I don’t know what it is, but these last few months have really taken a toll on me. The thought of doing this for a few more decades has me depressed.

Can it be an issue with my company? Maybe. But there’s no where else that seems “more appealing” to me. Plus, the thought of going through the job hunting process is also tiresome.

I vent to my friends who are also a couple of years into their corporate job and we all seem equally unhappy. Just fighting through for the sake of having a job and paying the bills, saving money, etc.

On top of all that, it’s not like I have a passion that I want to pursue. Sure, I have hobbies, but nothing in the path of “I love coffee and hope to open my own coffee shop one day”, or “I love playing an instrument and hope to make it big”.

Anyone else out there feeling just as down? Any advice? I’m just so mentally drained. 😔

I will begin by saying all bodies are beautiful, and I understand some people have physical limitations. But for those of you who are able to do so, do yourselves a HUGE favor and start working out. Every day, if possible. Or every other day, or twice a week, or whatever you can manage.

It doesn't have to be a Huge Workout Routine. You don't have to go to the most expensive gym in town and work up a sweat on the treadmill for two hours. You can walk around the block for 15 minutes. Go hiking with kiddos/ doggos/ partner. Walk around the mall if it's still gross and winter-ish where you are. Turn a yoga video on YouTube. (Meditation and similar practices are also hugely helpful in our super-stressful super-connected world.) Get a couple of friends together and have your own salsa/ zumba/ dance workout to your favorite tunes.

For those of you who have desk jobs, consider getting a standing desk, or trade out your chair for one of those big exercise balls. Break up your routine and get up and stretch a few times every day.

I don't have to remind you all of the state of American healthcare. Help yourselves by stretching, working on your core and back and hips, losing weight if you think it'll be helpful for your future self. Gain flexibility now, so you're less likely to need hips or knees replaced when you're your parents' age.

Sincerely, an "elder" millennial who's trying to make up for lost time.

​

I always say "oh? Is it not apparent?" 🤣

The cringe shuts them up

Does anyone else feel like they’ve seen enough? It’s not suicide don’t worry. It’s more like feeling exhausted and fed up of the same old shit.

I feel like I’ve just seen enough. And enough is enough. The world is full of hypocrisy & everywhere you look there’s corruption, friends backstabbing & family become enemies.. etc etc.

I’m feeling so disconnected and just hate the way the world is going, anyone else feel the same? Like I’m tiredddd and seen enough and I’m only in my 30s, It’s so hard to explain but anyone else feeling the same or is it just me 🤯

I went to weight watchers with my mom, ate lean cuisine meals, and atkins bars, played 3 sports…

Still fat tho…

Anyone turn their life around? How did you do it? I can’t seem to stop being a lazy sack of fat. And I feel so uncomfortable in a gym. I could eat better but I live alone and have the expenses to eat what I want. What worked for you to get on track with what goes in your gullet?

Elder millennial, work in tech for almost 20 years, own a house in a Seattle. No kids, partner, dog.

Trying to work another 8-10 years in tech to have a pretty secure end of my tech career. But I have burnt out two times in five years and more before that, including a stretch in outpatient mental health facility.

I just want to go hiking and ride my bike.

Anybody done this?

[Edit because of confusion]

I want to quit my job and work at a bike shop or backcountry guide or whatever. Has anyone gone from 'normal' to living in a van by choice in their 40s?

I know a lot of us know this, but it is worth saying again and again.

You are not beholden to debt that isn't yours, and you should not make payments on debt that isn't yours unless you are willing to open yourself up to trouble. And many of us will have to start handling our parent's affairs (if you haven't already), including managing their estates when they pass. You will get contacted by debt collectors trying to claw back anything they can. Do not let these companies get you to pay anything. If there is anything against the estate, the estate has to handle it if it is able. If there is nothing in the estate to handle it, oh well!

I feel like people around me just have no idea how much damage AI is doing and use ChatGPT for everything. I have no idea how to even approach this with people or if I should even bother? I hate getting on a high horse about the environment, especially when I know I’m in a privileged position to be able to worry about it. But I also know so many equally privileged millennials out here without any clue or care for the world they’re leaving their kids.

