Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, but I feel like I have nobody to truly vent to. I don’t even know exactly what I’m looking for, but I feel like I need someone to vent to about how I’m feeling in life and honestly the things I’m crying about would just annoy the people around me to talk about.
Was anyone else super sheltered? How do you vent without anyone? Do I just cry into the void until the sweet release of death? It’s not like I can go tell a medical professional that it feels like I was never supposed to exist.

I've never liked my birthday and honestly never expected to make it this far. I turn 28 on the 7th and the depression is hitting hard this year. I'm questioning if I want to move to a new job, i have no close friends who live close by anymore. I was supposed to meet up with a friend for dinner and to catch up but he bailed an hour before. My mom's health hasn't been the best, I'm worried about her and I'm just mentally exhausted from everything that has been going on for the past month and a half. I'm grateful to have my boyfriend, he is the sweetest and tries his best every year to make things special but he sees that I always tend to struggle the week leading up to my birthday. Does this happen to anyone else?

I can’t stop thinking about this.
As an only child, how is life gonna be after my parents leave?
For now, they are everything I have. My whole world basically rotates around them. With their pros and cons, their good and bad, all my love and heart goes to them.

I mean, growing up was a lil lonely and all, but all the laughs, giggles, fights, sadness, and success, they have been part of it, and they were the only ones to be a part of it.
So how would I be without them? Will I even have a purpose to live for?

Idk if having siblings would even help with this, but at least there would be someone that reminds me of them.
I really, really wish this day never comes. I hate to feel like this would be my lowest point or something.
I wanted to express how I feel, even if it might sound a lil bit cringey. Especially since “ME” have always been the “thug it out” person, but this topic will forever make me wish I could freeze the times when I was a kid .

I was talking with my therapist today and she brought up that part of me feeling the need to get approval from my parents so bad might stem from me being an only child (for reverence I’m in my 20s but still get insanely anxious anytime I have to tell them about a choice I think they won’t approve of, even though they’re usually pretty supportive and understanding). apparently there’s kind of more of a risk of not getting exposed as much to peers acting on their own without needing approval and therefore not really developing that as much yourself. sometimes it feels like if I fail (whatever that even really means in the grand scheme of things) it’s worse because my parents don’t have another kid they can hope will do better.

Basically, I wanted to see if anyone else experiences this or, if you’ve dealt with this but have gotten better with it, what advice you’d maybe give.

I (20F) , grew up as an only child to a single parent and I always remember having this feeling of not belonging, especially around friends or family friends who had a family unit. I also think the emotional and physical abuse I experienced by my only parent exacerbated those feelings and despite having childhood friends, I do remember feeling low once I was home/during Christmas holidays etc.

As a child, I always hoped that this feeling would go away. I always thought that I would find my people , be happy and belong somewhere. But I was wrong. My younger self would be so depressed looking at how life as turned out now. I say this because i genuinely remember wanting to give up as a 8 year old because of this but I decided to keep going.

My feelings of loneliness only kept getting worse. I moved countries at 11, and it was much more isolated experience to have no one around me especially since my single parent had to work all the time and I had to restart my social life . I now do have a couple of friends, but I don’t see often and they all have their family and friend groups , making me often feel even more isolated.

It has gotten to the point where seeing the people close to me spend time with their family or people being in a big group having fun has become an emotional trigger: making me sad, teary, sometimes sending me into a low mood or SI for days or a weeks. I truly feel like these feelings are getting progressively worse the older I get as I truly had hopes that I would feel better overtime. Instead this core childhood wound does not feel close to healing.

To anyone else who’s always felt like this, did you find your people? Did having your own family help heal the isolation you felt growing up with no family ?

It sounds stupid but sometimes I feel like giving up because it always circles back to how I felt as a child no matter how much progress I make with my mental health. It feels like this feeling of isolation and hopelessness will always come back.

Sorry for the rant😭

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Hello everyone. I want to ask your opinion on this situation.

I'm posting this anonymously because I don't know what the consequences might be if the family I'm mentioning here sees this post.

Okay, let my name be Nastya. My sister got married just the day before yesterday, and I liked the wedding more or less. The story will be about my sister's mother-in-law. We had a Funny/Beautiful Photo Contest, and the one who uploads the best photo will receive a prize. Everyone had to participate. I uploaded a photo where I'm sitting on a swing, and behind me is the groom's dad, who looks into the camera and smiles. For me, this moment was a little funny, but the photo had no intention of somehow making fun of this person. But I also sent a second photo where the groom got into a freeze frame. These photos got a lot of likes, and at the end (I didn't win) of the holiday we went home.

