Posts by coastalsurfer12

Hey there, welcome back!
I really believe that right now, the most important things you can work on are self-belief and confidence. Building that kind of inner strength takes a lot of time and genuine self-reflection, but I promise it pays off in the long run.
Having support from the people around you—like your parents or close friends—definitely helps, but you have to realize they can't fully walk in your shoes. At the end of the day, you’re the one in the driver's seat of your own life. What you're going through feels heavy, but honestly, this is just a crisis. Everyone hits a wall like this at some point, whether it's a minor setback or something much bigger. But just like any other rough patch, it is solvable. There is always a way out of any situation. There is an answer to every problem, too. It might not be obvious right away, and it might not be the solution we *wish* we had, but it exists.

Does any of that resonate with you?

Hey there!
I’ve been reading through your post, and I think I can relate to parts of what you're going through. I'm assuming that "17" in your username refers to your age, right? What do you do for work or school, by the way?
By the way, try browsing some threads on other forums—like those dedicated to mental health or the psychology subreddits. You’ll see plenty of people dealing with the exact same stuff you are. It's really not as out there or "weird" as it might feel right now.
If I were you, I'd consider reaching out to a professional, maybe a therapist or a counselor, just to talk through everything you're feeling.

Most people aren't actually happy with their lives or how they look, but they won't admit it. They hide behind a mask to protect themselves from judgment, which just ends up projecting this fake, polished version of reality. Because they put up that front, everyone else assumes they're doing perfectly while the rest of us are somehow failing. People lie all the time. They aren't honest about their struggles because, honestly, there’s no payoff in being vulnerable or showing the flaws we all carry

There is a massive gap between who someone is and the image they try to project!
A question for Noah Sanchez7: Is it easier to try and change the world or just work on yourself? Also, how much of your expectations actually align with what's realistic?
How much can a person truly live independently from those around them?

That’s just how I am. I tend to go against the grain. I don't want to follow the crowd or end up where everyone else is heading.

If you're always just doing the opposite of what people expect, are you actually getting closer to your goals? Or are you just picking a path because it's different, while ignoring what you actually want?

When you find yourself facing a big decision, try focusing on what you truly want instead of just deciding based on being contrary to the majority.
It feels like such an unnecessary battle with the world. At the end of the day, you live here too, and you have to adapt to some extent. We're all, to a large degree, products of our culture and the environment we grow up in.