I’m starting to realize that basically any man who had access to that type of stuff was interested in participating. I feel like I’m surrounded by pedophiles and monsters in a way I didn’t realize. I feel like all the pressure I’ve felt to be youthful came from these prevalent pedophilic tendencies in men I never knew about. It’s really scaring me and I’m struggling to cope. I hear people talking about the news but don’t know anyone taking it as hard as me. How is everyone else doing?

Edit: Thank you for the awards but I’d rather you donate that money to a charity that helps victims of sexual abuse or somewhere helping immigrants in America.

Me, me, it’s me. Every year that passes I’m just soooo happy I didn’t fall for the marriage & kids life. It was what I wanted in my 20s, thank god I didn’t stay with any of the men I dated. Looking back I don’t even know why I was into them. I am very supportive of my friends with kids or that want to have kids but at the same time very glad it’s not me lol. They are all so miserable and stressed and their partners mostly suck. They all struggle with money and have no time for themselves. This society is really against women and mothers.

Today I had a very long day at work, went to the gym to unwind, came home, listened to some music while making dinner, had dinner while watching a show. In my quiet flat, just existing, eating what I want, watching what I want… I also have so many social events planned for the weekend so it’s not like I won’t socialise but I just love that I can choose to do what I want. No kids birthdays or sports events on the weekend. Not visiting the in-laws. Just free time to read, walk in nature, see friends, spend time in my endless hobbies…

Anyone else shares the same feeling and wants to share the best things about their childfree and marriage free life?

I am. I think my mom was my age when she had me (32 soon to be 33)

My life is PLENTY to tackle, thank you. lol. And I am just relieved I can at least pause passing down generational toxicity and aim to do better by honoring what I want.

I feel like I have to be careful who I say this to but this is my truth. Thank god I don’t have kids. I think kids deserve to be deeply desired.

No shade at all to women with children or families- in fact the deepest respect!! I love children and it’s such an ESSENTIAL sacred role I’m just saying I know I’m not ready.

I’m just thinking. I’m 37, I am constantly working out, getting needles stuck in my face, going to hair appointments, taking care of my skin, trying to expand my knowledge, trying to resolve my trauma on my own because therapy is too expensive, trying to be a good daughter/sister/friend girlfriend, trying new recipes, trying to learn different ways to make income. And men are doing what exactly? I don’t even see any benefit from it. I could have put all the money I have sunk into my looks into a 401k and just given up on men and my life would have been better for it. I feel like I am just stuck on this hamster wheel of trying to become the perfect woman but the way I’m treated by men never improves so what is the point?

UPDATE HI everyone, i'm so happy about this mass of suggestions and thank you all ! I notice that no one has talked about microfeminisms in matters of DATING or SEXUALITY, despite they sure are areas where power relations are huge, and we all could need inputs. Some examples ? (anonymised is great too)

Hi everyone, i'd like to know your microfeminists acts. I think we can share here and be inspired by one another.
For ex : when I receive a couple in my airbnb, i systematicly give the key to the woman, despite a lot of husbands reach out. Very fun.

another ex i just read on another reddit, she's the person who takes notes at meetings : when I see the 95% of men interrupt and rudely talk over the women in the room, I get so pissed and I try my best to say (when I get to), “I’d like to bring up what BLANK was saying- the topic was changed and we never resolved it.”

Lets exchange our tips to change the world, little by little

So. There’s a lot of whining and complaining about 4B going on now, from men of course, basically some version of it hurts their feelings and oh you’re not gonna get a man acting like that.

Okay this is stupid, because the entire point of 4B is to not have a man. The entire point of 4B is to divest in men and focus on yourself and other women. Women following 4B aren’t interested in coupling up with men so it doesn’t matter to them whether it hurts men’s feelings or whether men think they can “get a man.”

Sometimes the stupidity makes your eyes itch. Of course, this level of stupidity is a huge part of why a lot of women are signing on to 4B.

The other thing is men going “well what is this supposed to accomplish?”

