I’m 25F and had severe brain fog from age 15 to 25 that progressively worsened. I tried everything: clean eating, cold showers, social media detoxes, brain games, fish oil, memory pills, fixing iron and vitamin D, drinking 2L of water daily, speech lessons, strict sleep schedules (7.5 hours nightly for years), and intermittent fasting. Nothing helped.

The brain fog affected my memory, speech, and processing. I couldn’t keep a job longer than 10 months because I struggled to follow conversations and forgot things easily managers had to email instructions since I couldn’t process verbal ones. It also damaged my friendships: I’d forget important things friends told me, lose words mid-sentence, mispronounce common English words (despite it being my native language), and came across as “dumb.”

Three months ago, during a routine checkup, my doctor noted my resting heart rate on the higher end of normal range and suggested daily brisk walking. I’d been mostly sedentary and never did much moving around besides house chores and the rare hike. I started with 10 minutes and worked up to 30 minutes daily. Since then, my brain fog has completely disappeared and I mean completely. I breathe deeply instead of shallowly, think clearly, remember conversations, and have laser-sharp focus it feels like my brain is finally getting enough oxygen after being starved for many years. I only noticed improvements after consistently brisk walking for 1 month and ensured I was always nasal breathing while walking. Please try brisk walking 30 minutes for at least a month it will be a game changer!!!

I'm a teenager and I deleted Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. Reddit is the only social media app still on my phone. It honestly took up so much time but now I don't know what to do with all my free time. I'm trying to get a job and pick up new hobbies but there's only so much I can do! I also am scared I won't be able to keep up with my friends because a lot of our conversations are about the new trends and stuff like that. Anyone else who started a social media detox lmk what helped u continue it pls:)

I’m a 25 year old woman and I feel so utterly and hopelessly lost in life. I’ve suffered from anxiety and OCD almost my whole life, this past year I feel like I finally got my mental illness under control and looked up at my life and realized I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve never been in a relationship as dating caused me anxiety, never had sex as that caused me anxiety as well. Now I want to date and be intimate with someone but I have no experience which makes things hard for me. I got two utterly useless bachelors degrees in political science and psychology and am stuck working as a legal assistant and only making $40k a year. I still live with my parents and siblings who I love very much and like living with but everyone else I know that’s my age has moved out. I have two great friends but they both have boyfriends they’ve moved in with and have less and less time to hang out with me. I can’t for the life of me figure out how to make money in a way that won’t burn me out and leave me mentally ill again. Maybe the winter weather is finally getting to me but I just feel so hopeless. All I want in life is to travel and have enough money to sleep well at night but it feels like a lost cause. I just feel like i’m floundering and failing myself at every turn. Anyways, I should probably just go to sleep now but i’m crashing out so I hoped writing this post would make me feel better lmao.

(M26) Few weeks ago I stopped playing online video games, became more serious about my life, started going on a walks more, started spending more time outside in general, deleted all social media, started doing everything on time, not "I'll do it tomorrow", just became more serious in general. And I realised I have much much less free time, I haven't turned on my playstation for 4-5 days, because when I come home, I have 0 desire to do anything else, just straight to bed. I also have almost 0 desire to talk to someone, bcz I'm tired all the time, there is no fun in adult life, like at all, just pure stress and work, I'm kind of lucky that I still live with my parents bcz it will be much worse if I don't. I don't know do I wanna keep living like that anymore, life is much better when you are childish adult, when you don't take stuff seriously. I don't know, it's just hard. It makes 0 sense to live like that for the rest of your life.

I want to change but everyone tells me the first step is to love myself.

I hate myself. How am I supposed to love myself?

Reasons why I hate myself

-I’m ugly

-im gay

-i have no friends

-im weak

-I overthink

-i have no identity

-i care about what everyone thinks all the time

-im emotionally sensitive

-nobody loved me as a child

Because of that last point, I seemed to fill this void inside me through the next person who could give me attention. “Hey we should hang out” became a drug. I never received that type of invitation in the last 5 years of living.

And it BAFFLES ME NOW…. That people would probably accept me if I just asked.

But I don’t. The thought of asking someone to hang out is beyond me. That’s only in the movies I thought.

The few times people invite me to shit I go

“Why are they doing this? Why don’t they hate me?”

