Posts by Charles Hayes3

I'm 17 right now—well, I'll be 18 in about two and a half months—and I’m planning on starting training with a soccer club soon. I've got plenty of talent, but my cardio is honestly pretty terrible.

Alright, whatever works for you.

Your blog is awesome! I’ve actually started applying some of your advice lately.
My two cents—don't even think about suicide. You'll just end up in hell. And I'm not just talking nonsense here; if you actually knew how horrific it is down there, you wouldn't even dream of doing it.
I'm not speaking from personal experience, but honestly, I don't need experience to know that much.

Spot on. I recently hit those same realizations myself, though I have to admit, faith played a massive role in getting me there. Once I started leaning into my faith more deeply, I suddenly felt this sense of security and warmth in the world—it made life feel more beautiful than ever before. I did go through a little crisis recently, but honestly, I think it’ll just help solidify where I stand. I remember back in the summer about three years ago... okay, I was basically just a kid then, but still... I was constantly stressing over everything. Who was dumber than me but getting better grades? Who looked better? I’d spend all day just moping around the house because I thought life was going to be boring. I eventually sorted that out through faith and some serious self-reflection. I also used to be really unhappy with how I looked, even though there wasn't much reason to be. I was just jealous of guys who had those pro athlete bodies. So, I finally took matters into my own hands, started hitting the gym regularly, and now I can say I'm actually in great shape. That was a huge breakthrough for me; it totally cured my biggest insecurity. And yeah, the girls seem to notice too, which gives me a ton of confidence and way less drama in my life. The takeaway is that you can achieve anything if you work on yourself, especially when you're young and still growing. And I think Betty Thomas has a lot of potential to do the same. Seriously, it's not worth taking your own life. If you're feeling that low, you should at least try every single good thing life has to offer first—at least die having experienced some actual pleasure. Besides, suicides go to hell. I could never even dream of doing that, because the suffering there is a billion times worse than anything we deal with on Earth.

Come on, guys, what do you mean "disorders"? When I first joined this forum, looking at all the stuff people talk about here, I started thinking like 80% of my friends probably deal with something. Honestly, I could list a hundred different instances of compulsion and intrusive thought that I deal with, but I don't really sweat it. For example, I’ll find myself counting the paving stones on a sidewalk at school, or being super careful about how I step down stairs so it feels "right," or even counting the lane markings while I'm riding in a car... but if I decide I want to stop, I just turn my head and find something else to focus on.

It’s tough, I know, but you can get through anything