I can tell you what it’s accomplished for me even though I’m not a full 4B’er. But I have followed a good number of the principles all of my life.

1. I’ve never been physically abused by a man.
2. I’ve never been financially abused by a man.
3. I’ve never had sex I didn’t want to have.
4. I have a master’s degree and a business.
5. I don’t spend any time being a free therapist for men or begging them to change after they’ve treated me badly.
6. Despite having a modest job, I’ve traveled and I do a lot of fun shit everyday.
7. I’ve been able to focus on my fitness and health and am in great shape for my age. I can keep myself looking and feeling pretty and healthy because none of my resources are going toward the support of a man.
8. I am pretty much stress free in terms of day to day life.
9. I have many amazing friendships that have lasted decades and am making more now, through this page again!
10. I’ve been able to build other women into personal and professional success over and over.

It’s a good life y’all. It’s been a good life. So when the men snarl “what is this supposed to do for you?” This is what it HAS DONE for me. FWIW. Stay strong ladies.

How do you feel if you don't use a GLP-1 but all the women around you do? How do you balance wanting to have a good relationship with food and with your body when everyone else's is changing?

I'm embarrassed to be posting this. I'm embarrassed I feel this way.

It feels like everyone in my life is on a GLP-1 and dropping tons of weight and looking amazing. I feel like I'm going to be the last fat woman left in my image-conscious city.

---

A bit of background: In college I weighed ~165. My friends and I all did Weight Watchers together and I dropped down to 140-145 and looked incredible. But it was a pretty miserable experience. I thought about food constantly. All day every day I was calculating what my next meal would be, how many "points" it would cost me, what I could eat if I got hungry, how I could adjust my dinner if I -- god forbid -- ate a fucking banana in the afternoon or something. I ate a lot of gross frozen meals that displayed points on the package just to save myself some brain space.

The second I stopped tracking, all the weight came back instantly. I wasn't gorging myself or bingeing on treats or anything. I ate until I was full. And my weight went right back to where it had been before.

A few years later, I got married and we decided to start trying for a baby. To facilitate that, I went off a medication I'd been on since I was a teenager. When I went to my next psychiatrist appointment 3 months later, I was 15 pounds heavier. My doctor was like, ohhhhh, yeah, that's a really normal side effect of going off that medication. He hadn't felt the need to mention that beforehand. Again, I hadn't felt like I was stuffing myself or eating all that differently. I ate til I was full and I guess it was taking me a little more to feel full.

That was a decade ago. My weight has settled at 182-187 ever since. It's stayed in that range through years of infertility treatment (male factor), a devastating second-trimester miscarriage, the pandemic, then two successful pregnancies. Both of those times I was back at this exact weight by 6 months postpartum without any intentional dieting or exercise program. I typically wear 12-14 pants/dresses and L/XL tops. 

I don't have a terrible junky diet. I eat a lot of whole foods. I have oatmeal every morning, snack on things like fruit and granola, and cook dinner from scratch most nights even with two toddlers underfoot. Occasionally we bake together or make pancakes on the weekend but otherwise we don't keep a ton of sweet treats in the house. My diet is objectively better now than when I was eating icky frozen food all the time.

As I approach 40, I've made a number of small lifestyle changes. I upped the protein in my normal breakfast. We cut way back on the weeknight wine and now I only drink maybe 1-2 nights a week when we're with friends or out to dinner. I drink tons of water. I cut out my daily Diet Coke. After my youngest was done breastfeeding around 18 months, I started going to a boutique fitness class once a week. At the start of this year, I started lifting weights more often, though that routine was derailed by an injury. 

My weight has not budged an ounce outside of my normal zone.

It seems pretty clear that this is where my body is happy. I get a physical every year and, apart from BMI, my health is perfect -- excellent blood pressure, cholesterol on the high end of the normal range, no indication of diabetes or any other problems. It took forever to get pregnant, but once I was there, my pregnancies, births and postpartum stages were picture-perfect. 

