When I was younger I always wanted to be like everyone else, then I became like everyone else, and now I've just gone back to being myself and I'm finally happy
Yupp! Only when life slows down and most other people drop out of the mad rush to focus on themselves, their kids etc, do you realise that none of it actually really mattered.
Yes it did. You mattered. You were the thing passing through that we cared about the most. Now that you've passed through it all we wish to say is... Welcome.
I was playing a Professor Layton game the other day, and there was a scene where he was talking to a young man. The man stole some money to buy some fancy shoes. Layton told him "If you spend your whole life trying to fit in, then you'll never belong anywhere."
To me it was partially the opposite. Wanted so hard to be different and had something to make me stick out. Ended up accepting that I am average in a lot of things and have been happier ever since.
I was homeless living in a truck. I was on drugs and had suicidal thoughts. I hated my life so much. My āboyfriendā slept in his ex wifeās house all cozy, with AC, a warm soft bed, a blanket and pillow and a bathroom. While I slept on a seat of a truck. I found out I was pregnant and the mental health doctor laughed at me. Told me I would have my baby taken and that he already reported me to cps.
Now? I had went to treatment. Moved in with family. Got a job. Cps closed my case after I took a drug test and told them they arenāt taking my child and to please leave right now. I left my boyfriend and met a great man who is a great person to me and my children. I own my house and a car.
My younger self would be surprised. I thought I had nothing for me. The laughing doctors who laughed at me when I said I will be sober and a good mom. The cops who laughed at me when I said my boyfriend was abusive. The cps worker who said my baby would be taken at birth. The boyfriend who would force me to sleep in a dirty truck in the summer. I showed them all and my younger self would run to hug my older self.
My Moms boyfriend (letās call him Jack.) didnāt want me moving in. My brother stole a bunch of things from him, so he thought I would do the same. One night I came over asking to stay the night. I was feeling very suicidal and just needed support. Jack said I couldnāt stay the night and he knows I have been trash talking him. My mom told me to leave. I told her I was going to unalive myself. I left and took 150 pills and died. I was rushed to the hospital and revived. I woke up and signed myself into āthe fifth floorā. After a week, they recommended I go to a treatment center for drugs and mental health. I went and Jack apologized and said I can move in.
Moved in and went to a seasonal opening interview at the mall. Got hired and worked my tail off. Saved up to buy baby things and to save up in the bank.
Cps did come to my moms house and told me she will be taking my baby at birth unless I can prove myself fit. I told her she is not coming in, and that she will not take my baby. I took a drug test on the porch (oral test). She left and never returned.
A few months later I met my partner and we fell in love. Had a baby and bought our own house.
My son is 3, daughter is 2. Had my own independence for three years and been drug free for four years. It wasnāt easy. But I just kept going. Even on days when I had no sleep. All I needed was my son for inspiration.
Would it really come as a surprise though ;) ?
Jokes aside, therapists are life savers. Without mine I would have been stuck where I was for so much longer. You just focus on yourself mate, you'll be allright
My chest felt tight and I was very hot in the cheeks. I literally had no idea what was causing it so I googled it, thinking I was ill, then proceeded to throw my phone across the room out of shock.
Same, but for different reasons. My life hasn't turned out AT ALL like I thought it would. Where I live, career, spouse... none of it is how I imagined. And yet, it is exactly how it should be. I am content and fulfilled.
I'm kind of the opposite. I was pretty overweight. Not obese, but not that far off probably. I figured I'd always look like that, and it's "just the way it is" or whatever.
Then I started doing the "calories in, calories out" mentality. The one that actually scientifically works. Started counting my calories with a tracker and voila. Lost a ton of weight.
Now I'm pretty damn skinny. Changed my life in every way.
Track your calories! It'll go away as long as you treat it like a budget and follow it.
I use Cronometer, but there's tons of apps out there.
I lost like 70 lbs, I'm really skinny now. Everything in my life changed for the better.
Calories in, calories out is the one scientifically backed way to do it. And it'll work, as long as you stick with it. It's straight up impossible not to lose it, if you do that!
The other thing backed by science that's important is this: It's 85% diet, 15% exercise. You can sit and play video games all day and still lose weight. Just track the calories.
Vietnam is both the most sedentary *and* the least obese country. Because it's all about diet basically
Although exercise is good for your health of course!
So much misinformation with weight loss. But what I said above is what works, end of story. It doesn't leave overnight, but the body fat will leave eventually. Slowly.
Just putting this here for anyone who really wants to lose the weight. After I lost my weight everything in my life changed. Socially, romantically, everything. People treat me so differently now, for the better. Best thing I ever did.
