Posts by Aaron Jackson3

Look, I’m a firm believer in the whole soul development and reincarnation thing. To me, life is basically just one massive, ongoing masterclass. You can technically try to drop out whenever you feel like it—if you really, truly want to quit—but without that "diploma," you aren't going anywhere. You’ll still have to face the music eventually; you can't dodge the curriculum forever. Honestly? It’s better to just stay in the game, see how things play out, and maybe actually pass the course.

Look, I’ve got this pretty strong survival instinct kicking in, honestly. I wouldn't even consider ending it all unless I was facing some incurable, agonizing illness where there's just zero point in dragging things out. For me, life is really about those little wins—the small pleasures, hanging out with people I actually care about, learning stuff, and watching how fast tech is moving. Seriously, the sheer pace of scientific breakthroughs and what's coming next in technology? It's absolutely fascinating to me. I usually just find a rabbit hole to dive into and lose myself in it.

I don't really bother chasing these massive, grand life goals because, let's be real, I don't see a "big" future for myself, nor am I interested in the typical white-picket-fence routine—you know, the whole house, marriage, kids, work, repeat cycle. I literally just take it one day at a time. Sometimes something totally wild happens in a single day that gives me enough fuel to power through to the next. I'm not out here forcing myself to find some profound "meaning of life"; I think by letting go of that pressure, I've saved myself a massive amount of stress. I'm just cruising.

I’ve got this eye shape that makes me look perpetually sad or just super serious all the time. And don't even get me started on smiling—if I try to pull that wide, ear-to-ear grin, I honestly look even worse. So, most of the time when I'm talking to someone, I try to force this little polite half-smile just to balance things out (unless we're actually discussing something tragic, obviously lol). But I've realized that whenever my reactions are actually genuine and my face just does its own thing, it’s fine. The only time it looks weird is if you're clearly trying to fake an expression, which I am terrible at. Do people actually tell you that you look sad or serious, or am I just totally overthinking this?

We met back in college. Now we’re both in our 30s, and let's be real—this isn't even our first serious relationship. On paper, everything looks solid. We’ve always had a great connection, tons of shared interests, and we genuinely respect one another... but lately? I don't know. For the last few years, it feels more like we're just business partners running a corporation than actual romantic partners. We're constantly getting on each other's nerves. Plus, life has been throwing nothing but heavy, stressful situations our way lately, which just makes us even more high-strung. It definitely doesn't help matters.

Sean Cruz said:I don't think that's quite it. To me, this looks more like a saturation phase—something you see all the time in long-term marriages or long-standing partnerships.

Does anyone actually know if this "saturation" feeling passes, or does it just spiral downward from here? I feel stupid even asking this on a forum, but I don't have anyone in my real life to talk to about it. I only know one couple who's been together that long, and let me tell you, their situation has always been pretty rough. 😢

I’m right there with you, Joshua Sanchez3. I’ve been in a relationship for over a decade now, and look, having someone by your side is great, but man, it is exhausting. You constantly have to stop thinking about what *I* want and start thinking about what *we* want. That means endless compromises—either it works for you, it works for me, or we settle for some lukewarm middle ground where nobody actually walks away happy. And as the years go by, things just get messier. It’s a non-stop cycle of compromising, explaining, justifying... just constant damn explanations!
Honestly, I live for those moments when I can just be home alone or wander around the city by myself. Even when I was a kid, I used to count down the minutes until my parents left for work just so I could have the house to myself. These days, I can barely find any time for myself, and when I finally do, I’m still stuck trying to manage five hundred different things at once.

I totally get the people who choose to stay single; I think it's awesome. The absolute worst thing is seeing people jump into a relationship just because they're terrified of being alone.

I’m dealing with the exact same thing, and honestly, I figured out that the only way to actually kill those thoughts is to keep my brain busy with stuff that actually requires mental heavy lifting. Just cleaning your apartment or going for a bike ride isn't going to cut it—those things are too mindless, and those intrusive thoughts will just squeeze right back into the gaps you leave behind.
You need something like drawing, making some kind of art, or even tackling math problems (ugh, seriously, though I guarantee the only thing you'll be thinking about is how much you hate math if you're bad at it). Or studying, or hanging out with people who actually have something interesting to say so your mind doesn't wander off... stuff like that.

I’ve just been hit with this massive wave of disappointment from someone I trusted more than anyone else in the world, and honestly? Things are never, ever going to be the same. That’s the hardest part—it’s not just a one-time thing; it’s constantly hanging over my head. There are certain things that never used to bother me before, but now? They drive me absolutely insane. Even if I see some similar drama playing out on a Netflix show or hear someone else venting about a similar situation, I get this sickening knot in my stomach. And here’s the kicker—the absolute worst part—is that the person who did this to me probably isn't feeling even a shred of guilt. You think they're hurting? Please. They likely don't care at all.
Maybe things will settle down eventually, but let’s be real: it’ll never be anything close to how it was before.

First off, let’s talk about basic presentation. You’ve gotta look decent for your age, right? And for heaven's sake, stop acting like some clueless kid. If you're 65, don't be out there behaving like a senile old man—or worse. A real class act stays in shape, looks sharp, and carries themselves with enough energy that they actually seem a hell of a lot younger than the number on their birth certificate.

And then there's the whole matter of tact. People with actual class know exactly when to step up and when to shut up. It’s about knowing the right thing to do or say at the perfect moment. When you do that, people actually see you as a decent, respectful human being.