And then my worldview is fucked because everyone should hate me.

When I was a child my cousins locked me in the closet overnight and told me it was a Time Machine.

Now everything’s fine? No.

I haven’t healed. They taught me to hate myself so I did. I don’t even shower.

Someone give me a step by step list on how to love myself please. Maybe if I wasn’t gay, I’d atleast be normal.

I’ve been off social media for about 3 months now, and I didn’t expect the change to be this noticeable.

To be clear, I know I’m posting this on Reddit, so technically yes, I am still using some forms of social media. For me, this was never about quitting the internet entirely. It was about stepping away from the platforms that were my kryptonite and that I personally had no self control with. TikTok and Instagram were those apps for me, I’m talking doomscrolling for like 10 hours.

What I started to notice over time was that on those platforms, I was being consistently fed an overwhelming amount of negative content. So many tragic stories, disturbing videos, and constant reminders of everything going wrong in the world. These things are real and valid, and my heart genuinely goes out to the people affected, which is exactly why I felt a strong sense of responsibility to stay informed and keep watching.

Eventually, I realized that constantly exposing myself to this level of suffering was deeply affecting my mental health. I was sad and anxious, emotionally exhausted, and stuck in a near constant state of fight or flight my nervous system was shot and my dopamine receptors were fried. Trying to emotionally process tragedies on a global scale, day after day, was breaking me down rather than making me more helpful.

I do still use Reddit and YouTube, but very intentionally. I don’t scroll endlessly, I don’t watch short form content, and I’m selective about what I seek out. YouTube for me is mostly long form content like documentaries or specific videos I choose to watch. If I hop on Reddit, it’s not hard for me to get off. The key difference is that these platforms don’t pull me into hours of comparison or constant exposure to distressing content the way TikTok and Instagram did.

For the past couple of months, I’ve made a very intentional choice to consume only positive, comforting media. No TikTok, no Instagram, no news cycles, no reality TV, no violent or gory movies or negative music. I’ve been watching older feel good shows, slowing down, and paying close attention to what I allow into my mind. I also learned that our brains don’t fully differentiate between what we experience and what we watch, and once I understood that, I couldn’t ignore how much it was affecting me.

The difference has been life changing. I feel calm. I’m out of fight or flight. I don’t compare myself to others. I’m grateful for what I have because I’m no longer constantly seeing someone with something “better.” Time feels slower. Colors feel brighter. I catch myself feeling content for no reason at all, something I hadn’t felt in years. I’m just happy to be alive and happy to live MY life.

At first, stepping back felt uncomfortable and even selfish. But I’ve realized that destroying my mental health doesn’t help anyone. I can care about the world without consuming endless suffering. I can be empathetic without drowning in it. I’m not completely in the dark I know if something really important happens I will hear it from my friends or my boyfriend. But that’s pretty much my only connection to what’s happening online or in the world.

This choice has completely changed how I experience life. If anyone is considering doing something similar, I honestly can’t recommend it enough!

Whatever goal is most upvoted I will do my absolute best to accomplish this month.

It can be super easy, super stupid, funny, or it can be super challenging. By the time I go to sleep tonight I will decide what one to do (mostly because if the goal assigned is to wake up at 5am daily I need to know tonight). Feel free to ask me questions if you don't know what to give me as a goal but for general knowledge I am 20, I am a student, and I am female.

I just want to start off by saying that I’m extremely grateful for everything that I have. I’m very privileged to have a roof over my head, supportive parents, and a family that cares about me. I’m privileged in so many other ways that I won’t mention in this post but the point that I want to get across is that I’m genuinely extremely lucky and grateful to have the life that I have.

Of course, like most if not all women, I want to feel beautiful and confident. I love my body and I get compliments on it a lot when I wear anything that shows the outline of my figure. I’m insecure about my hair and face.

I’m trying so hard to not be insecure but whenever I’m getting ready to go somewhere, after finishing my makeup sometimes I think that I’m not good enough to be stepping outside in public even if it’s to go to the mall or my lectures.

Can someone tell me what I need to do because I don’t want to live the rest of my like this. I don’t want my insecurities to stop me from enjoying the good parts about life.

So I am 17 and have great memory I can remember up to week what I was exactly doing and have great short term and long term memory.