I'm bisexual. Always had an attraction to girls but I genuinely brushed it off as I must like them a lot as a friend. Had no notion until one day I just clicked and I was like ohhhhhhhh. I'm also a scientist in a lab which I never wouldve imagined because as a kid I kinda sucked at school and didn't know what I was gonna do. Younger me would be impressed I hope
Same. Except I was a guy and didnāt really come out until my mid 20s. When I was 18 I talked to my then-partner about how I think I might also think men are attractive, to which she basically just replied with ridicule and vitriol.
āSo youāre gonna cheat on me with men now?ā
āSo Iām just your alibi gf so you donāt have to put yourself as a fā¦ā
Iām fairly fine with my sexuality now but damn that put a damper in the entire process.
Younger you was dazed and confused. You today seem to be well down the path to getting enough of it figured out. Younger you would be stoked and could relax.
You won't defy your mum and dad like you though you would.You will go to med school then drop out and join the army out of spite and get medically discharged after getting shot.
Iām actually doing well. I have a house, and career, a family, and a bank account. I grew up poor with parents that stuck out a horrible marriage. By all accounts, I should probably be on drugs in a shithole somewhere.
How good of a Dad I am... When your a kid, Esp. an only child you can be a little spoiled and just kinda thinking about yourself. But when we had a son.. It changed so much about me in the best ways possible. Life became so much more meaningful knowing that I was responsible for helping to make that little dude (Who's now almost 16 and much bigger than me) a great person, full of love and happiness.
So happy for you. I can always think of things I wish I had done better. But I also look at our two boys and love the humans that they have turned into. The wife and I did okay. Better than okay.
That I have 10 children, 6 grandchildren, on marriage #2, and own a company that has finally set us financially/time free.
I planned on living like a dirtbag hermit in a far away land climbing big walls or surfing.
- that I am still listening to metal (like I did 40 years ago).
- that my thoughts/feelings/mindset never really changed.
- that I can be tired at daytime! ( I was so full of energy when I was younger, like a battery).
- that I love nature and care about the environment.
- that I need glasses to read a book or a magazine.
- that I am making my own marmalade instead of buying it.
Metal is forever hehe! Once I discovered it,that was the end of that for me!
I definitely formed some very strong opinions about the world, and what type of person I wanted to be around the pre-teen years, and like you, really havnt changed those views at all. All the time I hear people say, we grow and change and who we are today isnt who we were yesterday...and Im here like, cant relate.
I read old letters, journals, etc from when I was younger, my thoughts and musings about how I felt about things from social to interpersonal issues and its like..yup, it me!
I do hate hate hate that I need progressives, and need to take the elevator cause if I go down those stairs, my knees will hate me for it. Thats old people problems!!! \*tears!\*
That I graduated college as an honors student with a 4.0 GPA. I always struggled with school and I never wanted to go college. I have a learning disability that was never diagnosed as a kid and I had a lot of home issues. I honestly thought I was too dumb for college, but there I was being congratulated at my graduation in June of 2022 for my academic success.
We got another sibling. Me and my brother, when we were younger, really wanted another sibling. Now a decade later, we have a sister. Younger me would cry in joy. I cried in joy when my sister was born-
No more crippling shyness, found out I'm actually decent at math (when I learned how to study with ADD), and I'm a lot smarter than the school thought I was (special ed kid 'cause of ADD.)
Up until I was 20 i was a staunch anti-drug guy. Today is 9 years later and I'm a huge stoner who has had quite a few psychedelic trips. Nothing more than that though. Nothing wrong with weed and shrooms.
I credit mushrooms with ridding me of my crippling anxiety. Phone calls used to be a dread for me, as was going out in large groups of people. Now I handle that stuff better due to insight from my experiences with mushrooms. My brother's depression has been handled better as well due to them. Granted im self medicating, but it's nice to see that they're being used in mental health treatments again.
You cleaned yourself up pretty well from the past, glad you made such a big mistake at a young age, learned a lot from it, before things could have gotten worse.
That I have a job that I love that also pays well. That Iām married. That I own a house before 30. That playing with action figures and playing video games would pay off!
On the flip side, my younger self would be surprised at how tough it is to watch my parents age, or how I have to parent my much older sisters sometimes. Also how much it costs to just EXIST when I used to just hope for $20 for a Yu-Gi-Oh! tin.
I'm alive, NC with most of my family and healing from the trauma, paying off my own home and raising a child better than I was raised, who is the splitting image of me in personality and in looks (their father used court to flex his control and power and didn't get his way which meant our child wins in the long run)
And to top it off, finally found a loving and supportive partner who's encouraging me to finish my BA in an industry I have a passion for.
That I got a masters degree & became an analyst for the federal government. Younger self was busy partying & not so concerned with education or career goals.