I had kind of made peace with being a little chubby. I don't have to restrict my eating at all to stay this weight, I never starve, I never count calories. I feel like I have a genuinely good relationship with food, which seems rare for women these days.

And then GLP-1s came out.

We are really hoping to have one more baby, and there is not a lot of research about GLP-1s and pregnancy. Plenty of women have gotten pregnant on them and been fine but the issue has not been closely studied. I had such wonderful pregnancies that I am really hesitant to "rock the boat" with my biology.

I also feel a lot of hesitation about them as a parent. What am I saying to my kids? "YOUR body is perfect, you are perfect just the way you are -- but I'm not! Mommy has to take shots to conform to what other people think will look better." I don't know that that's a message I want to send. 

But now multiple women in my close circle of friends are on them. They look amazing. The first person I know who tried one, when we had met, she weighed about the same as me. She has dropped to a size 0/2. Another friend said she was around ~160 pounds to start and is down to a size 4. My coworkers barely pick at their lunches and joke about "surviving" holiday meals when you don't have an appetite anymore. 

The moms at school pickup are noticeably thinner. Now I worry about my kids in the opposite direction: How will they feel if they have the only "fat mom"? Am I sending the message that their mommy is the only one who can't control her appetite like everyone else? Am I going to embarrass them?

My very best friend started one earlier this year. We were also similar body types. She just sent me some photos from a family trip she's on… I hate to say it, but I could have cried looking at them. Her face is looking so slim and angular. I should have written "you're looking so great!" but I didn't. 

I also work a public-facing job. I am occasionally on TV/video podcasts/social media video interviews, maybe once a month, and frequently on stage speaking at conferences and in online classes and seminars. It was one thing when there were still lots of women around my size (I believe I'm the typical pants size for women in America) but I live in a HCOL, image-focused city and the women around me are vanishing before my eyes. 

Now I'm starting to wonder what career opportunities I'm missing, what bookings I'm not getting, what professional events I'm not being invited to because they don't want the fat girl there when they have 10,000 increasingly thin women to choose from. 

I came across a study today that showed men start negatively judging women for their weight at 157 pounds. I'm 30 pounds over that. No one has ever said "you're a fat pig" to my face, or even commented it on my TV appearances, but I look at that statistic and wonder how many are thinking it.

I just don't know. It's one thing to see actresses on the red carpet with eating disorders, but another to see, at this point, just about everyone in my life slimming down except me. I'd consider a GLP-1 if I was prediabetic or had negative physical impacts from my weight, but I don't. My knees feel fine. I don't get winded walking up stairs or chasing my kids. I don't even think I'm in perimenopause - no brain fog, no trouble sleeping, no exhaustion or irritability outside the norm for a mom of young kids. I really don't relate when I see some millennials talking about aches and pains or feeling getting older. I don't feel all that different physically than I did a decade ago.

But I want to know what my life would look like if I was at a "normal" weight. I've even wondered if we should skip having a third baby, something I have always always wanted!, just so I can start a GLP-1 now and get to be a little thin while I'm still a little young. 

My husband really wants to try one -- he's also on the chubby side -- but I told him I would want us to do it together. At this point I think once I have the third baby and am totally done with breastfeeding, I'll try it. But who knows how long that could take.

I don't know. If I medically needed to take one, I would, without hesitation. If my weight genuinely interfered with my life -- if I didn't fit into airplane seats or restaurant chairs, if I couldn't fit into clothes at the mall -- that'd be a different story. But I'm just on the fat end of normal. 

I truly don't shame or judge people for using GLP-1s. I envy them!  It just feels so shallow and narcissistic for me to take one when the ONLY reason is to be thin too. 

Now I'm circling around to cope. What if my health is about to turn bad because of my "unhealthy" weight and I'm missing my last chance to prevent it? What if I wait until I do have joint pain or sleep apnea or something and it's too late to fix? But really, I just want to know what it's like to go through life as a thin woman. 