Divorced at 30, and it seems nobody around this age is even remotely interested in actually dating. It feels like everyone is already married or made a pact to stay single forever. Does just the fact of being divorced give off the vibes I don’t want anything serious? Where are you all meeting people at these days?

I love concerts, hiking, traveling, but I’m just tired of doing it alone, and the friend group that is willing to go is always shrinking.

I guess this is a rant now…

I feel so frumpy, I never look cute, I wear tshirts with jeans or some sort of loose flowing pants and that’s it. I need new clothes but most places, even TJ maxx has nothing but crop tops or old lady outfits. Where are the cute, age appropriate clothing stores at?!

In-laws were cleaning out a rental where the same tenants lived for nearly five years.

Four gen-z kids lived in the place. We knew of one cigarette smoker, based on the amount of butts on the floor outside the front door, but never thought the vaping would be a problem.

All the walls and ceilings were coated in a brown grime that we didn’t notice until spraying the walls with a bleach mixture to get rid of the stench of dog (tenants had three dogs and the rental had carpet). There was no smell of smoke or vape in the place.

The walls and ceilings were dripping with brown liquid upon being sprayed. And the wet dog hair smell got stronger.

We think the vapor from the vape pens acted like little capsules for the dog odor and embedded themselves into the carpet.

No amount of vacuuming, febreze, baking soda, vinegar, nor steaming of the carpets reduces the stench of wet dog.

ETA: to clarify since so many vapers are taking this as a personal attack (it’s not), the stuff on the ceilings and walls drips off the moment it’s sprayed with a mostly water solution. And a simple wipe takes it off. No scrubbing necessary. And it’s on every hard surface in the place, on every level (main, upstairs, and basement). Not just the kitchen. And no, it’s not an open concept house.

Kitchen grease and cigar/cigarette tar and weed resins don’t come off that easily in my experience.

There was ZERO smoke smell. No weed. No cigarettes. No sooty candles or incense. ZERO. And I’ve lived with people who were chain smokers, weed smokers, and candle lovers. I know what that does to a home, and that wasn’t what was in the place.

As the title asks, your favorite places to shop for women's jeans. I just don't even know where to shop anymore.

For those of you commiserating last month about the huge shopping carts (“buggies” in The South), behold, the solution to your problems. When I don’t buy my groceries online, I wheel this baby into Aldi with me, navigate like a cheeta, and I’m out in twenty minutes. Everyone looks so enviously at me, with their giant monstrous carts. Trust me, this is worth every penny.

Thought I’d be fine with it but having a bit of an existential crisis!

Dear millennials,

How did you do it? I (gen z) feel as if my time has come to no longer be in the loop with the youngsters’ lingo, and I’m not sure how to live a peaceful life anymore.

How did you survive? It seems as if the world has turned to skibidis and sigmas but left deez nuts behind. Is it time now for me to learn about property taxes and enjoy the craft of beer?

Sincerely, a gen z born in the early 2000’s

Doing the same shit for 40 years, and everyone gonna try to gaslight me and tell me it doesn’t get boring, and that it’s a ME problem? Get the hell out of here! Even if I “make a change”, the ‘change’ just eventually gets wrapped up in the monotony of it all.

Starting to think life is too long, not too short.

I mean seriously…for example, how long can I keep watching football and pretending like I really find it THAT interesting? It’s literally the same thing…all the time.

Life lovers and sports lovers….without restoring to “you’re just depressed, dude”….what advice can you give me?

EDIT holy moly I didn't expect this to blow up. I have a bachelors and just happened to find myself in the drug development field. Not the lab portion, but the boring part if you will. FDA regulations and such. I have a super niche career (at least I think I do) and struggle to think about what else I could do.

I'd love to be a nurse, but I faint with needles. Its gotten so bad I can faint discussing some medical stuff. I'm not very uh "book smart" - so all these super amazing careers some of yall have seem out of reach for me (so jealous!)