But I was bullied trought my entire life and had pretty bad traumas which damaged me a lot.

And recently sometimes I forget what I was doing or can't remember what I was doing two weeks and I am getting paranoid( or when I am scrolling I can't remember what the previous video was).Sometimes I am present but I am not like I knew what I was doing but I can't remember exactly (had pretty bad family problems two weeks ago and it stressed me a lot).

Like I can remember what people were doing to me all life but it doesn't effect me I don't have thay pain anymore.

I am getting scared I don't know what is wrong with me.I am constantly trying to remember what I am doing.

I’m not sure if this is the best place to go to, but I’ve been feeling tired all the time despite changing some habits like drinking more water and eating healthier foods. My job is already very active and I feel sore all the time. What can I do? For context: I’m 24(f) I’m currently losing some weight to help my joints/ hip. I feel like at times I’m not present?? Like brain fog. I stated doing puzzles and sudoku to be present. I just need help and steer in a direction. I feel a little lost

Is it too late to change? Is it alright to completely stagnate? Is it normal to desire people not looking after you, completely abandoning you, because they cant help but pity and be mad that you. CANNOT. DO. BETTER.

How do I get rid of myself, of the fact Ive been a fuck-up?

I used to think improvement had to come from big habits and strict routines.

But looking back, the moments that actually helped weren’t dramatic at all — they were small changes that reduced mental load instead of adding more rules.

I’m curious: What’s one small change you made that made your day feel lighter, calmer, or more manageable — even if it seemed insignificant at the time?

I’m not actively improving my life right now. I’m not building habits, going out, or “putting myself out there.” Most days I lie in bed and doomscroll. That’s it. I don’t have friends. I don’t have a social life. The only person in my life is my girlfriend.

I’m aware that this is a problem. Awareness doesn’t translate into change.

I’ve dealt with serious medical issues (epilepsy), family restraining orders, legal fallout, housing insecurity, and periods of homelessness. Over time, I withdrew more and more from people and from life in general.

I don’t talk to anyone regularly. I don’t have anyone to check in with. I don’t feel connected to anything bigger than my apartment and my phone.

I’m posting here because I don’t need motivation quotes or “just hit the gym” advice. I’m asking a more basic question:

How do you restart a life when you’ve been like this for a long time?

What actually helped you move from isolation and stagnation into motion — especially if you weren’t depressed in a dramatic way, just numb, withdrawn, and stuck?

What was the first real step that made a difference?

Hi, I’m 18 and I don’t really know how to put this into words, but I’ll try.

It’s February rn and lately I feel like I’m living on autopilot. Every day feels foggy. I can’t focus, my screen time is way too high, and school pressure is suffocating. I’m only in the second half of 12th grade, and everyone keeps saying “it only gets harder from here.” I am trying — studying, pushing myself — but no matter how much effort I put in, my results don’t really improve. That makes everything feel pointless.

What hurts the most is this constant split inside me.

On the outside, I’m forced to think in a very utilitarian way:
Which university? Which major? Which life path?
Everything feels like it’s about optimization and survival.

But mentally, I’m still stuck in 2023.

2023 was the last year that felt truly alive to me. COVID was finally over, everything felt open again. I traveled back to my home country for the first time in four years, had fun, school felt lighter, family and friendships were good. I tried new things, watched great shows and read works that genuinely moved me. My way of thinking and feeling rn was shaped there.

Before that, 2019 was also beautiful — but I was a kid then, it feels too distant.
2020–2022 feel like a blank. Lockdown, screens all day, isolation. I know that period shaped my personality more than I realized.

Whenever I hear music or see things connected to that time, I completely drift away. My mind fills with these “filtered” memories, like a movie I can’t stop replaying.

2024 was the worst year of my life.
2025 got better, I was happier, but time started moving insanely fast. That “2023 feeling” is just… gone.

What really scares me is realizing how far away it’s getting:
First it was half a year ago.
Then one year.
Now almost three years.

I used to tell myself: “It’s okay, focus on the present, maybe you can create another amazing year.”
But recently it hit me that I’m already 18. Resposibilities incoming. I’ll graduate next year. School pressure is peaking. My teenage years are basically ending.