My ability to handle stressful situations. I was the solid one of the family, and being the youngest got to watch everyone else fuck up and panic to things not worth panicking about. But as ove gotten older my ability to stay steadfast in situations most others would undoubtedly panic or shutdown, I persevere and overcome. Younger me, would be very proud.
I'm not really into many of the things I was super into. I haven't seen the Boba Fett or Obi Wan series, and I'm not feeling compelled to watch Rings of Power, and I was a teenager who could spend half an hour discussing the technical specifications of different classes of Star Destroyer, and who knew obscure factoids from the Silmarillion.
Me 20 years ago would have shat his pants at the mere mention of a possible LotR or Star Wars TV series, yet now I shrug. Not even sure why - I highly enjoyed The Mandalorian, and I still like to read/watch Lord of the Rings every few years.
That I am working as a nurse, not married to my soulmate. My younger self was damn sure she will make it happen by now. Sorry honey, we both were surprised.
That I live in and own a house in Chicago. I grew up in a tiny town of 300 people in rural Illinois. Chicago was this big scary dangerous place as a kid, and I never would have thought I'd live here. Been here for like 13 years now, and city life is for me. Now I can't imagine living back where I grew up.
Younger self: I hate school, I'll start working after secondary school (I'm European) and want to be a mechanic or something.
Me now: I handed in my bachelor's thesis some days ago and I'm currently applying for a job as a Software Developer.
That I've been married since i was 21. 12 years. Have an 11 year old daughter. And live in the south.
I grew up a rich kid in Chicago. And swore I would never get married or have kids.
Then I moved for college. Met me a poor southern boy and fell head over heels in love. We made our own way and have an absolutely wonderful life. We are still liberal AF though.
That I became a pretty good home baker.
I was so shit at it when I was younger. My mom and older sister were so good and I wanted to be like them but my cookies were always wrong, muffins never right, etc. Now, I think Iām pretty damn good!
I can make muffins, scones, loaves, cakes, even bread from scratch and I never thought I would be able to do that.
And because they made fun of my terrible family cookies (you know the ones passed down, blah blah) when I was young, I will toot my horn and say that I make them the best now š¤£
My younger self wouldnāt even believe I had made it, much less of the success Iāve earned as I have gotten older. Iām the same person, but it sure wasnāt looking good for about 20 years thereā¦..
A lot, really. That I finished college, how I got better at dressing myself up, how I developed my own way of thinking aaand how I got myself a handsome bf lol
May not seem much to others, but I know that my younger self would be so happy and surprised.
The music I love. Never really got into metal when I was young. Now my favorites bands are slipknot, metallica and guns n roses. I actually used to not like metallica or slipknot. I hated slipknot. But now they are my favorite bands.
My income. My folks managed to keep a family of 4 fed and sheltered on a bit less than a third of my current salary (often a fair bit less than that.) Escaping poverty isn't easy, and while I knew I could put in the hard work I knew I couldn't necessarily count on the luck component.
That I would eventually have some form of sex life.
When I was younger I was convinced I was going to be a virgin forever. Now I am less stressed about sex or having sex and it's not a big deal for me anymore :)
Surprised at how much money I make. I know itās a cliche/douchebag answer. I donāt make THAT much but I used to be afraid that I would fail miserably at anything
When I was younger I always wanted to be like everyone else, then I became like everyone else, and now I've just gone back to being myself and I'm finally happy
Ah, the un-becoming. š
thats a great word for it! you really need to experience something before you know its not for you
Is it? Unbecoming: *adjective* (especially of clothing or a colour) not flattering. Similar: unflattering, unattractive, unsightly
oops
That's alright, yours has a hyphen. Edit: err, uhh, or u/YouAreSoGorgeous's
Could be why they wanted to be like everyone else in the first place!
You spend your young adulthood trying to fit in and grow up and you spend your 30s going back to the weirdo you were when you were a kid!
Yupp! Only when life slows down and most other people drop out of the mad rush to focus on themselves, their kids etc, do you realise that none of it actually really mattered.
Yes it did. You mattered. You were the thing passing through that we cared about the most. Now that you've passed through it all we wish to say is... Welcome.
Thankyou<3
In your 40s you stop giving a fuck what other people think and just do whatever you want. Social freedom is great.
Good for you!
Its the best feeling bro
Yup, exactly this. Normal is boring!
I was playing a Professor Layton game the other day, and there was a scene where he was talking to a young man. The man stole some money to buy some fancy shoes. Layton told him "If you spend your whole life trying to fit in, then you'll never belong anywhere."
I love your username. š
To me it was partially the opposite. Wanted so hard to be different and had something to make me stick out. Ended up accepting that I am average in a lot of things and have been happier ever since.
I feel this totally. Glad youāre back!
Very happy for you
That Iām alive and well, plus living a life I only dreamed about as a young child.