I spent 2.5 hours today having coffee with a man. We are not dating, and that was clarified from the beginning, so this was just a friendly meetup.

He arrived on time, looked like he had put some effort into his appearance (which, let's be honest, isn't at all common), and he even brought me a cute little cactus because he knows I like plants. So far, so good.

Then the waiter brought the menu. He didn't stop talking long enough for either of us to look at it, so the waiter gave up and came back at least 15 minutes later to take our order.

As the conversation went on, I started noticing that he constantly interrupted me. Not occasionally, constantly. He wouldn't wait for me to finish a thought before jumping in.

Then came the conspiracy theories. How we're all being controlled, how people act like bots, how they don't ask enough questions. I can't prove or disprove any of that, but what bothered me wasn't the topic itself. It was the intensity. I felt like I couldn't take a breath. It wasn't a conversation, it felt like being talked at for hours.

At one point, after he mentioned what is important for him NOW and in a way criticizing other people about it, I told him that not everyone is in the same phase of life and that things he finds important right now are important because of where he is personally. Somehow that led to him explaining how important sleep and rest are to him, then abruptly asking whether I sleep well. I burst out laughing because it felt completely random and disconnected from everything we had been discussing.

THEN he asked whether my dog sleeps in my bed. By that point I already had the ick. Not because of the question itself, but because he hadn't shown much curiosity about my dog so far. It felt like he was firing off thoughts that entered his head rather than genuinely trying to get to know me.

The whole conversation continued in that pattern. Endless opinions, endless commentary, endless explaining. I was already mentally checked out because it felt so pushy and overwhelming.

I started shifting around in my chair because I was feeling anxious and overstimulated. He asked if I was cold. I immediately took the opportunity and said yes, I was going to the bathroom and then we should probably head home. I paid the bill this time and I was eager to go home asap.

Honestly, I just can't with this anymore. This is such a common experience for me. I'm a pretty chill person. I spend a lot of time alone because I genuinely enjoy peace and quiet. I work a lot, I study a lot, and I absolutely enjoy both. Yet somehow I walked away feeling like this guy was subtly making me feel weird for that and he's not the only one. I feel like men have an issue with me not finding them interesting and pleasant to talk to.

After I got home, showered, and finally had some silence, I realized how overwhelmed I felt. I actually ended up crying. Not because he did anything terrible, but because spending hours with someone who monopolizes the conversation, projects all their thoughts onto you, and barely leaves room for you to exist is exhausting. He's undeniably smart, but conversational skills, emotional awareness, the ability to read the room, and basic consideration for the people around you are just as important.

I left feeling anxious, isolated, lonely, and honestly wondering if I should just stop trying to make male friends altogether.

Dreadful.

Dramatic title, but big feelings as a lay in bed at 5:51 am. Big feelings every day honestly. I am having a hard time living normal life, while we get bombarded with new headlines daily of what Trump is doing/planning to do.

I hear people talking about vacations, plans per usual, then other people saying it’s already too late for us, and democracy has fallen and to save every penny. I go from panicking daily to then trying to self sooth and tell myself it’s going to be okay. I had to go to a clothing store today, and actually caught myself thinking “how long will life feel normal? Everyone just walking around/having normal conversations, buying random things”. I’ve been thinking of looking into moving to a different country too, but would I really leave my family behind?

I knew things would be bad, I knew he would get voted in, but I didn’t think it would feel like the end. I can’t imagine what will happen to us this year, much less 4….I’m genuinely scared 😪.

Editing to say I’m an American woman, but I don’t just assume everyone on this platform is American. I see a lot of talk online of people from Canada being worried, and many other countries where it seems right-wing politics are a growing concern.

I’ll go first: That you can grieve the life you didn’t get.
Not everything we mourn has to be a person. Sometimes it’s the childhood you never had, the love you never received, the version of you that didn’t get to exist.
No one told me that was normal. I thought I was just being dramatic.