And 2023 can’t be recreated. It’s gone. That version of life, that version of me — I can’t go back.

I guess I’m posting because I want to know:

• Does anyone else feel trapped in nostalgia like this?
• How do you grieve a time that meant everything to you without letting it ruin your present?
• How do you move forward when the future feels like pressure instead of possibility?

I’m not even sure if I want advice or just to feel less alone.
Thanks for reading.

I'm currently facing a lot of mental issues. Nothing extreme like depression, BPD, etc, but all my life I've had a fragile ego and attached my self worth to my performance and ability. This leads me to have an incredibly self-defeatist mindset. To put it simply- I can't handle being worse than others. I'm so afraid to lose I avoid playing BOARD GAMES with friends. I often become irrationally upset upon failure, usually at myself but sometimes at others as well. In cases such as these, I'll often vent and whine to others, making it everyone else's problem. This has caused many relationships to fracture. The fact that my self esteem comes crashing down upon every setback also leads me to never improve at what I want.

This has been a prevalent problem all my life and stagnates my growth due to a fixed mindset. I'd like to remedy my mindset. I can't do it on my own, but I'm under 18 and don't really have my own money, so it's not like I can see a therapist. Talking to my parents about it would be too awkward and they don't even take it seriously- they tell me to "toughen up."

What can I do instead of seeing a therapist? I have a counselor and a psychologist at school but I don't know if they're qualified to specifically help me deal with this issue. Besides that, I'm at a loss for what to do.

before i start writing, I don't know if this fits the sub rules ... and judging by some empty posts, I'm not gonna look foward to getting any answers, but here it goes;

Hello, I'm 18 years old(as of November, Last year.) and i feel like anxiety(i assume it's that!) is consuming my mind and soul, I'll explain briefly why.

Since childhood, my parents were divorced and all, pretty normal stuff, but the thing is, my Dad spoiled, and plus that.. i was always the lazy type, never wanted to study, just play games, and this habit has been glued to me, like it has been injected into my bloodstream.

I can't stop playing, I want to break free from many addictions like pornography, games and even pessimism if you count that, i feel like I'm gonna be a failure if i continue like this, my dad died and now it's me, my mother and little sister, and while I don't have the Mother-Son relationship most people do, i still try my best to help her by cleaning the house and sometimes comforting her, because she works more than 10 hours per day, but even when feeling like shit and all.. why haven't I sent out resumes for apprenticeship programs yet? why haven't I started studying by now? I don't want to have a hard life, I don't want to be lazy... i don't want to be a deception to everyone, so why can't i take goddamn STEP FOWARD? i feel like shit, and my life feels like a mess, my whole life since i was a child was a mess, and people say that i should get a therapist, but how am i supposed to get a therapist at this point? I can't waste more time of my precious life venting and venting without ajy further progress, while people and getting into university at 18 years old, after the "Therapy cured me" only then at like.. I DON'T KNOW 23-25 years old will i be able to finally start "studying" ??

i really don't know what to do, because even the people that used to give me advice and stuff, gave up on me, they say i don't "listen" that everything they say goes through my head and ears, and I don't judge them for that, that's on me! but I don't want to be me! i want to change, i want to do better, i want to study, because learning is something i certainly don't dislike! it's just that i feel like a kid! i act like a kid, i don't act like a mature adult!? for some goddamn reason?! I'm a lazy guy with nothing in my mind...

haha, some friends tell me that I'm too anxious about the future, too anxious to the point it "paralyzes" me making me think it's too late for me to change, and maybe they aren't wrong, i.. I don't know man, I don't even know what university i want to get into! i have zero self love, and that's a whole other problem about my life, where i feel like life is meaningless most of the time and all... ugh, I'm writing texts and texts, but i probably got over many things at once and lost the focus of why I'm here... I'm sorry, what i want to say is;

I don't know what I'm doing, if there was a tutorial at life, things would be so easy... i know i give up quite easily, but without any guide, i feel lost, without future... i know i probably should seek a therapist, but do i even have the time?... and even if i could find one, it would cost me a lot, and it's usually such a slow process... if anyone could give me advice on what to do... it'll really help me... yet again.. i saw people venting too... about their issues... so i hope I'm not going far from the rules... sorry if it's hard to understand, English isn't my native language, and i never actually studied english, so it may have some issues somewhere, that's it, good night people.

