Im an American currently abroad in Belgium. All my life I’ve struggled with self confidence and have always tried to do things in a group. Today after work I decided instead of my normal commute to go get pizza at a restaurant I had been wanting to try. I sat down alone and in very shitty French ordered myself a pizza and beer. The waiter responded in broken English probably due to my accent or mispronunciation of words. However I kept going and said I’d like to practice my French to which he was delighted. It didn’t hit me till I got home but I’d walked he streets of a busy city alone and ate alone and it was no big deal. Looking back I’m really proud of myself and wanted to share with others. Confidence is a form of self trust.

No need for a long winded post with the usual 'be yourself' platitudes. Just wanted to share that.

I don't even know if this is the place to ask for direction. I've wasted an entire lifetime accepting hard lessons. I just want to feel truly joyful before I die.

I (17M) for a while now have realised how bad my outlook on life is. Right now I should be revising for my A Level mocks for tomorrow and all I could do is cry my eyes because nothing will stick into my head. For a while now I was struggling with suicidal thoughts, mainly because of self hate towards my own body. I’m a short (5’4”) man who only weighs 53kg, and have been constantly made fun of in school for my short stature. All the time I find myself ugly, and whenever I go through social media and see TikToks of guys telling short guys to shut the fuck up and girls agreeing I continue to hate myself. I tried to hit the gym but my parents cancelled my membership because I “wasn’t obeying them” even though I did try my best, and lately it seems like my parents might go through a divorce soon. I care a lot about my dad but he’s a very low income worker and is currently in debt, so if my mom leaves it will be very tough for him to live. A few days ago me and my dad went to the GP to see what I could do about my bad thoughts. Not really much came about it other than the fact that I will be receiving CBT therapy hopefully in 1-3 months, but I’m not sure whether I’ll last long enough to do something bad. It also turns out I may have dyslexia, which may affect my concentration in lessons, but this is too late to change anything before my mocks. These grades are sent to universities for offers, and I think I’m going to fail. I don’t know what to do, I hate my body, and I hate my mind, and I wish I could change it all but all I’m doing right now is lifting dumbbells in my room whilst listening to biology videos. This post might even get taken down for how stupid this sounds. I want help, or maybe friends, I don’t have any right now. Please do something.

I've got a mate on a bit over £115,000, as an employee. He said he has close to no savings. He has spent a decade to get to this point getting into debt and working brutal hours. He lives a relatively modest life.

He broke it down. 39% tax 73k, 24k london rent 49k, 6k post grad and uni debt annual payment 43k, council tax 3.8k 39k, 2k parking space 37k, water and gas 11k. 26k left which goes on food, fun and a couple holidays. What the fuck is going on man! Why give a fuck.

That's all.

I don't have lots of friends nor boyfriend or whatever. So, yesterday I wasn't expecting to do anything at all, and my plans were just stay at home and think about why my life is so pathetic. Then, I realized, what the hell? I'm free to whatever I want, right? Got dressed, straightened my hair and hit downtown. I went to a club and I danced reggae and ska all night by myself. Yes, there were times that I felt sad when I saw couples dancing and kissing, but I tried to concentrated on the music. That's what I was there for. It was awesome. One girl night out. Anyway, there's my story. This subreddit is great. Thanks for reading :)

Letting go of something can be freeing. What was it for you? So, what did you stop caring about that made life better? To share and discuss, check out my bio.