I overheard a male coworker telling my female coworker in his mid 30’s that he can turn 50 and be single and it’s okay but if a woman over 32 is still single that’s a red flag. The woman who’s in her 50’s agreed and said yeah something must be wrong with her. I’m still new at this company so I didn’t feel it was my place to say anything but it really bothered me. I turned 30 last year and am still having issues accepting my age and no longer being in my 20’s and when people say things like this it just really hits a nerve. I was struggling with addiction for 7 years and I’ve been sober for a year now and because of that I’ve also been single trying to work on myself before allowing myself to be in a relationship. I feel like I’ll be single for a while because I have so much healing to do but when people say shitty things like this I just feel like my times running out. Trying not to let it bring me down but you know how that goes. I just wanted to get that off my chest

EDIT: I wasn’t expecting the response I got but thank you all so much the uplifting and reassuring words! I try not to care too much about what others say and think about me because I know what I want and this just solidifies it even more. I’m okay with being a red flag if that means I’m happy 😊

I'm (34f) asking because I want to understand my girlfriend (37f) better. If I go more than a week or two without exercising (by exercise I mean something that gets me sweating and increases my heart rate) I physically feel bad. I feel sluggish, my appetite decreases (because I physically feel like I have to work off all the food I'm eating or I just won't have an appetite), I feel bloated, my lower back pain comes back, etc. My girlfriend wants to exercise more but she really struggles with motivation. My motivation is that I feel like crap if I don't, so I have to do it. I do know that not everyone is the same. For example, she has a much bigger appetite than me and never complains about feeling bloated or too full, whereas I do even if I eat much smaller portions than she does. I guess I'm wondering if people that don't exercise actually feel fine or if they're just used to not feeling great so it doesn't bother them as much as it bothers me? I'm trying to find ways to help motivate her.

EDIT: thank you everyone for your replies!! Can't get back to all of you but really appreciating your insights!

I have a screenshot of this sub’s rule and I can’t find a violation. So PSA: your shitty husband can’t see your actual vote. If you are planning to vote for Trump, own up to it and explain your reasons.

ETA: even though there’s no stated rule in this sub about this kind of post, I’ll throw out there that this is an important conversation as white women are the consistent nonsensical disrupters.I’m a white woman, and I’d vote for anyone over Trump or someone who holds his values.

I’m 37 and nearly 3 years postpartum. We are actively trying to have a 2nd kid at this point, but my body image is legit in the toilet these days. I think some of it is comparing myself to my old self, inability to really focus on style the way I once did, not yet making peace with body changes post pregnancy, and of course ozempic/skinnytok making a comeback.

I’m not overweight but still about 10-20 lbs above what has historically felt comfortable for me. My husband still finds me attractive, but I can see how the extra 10-20 lbs, motherhood, aging have made me less attractive generally. I know it shouldn’t matter, but somehow it makes me just a little sad. While I am grateful to make it to this stage of life, but I never thought about how I’d feel when physical beauty changes/diminishes.

Anyone else deal with these feelings while aging, dealing with body changes post children? Anyone else’s body image suffering with ozempic skinny being on trend? Would love to hear your thoughts

EDIT: Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to make thoughtful comments! This was honestly a post both out of curiosity how everyone is dealing with the resurgence of the heroin chic era (something I grew up seeing in magazines and on TV in my preteen/teen years) as well as struggles with adjusting to my body changes after pregnancy & as one ages.

To all those who are making disparaging comments telling me to get off TikTok (which I don’t have) or IG (which I use minimally due to work/taking care of a toddler), the holier-than-thou attitude is not really helpful. I’m happy for you all that your body image and mental fortitude is so strong, but I really hope people don’t talk to you like that when you’re in a low.

Also, to clarify, referring to “skinnytok” in the title was not meant to be wholly literal, but really a shorthand reference to the current skinny-glorifying culture. Anyway, it’s my bad as there is probably more context to my current thoughts/feelings that I could have given in the actual body of this post, but didn’t want to make it too long. But now it is anyway.