But the next day we had to go to church, and there before the service my sister's mother-in-law stops me, and she smiles at first. Don't think that we were on bad terms with her before that, no! On the contrary, we communicated very well, and they helped me several times with financial support. So, she stops me, and we step aside. I've never seen her like this before.. she mostly rudely told me that "what right did you have to post this? Do you think it was funny?". I didn't understand at first what photo??? And then it dawned on me. I calmly said that I found something funny in this photo, but then she started telling me that I MUST apologize to her husband, and then to her son. I calmly said that of course, I would apologize. But when we went up to the second floor, she still continued to say that it was very rude of me. But they smiled at me on that holiday, but didn't say anything. Their sons even put a "🤩" reaction. And then she came back again and continued to say that a person like him shouldn't have seen this, and it's disrespectful, and then she said: "what if I took a picture of your grandmother?" (The fact is that our only guardian was our grandmother all our lives, and there was no one else).

I felt very bad because of this, and I somehow held back tears in my eyes, and I realized that it was getting bad. And I left earlier. Of course, I wrote an apology to this man later, and he simply reacted with "👍".

I don't know how I will be next Sunday, but I am very sad about it.. And I don't know if I really did the wrong thing by posting such a thing. I want to read your comments if the post goes up..

Hey all,

Reaching out as I’m going through a tough time.

I’m a late 20s only child. My mom suddenly passed away from a stroke last year, and was taking care of my dad. He is in his early to mid 60s, a veteran and has stage 4 metastatic lung cancer. He has been in and out of the hospital around 20 times in the last year since she passed and he’s gotten to the point they are recommending home hospice for him. He gets it but is also hasn’t fully processed the situation so it’s a lot for me to handle.

I am lucky to have a great group of friends, a good job and a supportive gf, but gosh this last year has been a roller coaster dealing with a lot of this seemingly on my own.

Posting in here to get advice on how to deal with the situation and for support as I deal with these trying times.

My mum became stingy with money. For e.g. she would send me to shop to buy ingredient for lunch, but I want a few extra coins for sweet, crisp or something simple, she reacted by giving me angry look. Sometimes she gives me mixed signals

telling me people my age should work, but then discouraging me from working in specific place even though is only place you get hired easy. And she knows I try to look for job, bring cv's around, apply online and I get ghosted by companies so why she gives me looks when I ask for little money. It isn't my fault job hunting is hard at the moment. And I am doing course so not as I am at home 0-24 doing nothing. Yesterday I cooked lunch she didn't show appreciation.

I just got married and moved a mile away from my husband’s family, and I’m realizing how overwhelmed I am by the amount of communication and togetherness expected.

I’m an only child and I LOVE being alone. I don’t need constant contact to feel close to someone. Now there’s a family group chat, frequent invitations, lots of checking in, and an expectation to hang out multiple times a week. Even when everyone is being nice, I feel completely drained.

The weirdest part is feeling like I have to prove I’m busy to justify wanting space. Why can’t “I don’t want to hang out and need to be alone” be enough? Sometimes I’m not busy. I literally just want to be left alone.

My MIL has also made comments about my husband’s ex not being “family-oriented enough,” which makes me feel even more watched and judged. Then when I pull away, people seem to make their own assumptions about why, which makes me want to pull away even more.

I care about these people. I just don’t want this much contact. My normal operating system does not compute with a big, highly involved family.

Any other only children experience this after getting married? How do you deal with it without constantly feeling guilty?

I feel lonely. I don’t have to be. I raised to have such preferences in company or something to think it is safe. It’s eating me out now. I get anxious when I’m out and about; the fact that I don’t have a non-abusive family and the fact that with those who I try to develop a family foundation is eventually fall apart as well

For context, the job I wanted to go into is a trade program that specializes in training women and non binary folk in construction and trades in general. The job that my parents have been pushing me to go into is a paraprofessional position at a local school, for the sole reason that it’s a government job and the benefits that come with it. Now, I’m all for benefits and job security, but i have no passion for this type of job whatsoever and not even that good with kids. Even when I got a part time job they still complain that “it’s not a good one” too.

I’m in my very early 20’s, just finished my associate’s degree recently, and in that stage in life where I want to go into so many career paths that I only ended up getting lost. But that’s something I want to figure out for myself. Before this they were pushing for me to go into the medical field, also for the means of making money. And just a few years ago, I moved away for school and they would visit me so much that I couldn’t even have that separation for myself. It’s actually taking a toll on me with the way my parents think they have every right over me just because they’re my parents. I’d move out in a heartbeat if I could but living with them is pr obably the only good financial decision for me to make right now. I want to reply back and defend myself but I’m sure no matter what i say it’ll be wrong in her eyes. They even had the audacity to use my own dog against me too!

one of my former friends became an aunt during childhood and she used to make fun of me for having small family because she has a lot of brothers and sisters.

Also there is a man that I know from childhood, I felt sad when I saw him playing with the child of his brother, because I will never have a brother or nephews and nieces, I will never be uncle.

but I think once nieces and nephews are adults they lose their relationships with their uncles and aunts and in my culture, uncles and aunts are known for rivalry no uncle or aunt wants to see their nephews and nieces better than their children.

I hate how parents suddenly expect you to grow up at 20

I hate how turning 20 seems to make parents suddenly expect you to be fully grown up and independent.