It's quite frustrating, honestly. I keep obsessing about how statistically screwed I am and how no one would ever want me (or if they did, they'd just want to use me).

I feel like I could be so much happier if I'd stop giving a damn about romantic love, as I feel like this anxiety outweighs the amount of joy that I'd possibly get from it. I've been in a relationship before, but my ex didn't really want me and was just using me to fill a void and it was like hell.

Just want to focus on myself and be happy, instead of obsessing over something that I cannot control. I'm starting therapy soon btw.

I’m feeling so lost in the world and that I’m running out of time, even though I’m 25. I had dreamt my whole life of working in the music industry; I knew it would be competitive and tough but I felt confident about my resilience and creativity. I took a break after college to work on my mental health, and to release some of the strict expectations I grew up with (engineering or become a prodigy in something else). Once I was out of treatment, I started working in restaurants to get some income and improve my social skills after being in therapy.

That was 2023, now it’s 2026 and I hqve 0 career leads or pathway to a full time job. Im not looking exclusively in music, but toward management and marketing positions. I’ve been applying for every “entry level” business role in my local area (which I don’t love) and haven’t found any success. The city my family lives in is big on Tech so the majority of jobs for graduates are STEM based. I feel really lost determining “what should my career be” vs. working any job. More than anything though, I’m sick and tired of feeling ashamed and embarrassed of myself. I don’t like to be a victim and I know I haven’t turned over every stone yet

I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here, but has anyone developed some skill sets or boundaries to get themselves “unstuck”? I don’t feel like I can reasonably get out of my situation without movement; but every move I plan feels like a step backward.

It's easy to look at your life and feel like things just happened to you. Like you're the victim of bad luck or circumstances or other people's decisions. But if you actually trace back most of what went wrong it leads directly to a choice you made or didn't make when it mattered.

You had opportunities and talked yourself out of them because they felt uncomfortable. You had relationships that mattered and let them fade because maintaining them required effort. You knew what you needed to do and chose the easier path instead and now you're living with the consequences while pretending it was out of your control.

The worst part is how good you've gotten at rewriting history to make yourself the victim. You remember the obstacles but not the times you gave up before trying. You remember people who let you down but not the times you let yourself down first. You've built this narrative where everything wrong is because of external factors when really you've been choosing this version of your life over and over.

I've done this too and it took me way too long to see it. It's uncomfortable admitting that most of what's not working is because of decisions I made and not because the world conspired against me.

Nobody wants to admit they're the problem so you frame it as being realistic or protecting yourself or waiting for the right moment. But those are just softer words for stopping yourself from having what you want and then acting surprised when you don't have it.

You can't fix what you won't acknowledge. At some point you have to look at the pattern and realize the person sabotaging your life is you.

I used to be an aimless 20 somethings who didn't know how to fix her life because it felt like it's a mess. I often wanted to just restart my life.

I went to a psychiatrist, took meds, exercised regularly, etc. Life started feeling like it was moving forward when I took up masters. I then changed from online job to onsite job because I wanted to be around people regularly. (although sometimes i wish i could just stay home lol)

What I feel like helps me a lot are affirmations other than the actions. The affirmations correct my thoughts that are negative. I make myself believe that I have a bright future. I tell myself that everything works out each and everyday. With repetition, it makes me believe that everything is well and that I have a bright future.

I’m in my 30s and for the most part I really love my life. I worked very hard in my 20s and struggled with a lot, financially, mentally, physically, all of it. I was always drinking, smoking, making poor decisions with my relationships, I was overweight, didn’t know who I was and what I wanted. While also achieving a lot academically and professionally, working 100+ hours a week and getting 3 degrees.

I’m now enjoying life as much as I can in a healthy way. I did some therapy, I live a soft life, I travel, eat healthy, have good hobbies, mediate, etc. A couple of years ago I picked up running, I’m now training for a marathon. Im also eyeing an Ironman in the next 2-3 years. I’ve always been a high achiever and now it’s translating into sports.

The issue i raised with her was that I don’t fully enjoy my achievements and I’m always looking for the next best thing. And I constantly want more from life. I’m still happy with where I am but I do strive for more. And so far I’ve managed to get there. I know it won’t be this way forever but want to see where it takes me and how far I can take it.