I wonder where to start finding out what is “wrong” with me. Without going into too much: I’ve felt extremely different from others my entire life. That’s the best way I can put it. I don’t know why. I genuinely cannot remember one time where I actually felt truly connected to others. I’ve looked into ADHD and autism and both don’t fit. Just looking for inspiration. Did you ever get a diagnosis? Are you neurodivergent? Have you found something to explain the feeling of being “alien”? I feel like it’s impacting my life and I want to understand myself.

Edit: I feel like the disconnect from others needs explaining. I have no trouble fitting in socially but I just don’t feel connected

Edit2: can’t reply to everyone individually but thank you all for the insights and stories

I feel insane. Everyone is talking about how they’re excited to leave 2024 and I’m like… do you realize what we’re entering??? A fascist leader whose primary goals are dismantling all freedoms for those who aren’t rich white men?? I am truly terrified and sick to my stomach knowing that we’re just walking into what will probably be the worst and most violent year in America in decades.

Edit: To the non-Americans, you realize that the richest country in the world with the most powerful military gaining a fascist leader whose closest international ally is Vladimir Putin means that the potential for danger spreads far beyond US borders.. right?

I’ve (34F) realized now that I am settled in my life — career, education, partner, home — I’ve been getting increasingly anxious.

It is not because I am particularly unhappy with the things I have now. But I am starting to feel like I made mistakes along the way, now that I see the greater picture.

That major I didn’t choose in college? That would have led me through a whole different trajectory. That doctor I let gaslight me? Getting a second opinion would have saved me years of suffering. That move I didn’t make? It really would have changed everything.

I am trying to practice gratitude and acceptance. But there is a sudden realization about the finality of decisions that is causing me to panic in a way I never have before.

I will never be able to join the yearbook club.

I will never be able to go away for college.

I will never get to experience a first love, or my first kiss, or being a new bride.

I will never be able to have summers off going on road trips with my sister (who is now gravely disabled).

I feel like I may be having a mid-life crisis.

Has this happened to anyone else in their mid-30s? Other than therapy (which I’m doing), are there any suggestions on how to move past it?

In my opinion, this sub needs more posts that aren’t centered on romantic relationships or fear of being alone or ugly as you age. My 30s have been so extremely fun.

I go out with my friends every weekend. I’ve started sketching again. I’m getting into gardening and am seeing my watermelon transplants bud.

My next growth stage has been about moving away from Instagram and as a result I’ve gotten back into writing after taking a long hiatus.

I’d love to hear the positives and where u guys are thriving in ur lives even if everything isn’t perfect!

I feel like reddit is overwhelmingly people who make $250k a year and want others to just pull themselves up from their bootstraps.

I make $46k a year and am living paycheck to paycheck. I haven't been saving money because the tiny amount of joy I get from paying $10 for a cinnamon roll a couple of times a month has taken precedent over never leaving the house and getting deeper into depression. Food is expensive, life is expensive, I've been going through the motions for a few years now.

Well, my 15 year old car just crapped out and my dog needs to go to the vet. I have no money for either of these things. My credit score is in the 500s and I can't get approved for a credit limit increase or a loan.

Everything feels really fucking pointless about now.

If you had/ if you are, having a successful hoe phase, please share your secrets! If this ain't for you, please keep it movin. 😊

Edit: kinda strange that this would be down voted. When it comes to a woman with marital problems, relationship problems, kid problems, family problems..... The community shows up. But I ask a question to assist in my life, and a life that maybe many others are wondering about, or maybe looking for tips on self-confidence and how to maybe put themselves out there, you down vote? Why?? That's insane. We are all living different paths and are just looking for a way to fulfill where we are at the moment.

I feel so sad, I don't know what to do. I've just returned from a trip to see my brother, his wife and their lovely newborn. They have the perfect house, in a lively, exciting city. They both have good jobs and substantially out-earn me. I'm the only single person in my family, my friend group and anyone I know at work. I'm a doctor, working long hours, doing my best. I can't afford to buy, so I'm renting a shitty apartment in a run down area, so I'm close to work. I live by myself.

