Advice Column

Your health is essentially on the decline by the time you reach 40, and by the time most people reach their 60s they’re already on a cocktail of medications, lacking the energy to do most things they used to do regularly, and also have a plethora of new health problems to deal with until they finally die.

Most retired people I’ve met typically consider a trip to Costco or falling asleep in front of the nightly news as the highlight of their day.

Some even started working again, albeit part time, just to fill their lives with something productive or meaningful.

[Read more…] about “Why should i save for retirement if life after 60 looks so bleak?”

We’ve been married for nine years—thirteen together—and honestly, everything we’ve been through has just worn me down to the point where I don’t even like her anymore.

Whenever she calls, I cringe. I put on a fake smile, and trying to act interested when we talk just feels gross. The truth is, I feel more at peace when she’s not around. But at the same time, I think I still love her… I’m not sure if it’s just because we’ve been together so long or if I’m clinging to the version of her I used to know.

It’s confusing, this mix of love and resentment.

[Read more…] about “I honestly do not like my wife.”

I’m 37, single, and feeling stuck in a life that’s “good enough” but not fulfilling. I work from home in events, making $95k, but the job is stressful, socially draining, and doesn’t offer much growth—just small raises and the same old routine. I’m decent at my job, but as an introvert with social anxiety, it exhausts me, and my skills don’t seem to transfer well outside my current field.

[Read more…] about “Stagnant in a good but not great life”

My son is 27 and he doesn’t have any friends or social life.

He spends most of his days at home, usually shut away in his room, just staring at the wall or out the window.

He barely touches his phone anymore. He says being outside feels too overwhelming for him—he complains that it’s too noisy and bright.

[Read more…] about “I’m scared for my son”

I’ve been seeing a married man for the past six months. I’m completely in love with him, and he says he feels the same way about me. During the week, we’re together in the same city and everything feels perfect.

But on the weekends, he travels to another city to be with his wife. Even then, he calls me, sends pictures, and stays in touch throughout the day. His kids are grown and independent, so there aren’t any obligations keeping him there.

[Read more…] about “I’m dating a married man”

I’m carrying a heavy weight from a decision I made about a year ago, and I don’t know how to let it go.

I remarried a few years back. I have an older son from my first marriage, and together with my husband, we have two young daughters. My husband and my son just never meshed—there was constant tension, and my husband always seemed harsher with him than with the girls. He’d say I was too lenient, and it felt like my son and husband were always at odds.

[Read more…] about “I chose my new husband over my son”

This is going to sound really dumb, but I (22m) have wanted to for the past year or so. I just feel empty and I want to try something new and exciting.

My plan is to do it just once and then be done with it. I have a family that I barely speak to due to being estranged (hard childhood) so that makes my decision easier.

No one will be in the cross fire if I take it too far. I know many people will think that I am extremely stupid for making this choice, but I am tired of being bored in my life. I have always felt incomplete ever since I was a child.

Hopefully this will be a good experience, If I choose to go through with it.

[Read more…] about “I have been thinking about trying meth”

I’m 22 and, honestly, feeling pretty hopeless about dating and relationships. I’ve spent most of my life trying to “fix” myself—therapy since I was a kid, working out, trying to dress better, pushing myself to socialize, and even getting a degree. I’m autistic, have attention and memory issues, and I’m also a minority where I live. I don’t say this to ask for pity, just to explain how I feel like an outsider everywhere, not just in dating.

[Read more…] about “Is Dating Ever Really Possible for Someone Like Me?”

My younger brother (29M) has always been a disaster. He’s creative and “finding himself,” but he can’t hold a job for more than a year, racks up credit card debt, and bounces between short-term apartments and random “business ideas.” My parents constantly made excuses—“He’s got a good heart,” “He just needs more time”—and let him get away with everything.

[Read more…] about “I’m stuck paying for my sibling’s bad life choices”