First off, you need to hear this: none of this is on you. You didn't ask to be born, you aren't responsible for your parents getting sick, and you sure as hell aren't to blame for the absolute mess the economy is in right now. Seriously, try to shake that guilt, because it isn't yours to carry. The jury decided 😁

As for the money situation—look, try to find some kind of work like you used to and just tune out your old man. Don't quit your job, no matter how much he loses his mind, unless he gets violent and actually puts you in danger. I get it, I really do. I’ve been pinching every single penny since I lost my job a few years back. I’m constantly stressing over how to stretch a dinner for four people on $6.75. I literally have panic attacks when I see I'm running low on toothpaste and I'm trying to make the expensive stuff last longer. The other day, I stood in the middle of a Target for ten minutes just staring at a $4.75 nail polish I liked, wondering if I could afford it. I bought it, and now I'm sitting here feeling guilty 😢 so I totally feel you. It sucks, it really does, but there are so many people stuck in this exact same spot. You aren't alone in this.
I'm assuming once you get through college, you won't have to obsess over this stuff every second. 🤷

Personally, I’ve never heard anyone actually worship high schoolers or the prestige of being in an academic prep school. Maybe back in the day, when getting into a top-tier university was considered the absolute peak of existence for a young person, it made sense. But honestly? Nowadays, it feels like more and more kids just want to get through trade school or pick up a craft as fast as possible. They’re smart enough to realize that a college degree doesn't carry nearly half the weight it used to, not to mention it’s zero guarantee you'll actually land a decent job or gain any real social standing.
It’s probably just those parents who act like their kid in a prep school is royalty—they drill it into them that only "smart" kids go to those schools to get into a good university, basically treating everyone else in vocational programs like total losers. 😁

I did a little digging on Google and stumbled upon this... honestly, the symptoms look way too much like what I'm going through.
http://bpd.about.com/od/understandingbpd/a/bpdanger.htm

Michelle Evans said:The point above was that it’s over nothing, like him tossing and turning in his sleep.

My bad, I totally missed that part. 🤦

I’m just gonna throw this out there since nobody else seems to be giving a coherent answer... Is it possible she’s just an ultra-sensitive person who takes everything way too hard? I know I am. I tend to bottle up all my frustrations for ages, trying to play it cool because I know if I actually started snapping at people, I’d look like a total lunatic.
Then something happens—in my case, there’s usually one specific person who constantly pushes me right to the edge. I try to hold it together, which just makes the frustration and negative energy build up even more until I finally just snap.
When I blow up, it turns into some insane swearing 🤣 and I start tearing into that person. Honestly, part of me wants to get physical or smash stuff, though thank God I’ve never actually gone that far; I always manage to restrain myself. But when the dam breaks, the curses just fly out of my mouth like I’m possessed by some demon. It’s just pure, unadulterated venting. 😠 Maybe she’s dealing with the same thing? Maybe something pushed her over the limit after she’d been stacking up enough "material" to explode.
That whole scene of her sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth and chanting to herself... it looks to me like she’s experiencing some kind of release, like she's desperately trying to find her center again.
The big question now is what actually set her off. Was it something tiny, like someone leaving a dirty dish in the sink, or was it something genuinely massive?

Has anyone else here dealt with constant criticism, both growing up and even now? I honestly feel like a huge part of it stems from people’s own insecurities—that desperate need to fit in and make everyone else look "normal." For me, it’s been unreal. I spent my entire life being picked apart over every little thing imaginable, for absolutely no reason at all. It just leaves you feeling completely frustrated, with your self-esteem sitting somewhere in the gutter. I catch myself constantly replaying conversations in my head after they happen, obsessively analyzing everything just to convince myself I wasn't acting like a total weirdo or an idiot. Even if some random stranger looks my way for more than two seconds, my brain immediately goes into overdrive: *Is there something wrong with my face? Is my hair messy? Is my makeup smudged? Does this outfit look stupid?* 🙄

It’s still a struggle for me, though it’s definitely gotten a bit better compared to, say, ten years ago. Part of it improved because I finally hit a breaking point where I just stopped giving a damn about certain things. But that only applies to some stuff. For everything else, the overthinking is still very much alive and well.

And look, it probably feels useless to suggest "just work on your confidence," because let’s be real—it isn't some magic switch you can just flip to fix everything, and for some of us, it might stay this way forever.

I’m pretty passive myself, and honestly, I struggle with the exact same stuff. But after sitting down and actually analyzing it, I’ve come to this conclusion: all that whining about "why aren't you doing this or that" probably isn't even going to happen. And if it does? It won't be anything major. Look, if you truly, deeply wanted to get things done, you’d just do them. Period.
I think all that internal questioning—that whole "when am I going to start?" or "why don't I feel like doing this now?" loop—mostly comes from looking at everyone else. You see people out there with actual passion for something, and you feel like you should have that too.
As for physical stuff—you know, working out for health or just trying to look better—most people see that as a massive chore. Unless it's actually fun, don't expect them to just jump into it. For most Americans, fear and panic are the only real motivators. People usually don't hit the gym until they're dealing with actual health issues or their doctor at the Mayo Clinic tells them they're headed for a disaster if they don't change their lifestyle immediately. We have to face the reality that some people simply aren't built for action unless they absolutely have to move. 🙂

Then there’s the fear of change. If you hate change and you're perfectly fine with things staying exactly the way they've always been, then being passive isn't even weird. It makes sense. You're basically just doing whatever is easiest and most comfortable for you right now.

Honestly, I think it’s impossible to say how long this honeymoon phase from all those changes is going to last. You’re basically just stuck waiting to see how the dust settles. If I were in your shoes, though? I wouldn't be sweating it. I’d be feeling pretty damn good about the fact that you actually had the guts to pull all that off in the first place. It means if things go south—and let's face it, they might—you already know you have the skills to fix it and do it all over again. 🙂
As for me? Man, I struggle to change anything at all. Usually, it takes some absolute disaster hitting me right in the face before I even consider making a move. :/