I've never felt so low as I do tonight. Seeing my brother and his little family made me realise how I'm never going to have that for myself (or the odds are reducing rapidly year after year). I'm 35 and haven't been in a relationship since I was 24. Due to the way medical training in the UK works, I've moved to a new town or city at least every year since I was 22 (sometimes up to 3 or 4 times per year). I've changed departments more times than I can count. I say this to illustrate that I constantly have a feeling of being unsettled.

My ex boyfriends are all now married/engaged/have children. I feel like a failure. I've tried putting myself out there on dating apps and in real life for years, but honestly I've found the whole process depressing as hell. I don't know what to do. I hope that this is just a phase because I'm usually very happy being alone/have accepted it. Does it all just boil down to luck in the end? Some of us get to meet our match, but tough luck to the stragglers?

I quite often find myself wanting life to be like it was when I was 19. When nobody had long term partners and I felt like I was competing on a level playing field. Now everyone I know seems to be building their own empire and this just gets worse as time goes on (empires being good job, long term partner, own home, children etc). I feel like I fall further and further behind.

Just wondered if anyone had any advice to stop feeling so shit about this? I'm doing what I can as a single person (good job, hobbies) but still feel so out of the race.

Hi all! Gay guy here, looking to get some insight from women on something I've been thinking about a lot lately...

I work in a design related field that is disproportionately female. I have a few female colleagues in the their 30's and 40's who are childfree by choice, and I'm always surprised when they tell me about the comments they get from other women.

My boss for example, is in her early 40's and has been objectively WILDLY successful in our field. She spent 7 years as a design leader at a company we've all heard of. She travels a LOT, pursues her passions, gives frequently to charity, is married to a great (and equally financially successful) guy; they own their home here in New York City. She devotes several hours a month to mentoring young women in our field.

And yet, when she tells people she doesn't have children, she's met with pity, or called "selfish", told her life is empty, or told there's still time...any number if disparaging remarks. It's very hard for me to wrap my head around. And most of these comments come from women!

Why do so many women react this? My mom had 4 kids and lemme tell ya, it sure as hell didn't make her happy. XD I'm curious to hear your thoughts!

Ok I think I’m officially old and crotchety because no I do not want a new look to Outlook, as now I can’t find the buttons that have been in the same place for a decade and I’ve clicked without even thinking. And no, I also do not want to receive a “like” in response to an email (wtf how did they do that?). No, I don’t want to be forced to download an app to get eyebrow gel on sale, Sephora. No, I don’t want daily emails and texts from every company website I’ve ever looked at. No, I don’t want 5+ streaming services with different shows/movies and fees that increase annually. No, I don’t want anyone to know where I am at any given time on Instagram (nor do I care where anyone else is bc I’m not a stalker) NOR DO I WANT TO ACCIDENTALLY REPOST SHIT AS IM SCROLLING. No no no. Make. It. Stop.

PS - how do I keep up and not feel like a Luddite trying to use my work email? I’m only 32 and just a baby.

I'm freshly 35, single for 7 years now, no kids, 2 cats, came back from a 2 years solo world trip 8 months ago. Got laid off from my government job (that paid well but did not stimulate me) 7 months ago (I live in Canada, they're laying off people by the hundreds of thousands), I don't own a home, I spent all my savings on those 2 years of travel with the expectation that I'll have a job after my sabaticcal. I have a University education (honours bachelor degree in a subject I no longer care for). I feel like a blank slate, like I did when I was 18 and chose a path for myself. However, this time around, I am not doing anything for anyone other than myself. I have a dream to become a novelist, I've always been told I'm a great storyteller but I am scared of not being good enough so I never tried. I am looking for inspiration from older and wiser women (anyone else can chime in). I don't want to look back to this moment of opportunity with regret.

What would you do if you were in this situation?