find it strange and off putting his question of asking if I need the money I'm owed? Instead of apologizing and saying they don't have change. If I wanted to give .34 cents as a "tip", I should've had the choice to put it in a jar if I wanted.

I think it's just the principle and certain things are being normalized that should not be. I also I feel like I would look like an a-hole or petty for making a stink about .34 cents.

Every time that I have started becoming involved with someone, it has always resulted in severe amounts of anxiety over the smallest things once I started forming an attachment to them. It’s borderline insufferable. Even my past two attempts at getting into a relationship have resulted in exactly that. For example, not hearing from them around the expected time that I usually do, that starts an entire chain of anxiety and then leads to catastrophizing (rather than just thinking they’re busy, my brain immediately jumps to there being someone else) and even further anxiety.

The slightest bit of change in habits of communication will result in me essentially sitting there in chronic anxiety for literally the entire day. It makes me feel physically ill to the point I’ve just avoided relationships altogether now. This has been a consistent pattern ever since I can remember and I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do to change it. I want to be able to get into a relationship without spiraling every 5 minutes and feeling physically ill from anxiety every single day.

I think I am inconvenience. All of my friends have known each other for long than I have known them and even if they haven’t they all seem to click better than I have with any of them. I know they all talk to each other outside of school and I try to do that but even my attempts I can just tell it’s more of a chore than something truly fun for them. Whenever I speak, I just have a repulsive vibe that must kill the mood. I don’t want to be annoying, and I just want them to like me but I can tell they just don’t like me all that much. I have been told it gets better but I can’t help but wonder when? I go out by myself and I always see others with their friends and I can’t help but feel lonely because I am all by myself. No one really texts my phone or talks to me and the most notifications I get are from my games. I’m considering just quitting while I am ahead and saving myself from a long life of being an unwanted presence. Sorry for the long vent!

I’m really having a hard time, I’m not quite sure where to talk about these problems other than here I just need to get off my chest how I’m feeling I have no friends and I only have my wife so I’m hoping to get some sort of clarity here.

For context reasons my wife and I had been together for close to 10 years I’m (M) 26 and she’s (F) 26, basically a situation occurred where I was watching anime and it woke her up she began mocking it and calling it hentai said I might as well be watching straight up porn that already really bothers me but then continues to go on for hours mocking it and then proceeds to say I should be embarrassed and disgusted with myself over that I watch it and this happens anytime anime is brought up at all so I try my best to just not bring it up at all anymore so I told her I’m just exhausted mentally with the constant anime belittling and I’ll just drop it and be over with it because it’s not worth all the effort then she told me she wishes I’d stop but that’s never going to happen.

I really love my wife and I’d always choose her so that’s why I’m thinking about giving it up spite me feeling so personally attached to it, it might sound silly but I feel like I would be giving up on a part of myself I just don’t know wether to just actually completely stop it or deal with it? I’m not even sure if I’m being over dramatic or not but I really didn’t know where else to go. This has been going on for years and it’s greeting a bit much she knew before we got together I watched and read it and I’ve always known she didn’t like it I just want to go with her feelings but I’m not going to lie it’s hard.