You don't magically become a completely different person just because you reach your 20s. Especially not me who is an only child and my mum has done everything for me my whole life from cooking to washing and all. As a child I would ask if she needed help in kitchen she said "just go and play. So why she suddenly changed and ask a lot for help when I am doigg something I love to do. Also I never had need for relationship. I feel like a child inside chronological age.

Did anyone else feel this way in their 20s?

any desi/muslim only children that have parents that are getting divorced in your adulthood? i’m 23 and my bengali parents will be getting divorced soon and it’s such a weird feeling. i just wanna know what it’s like bc it’s such a taboo thing in desi communities, especially so much later in life

I feel sad when I see boys enjoying their childhood with their brothers and I feel sad too when I see adults with their brothers.

my childhood was lonely, and homophobic bullying destroyed my mind completely and my mother promised to give me a brother then I found out she lied to me to stop me from crying.

I feel something missing and there is a void that is never going to be filled in this life, maybe in the next life

My (28F) parent's have been divorced for just under a decade now. My dad has had a girlfriend for a few years now, I've met her and her daughter a handful of times. We'll call her "P". I don't know her well but she seems very nice, my dad seems happy. I have 0 problems with her. It's nice to see him happy, going out and doing things with P. I have a feeling they'll end up married sooner or later and I'll be happy for them!

My mom is single but dating, she hasn't had great luck with men her age. Her last boyfriend I *hated*, he was controlling and my mom broke up with him when she started suspecting he was an alcoholic (and that turned out to be correct.) She just recently decided to try dating again after a few years on her own.

My parents don't talk. The last I heard was that my dad went 100% no-contact with my mom, which she was pretty upset about. I was surprised to learn this because my parent's had a very amicable divorce. I didn't ask my dad about it because it's not my business.

The other day, my mom went out on a date with a guy she really liked, I believe it was their second date. We'll call him "J". She sent a picture to me from his facebook of him and his daughter. I instantly recognized the daughter. She was P's daughter. J was P's ex-husband.

My mom figured this out pretty quickly and called me sobbing. I guess J had mentioned his ex and she realized who that was. J told my mom some pretty upsetting information about P. That she had been married three times (this I already knew) but also that she "goes after men for their money" (important to note that my dad does have *money*). He also said that P had forced him to cut-off his ex against his will and now my mom believes that's why my dad went no-contact with her, because P forced him to.

I told my mom that an ex-husband is a biased source of information, that he was probably bitter and wanted to shit-talk P because of it. That she should NOT take J's words as fact. I also told her it was a bad idea for her to continue seeing J, that I could not see anything positive coming from that. She agreed she "probably shouldn't see him anymore" but still believes the things he said about P. She told me that she "still feels protective" over my dad and is worried about him getting hurt and financially ruined. (My mom does not have a financial stake in this, she had spousal support for a bit but now completely supports herself. My dad losing money would not affect her, so I believe her concern is genuine.)

Now I'm in a fucking WEIRD situation. I haven't said anything to my dad, I don't know if I should. Again, I like P and have nothing bad to say about her. I don't think I should just blindly trust what J told my mom about her. Still, the money thing worries me slightly. My dad's a grown man, he can take care of himself, I kmow that. But on the small chance that what J said is true, that P is going after my dad's money... that's my goddamn inheritance at stake. Only child, one very young cousin. Most of my family's money will end up with me and most of that money is my dad's.

I have a feeling that my dad will find out about my mom seeing J. J and P still talk because they co-parent, so there's a pretty big chance the date with my mom gets brought up (J has also met my dad before). I don't know if I should warn my dad about this or just keep out of it. On one hand, not my fucking business. On the other hand, I'll feel weird and bad if he finds out I knew all this and said nothing.

What the fuck. I wish my mom hadn't told me anything but it's too late now, I know.

Well, as you can guess from the Title, I'm almost 21 now and I never really felt I ever had anyone to talk to.

Even though I always laughed in front of others, saying I don't have to share my treats coz I have no siblings, but deep inside, I have always been sorta jealous of others.

My family isn't really close to our relatives at all so I also didn't got close to my cousins nor I got to spend times like vacations like others do.

On top of all this, I have no mother and my father and I aren't even close to each other and he never showed affection towards me.

I had severe social anxiety since childhood and I was also a slow kid and not very energetic. Because of this I have never been able to make good friends.

I'm in college now and I always feel very lonely. But because I've been alone my whole life, I mostly find comfort being alone in my room at all times.

*I Apologise if it felt like a rant. I'm new here*

A thing i can never come over is i do not have a sibling🥺

Earlier during childhood i have had rakhies tied to random cousins and a few of my school seniors who lived in our society. But now that i have grown up. Every raksha bandhan, it feels like a doom just at the thought of not having anyone i can rely on or call my own after my parents. May be i am over thinking a lot but it sucks real bad at times and today is one such day.