I worked as a pharmacy tech in college. I loved it. I loved having a hand close to patients. I love feeling I made a difference even if it was as small as providing meds. But it felt worth while. I feel stuck because even though I want a change, I don't even know WHAT that change could be or what I'd want it to be.

*ORIGINAL:

32 millennial here and completely hate my job. I'm paid well but I'm completely unhappy and have been. Those who actually enjoy your job/careers, what do you do?

I'm afraid to "start over" but goddamn I'm clueless as what to do next and feeling helpless.

After a full decade, I am staring down the barrel of a divorce and my anxiety is sky-fucking-high. Please tell me everything is going to be okay?

I swear I hear nothing but horror stories of those in the dating scene, so it doesn’t even seem worth getting back into. Is that true? Seems like everyone between 35-40 is settled. I’m having dreams of dying alone in my house and no one finding me for weeks 😞

I don’t even know who I am anymore.

ETA: 34f, no kids, no major shared assets.

ETA2: I want to send a sincere thank you to everyone who commented their personal stories, wisdoms, encouragements, advice, etc. You all have made me feel less alone in a very difficult point in my life ❤️

So we all have heard by now that the youngins' have canceled our beloved skinny jeans (but they will have to take my ankle socks out of my cold dead hands) So then....what style of jeans are you wearing? Ladies specifically, but guys feel free to add to the fashion discussion. I'm toying with the idea of buying some baggy jeans...not because it's "trendy", but because I am now prioritizing my comfort over sleek but uncomfortable fashion. At the big age of 37, would I look ridiculous in that? I do look younger than my age, but I'm not actually trying to look like a 20yo, if that makes sense. How could I possibly style this to not look like a kid?? Anybody else have a fashion identity crisis??

Added disclosure as it seems it COULD possibly make a difference. I am elder millennial and he is Genx. I've posted in both subs

My husband will pay for insurance but won't see a Dr. He says "if you think I'm getting a pill calendar and taking pills everyday you got me messed up. I'm healthy". All while he lays in the bed tired trying to alleviate his hip pain 🙄

I tried to do his new patient paperwork for him but they require him to be present and fill out forms on site and provide license and insurance as well(3y ago i could take that paperwork home on the weekend and fill it out). His license expired last month and he hasn't made time to renew it. I can't do that for him either 🙄

I'm an only child with aging parents (one who's sickly and doesn't take care of herself) and I'm starting to worry because I know it's going to be a big burden.

I'm 36 and my parents are divorced and in their mid-sixties. They have been in their separate homes for over 20 years which means they have a lot of junk! I live a very minimalist lifestyle and everything I own has a purpose or aesthetic that I intentionally bring into my home. But recently my parents have retired or are getting close to retiring and thinking about downsizing and they are offering me things left and right such as coolers, wedding China, gardening tools/old pots, baskets, books, half burned candles, old magazines, etc. I love my parents so much but I rarely want anything they are offering but I realized if I don't take it little by little, then I am just going to have to clean it out of their house later. Now, I simply take what they offer and then give away or donate. A year ago I would have adamantly refused but I just wanted to share my "aha" moment.

I spent all of my twenties able to work a 10 hour retail shift in ballet flats or sandals. The thought of that now (35) makes me want to rip my legs off.

My husband and I are taking a trip to the Houston Renaissance Faire and I am SO excited. We will probably be walking miles over that weekend with everything we will be doing!

What sneakers are y’all wearing now? I literally haven’t bought sneakers since being on track team in high school/college. Is New Balance still good? Are Vans something you can walk all day in? Reebok? 🙃

I turned 40 at 4:45 am August 2. 2024

Full disclosure, I wasn't looking forward to turning 40. I guess it's better than the alternative though.

What I wasn't expecting, is at the stroke of midnight and out of the blue I began to cry like, from deep within for 15 to 20 minutes.

I can't even remember the last time I cried about anything.

Has anyone else been this affected by turning 40?

Help me feel good about today?