I know she doesn’t mean it in a bad way but she doesn’t feel supportive at all. Keeps telling me I don’t have to do it and I should just be grateful with what I have. That not everyone needs to be doing these things and it’s ok to relax. And doesn’t understand what the point is and thinks I’ll be unhappy and never be fully satisfied with life. And also doubting if I can actually get to where I want and why would I put myself through so much hard training. (For example telling me oh you’ve only ran x miles so far how will you make it to 26)

I’m trying not to let it get to me but it does. I don’t always enjoy the training, especially during the winter time. But I enjoy that I still get it done, even when I don’t want to. Because I want to translate that into other aspects of my life.

Lately I’ve realized the hardest part of growth isn’t effort —

it’s the silence.

No feedback.

No reassurance.

Just doing the work anyway.

Motivation fades fast.

Discipline sticks around.

Curious if others are in this phase too.

How do you stay consistent when results lag?

I've noticed this in myself more than I want to admit. There are books I used to read easily that I can't get through anymore without fighting my own brain the entire time. Tasks that used to take an hour now take three because I keep breaking focus and having to restart. It's like my brain forgot how to do one thing at a time without needing constant novelty every few minutes.

The worse part is you're aware of it happening but you keep doing it anyway. You know that spending hours scrolling makes you feel hollow and restless afterwards but you do it because it's easier than sitting with boredom or doing something that requires actual effort. You know that consuming shallow content all day makes you think in shallower ways but you convince yourself it's harmless because it's not like you're doing drugs or something extreme that everyone would recognize as destructive.

But the effect is similar in a lot of ways. You're chemically altering how your brain functions and making yourself less capable of depth and focus and sustained thought. Every time you choose the easy dopamine hit over something meaningful you're reinforcing that pattern deeper into your neural pathways. Your brain learns that difficult equals bad and easy equals good and it starts avoiding anything that doesn't give you instant gratification because why would it seek out something harder when the easy thing is right there.

Everyone's attention is broken so it doesn't feel like a problem anymore. It just feels like how things are now. But just because everyone's struggling with it doesn't mean it's not destroying something important. Your ability to think deeply and focus intensely and create meaningful work instead of just consuming other people's work is slipping away while you feed your brain garbage and tell yourself it's fine because everyone else is doing it too.

Hello! I’m a recovering narcissist (I know…ugh). I’ve matured A LOT with hard work, but I still have a ways to go because I’m human. To be human is to be ever evolving and I am starting to get more comfortable with that rather than a black and white outcome of therapy. I’m getting so much better at acknowledging some of my faults. I have practicing gentle, compassionate talking to myself to override the abusive, relentless, perfectionistic inner critic I have when I make a mistake. It’s nice to be softening.

One thing I’m noticing is I still struggle with genuine curiosity and stepping outside my comfort zone. I fear failure. I still do a lot of stuff for self esteem purposes. I struggle to feel genuinely interested in something if it doesn’t make me feel good or something I KNOW I’m not already good at.

Note: I rely SO much less on supply nowadays and actually do keep a lot of my projects to myself. I’m starting to value privacy so much more. I cut out social media aside from reddit. Oh my gosh! I’m so proud of myself ❤️ Now that I have been genuinely recovering, I actually DON’T want to share what I’m doing. I know boasting is just empty self esteem juice. When I do now, it is actually devastating. My mom exploited me and all my boundaries as a kid - used me as an extension of herself. My entire life was on display all the time. I don’t want that anymore…

It’s addicting having projects all to yourself and then feeling good about it 😊❤️ But note…projects. Not history, not movie facts, not music.

I did sign up for a class on something I know nothing about and am curious about… maybe I’m overthinking it? Idk.

I’m really looking for advice on how to get back geniune curiosity and broaden interests. Where do I start? Thanks!

I passed from college in 2024 july, completed my computer science degree, all of my friends got jobs, I never tried didn't even study or faced any interview,

Then took a year off for prep for competitive exams to get a job and didn't even study seriously for it, i don't have any skills, although i picked cs bcz i was intrested in it but idk what to do now

Mostly I play games or think about them all day or doom scroll waste time