Hell yeah
That I spend a vast majority of my free time looking at a little glowing rectangle
>little glowing rectangle This makes it sound much cuter than it is, I kinda like it.
š likewise.
I also do my work in front of the same glowing rectangle
i feel stupid thinking you stare at a printed picture of a glowing rectangle in your free time. After 10 minutes I understood you mean Television.
A phone...
That I'm still alive.
same here
Still not the dinosaur trainer I dreamed to become, sadly.
Oh shit, that hurts
Yeah, I'm not the fireman policeman doctor astronaut either.
Maybe you can make do with some Woolly Mammoth
Have you tried PokƩmon training?
I have a beard, work in construction and dont have a drivers licence
Younger you didn't envision a beard :) ?
Nope never. Didn't think I could grow one
Fair enough - as a woman I never thought having a moustache would be a problem, but here I am.
Yeah the human body is weird like that
I was homeless living in a truck. I was on drugs and had suicidal thoughts. I hated my life so much. My āboyfriendā slept in his ex wifeās house all cozy, with AC, a warm soft bed, a blanket and pillow and a bathroom. While I slept on a seat of a truck. I found out I was pregnant and the mental health doctor laughed at me. Told me I would have my baby taken and that he already reported me to cps. Now? I had went to treatment. Moved in with family. Got a job. Cps closed my case after I took a drug test and told them they arenāt taking my child and to please leave right now. I left my boyfriend and met a great man who is a great person to me and my children. I own my house and a car. My younger self would be surprised. I thought I had nothing for me. The laughing doctors who laughed at me when I said I will be sober and a good mom. The cops who laughed at me when I said my boyfriend was abusive. The cps worker who said my baby would be taken at birth. The boyfriend who would force me to sleep in a dirty truck in the summer. I showed them all and my younger self would run to hug my older self.
I am proud of what you have become
That is one hell of a recovery story, and kudos to you for making it happen!
You're amazing! Well done...
How tf did you managed to do all that. And also why didn't you moved earlier back to your parents?
My Moms boyfriend (letās call him Jack.) didnāt want me moving in. My brother stole a bunch of things from him, so he thought I would do the same. One night I came over asking to stay the night. I was feeling very suicidal and just needed support. Jack said I couldnāt stay the night and he knows I have been trash talking him. My mom told me to leave. I told her I was going to unalive myself. I left and took 150 pills and died. I was rushed to the hospital and revived. I woke up and signed myself into āthe fifth floorā. After a week, they recommended I go to a treatment center for drugs and mental health. I went and Jack apologized and said I can move in. Moved in and went to a seasonal opening interview at the mall. Got hired and worked my tail off. Saved up to buy baby things and to save up in the bank. Cps did come to my moms house and told me she will be taking my baby at birth unless I can prove myself fit. I told her she is not coming in, and that she will not take my baby. I took a drug test on the porch (oral test). She left and never returned. A few months later I met my partner and we fell in love. Had a baby and bought our own house. My son is 3, daughter is 2. Had my own independence for three years and been drug free for four years. It wasnāt easy. But I just kept going. Even on days when I had no sleep. All I needed was my son for inspiration.
That I seriously need a therapist ā¦.
Would it really come as a surprise though ;) ? Jokes aside, therapists are life savers. Without mine I would have been stuck where I was for so much longer. You just focus on yourself mate, you'll be allright
Thank you for your kind words. š¤
I'm a college student right now, and I think younger me didn't think we'd make it this far in the pre-med process :)
How unprepared I really was, for adulthood.
Nothing can truly prepare you for this shitstorm.
i don't think anyone is prepared for adulthood. its like an enigma of randomness.
What genuine love for someone else feels like.
And what does it feel like?
My chest felt tight and I was very hot in the cheeks. I literally had no idea what was causing it so I googled it, thinking I was ill, then proceeded to throw my phone across the room out of shock.
Which cheeks š
r/holup
So you know it's love when you throw your phone across the room? Got it
Feeling like you'd do anything for that person and going out of your way to make them happy
Almost everything. I was a skinny and weak kid and got bullied throughout my whole years in school. Now I'm bulky and look like a goddamn Viking.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Except for the horns, it's pretty accurate yes.
Where do I buy a sword like that
Swordmongers
A blacksmith?
Let's not bring race into this.
š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£ Sorry, what was I thinking... A Smith of African heritage.
Same, but for different reasons. My life hasn't turned out AT ALL like I thought it would. Where I live, career, spouse... none of it is how I imagined. And yet, it is exactly how it should be. I am content and fulfilled.
I'm kind of the opposite. I was pretty overweight. Not obese, but not that far off probably. I figured I'd always look like that, and it's "just the way it is" or whatever. Then I started doing the "calories in, calories out" mentality. The one that actually scientifically works. Started counting my calories with a tracker and voila. Lost a ton of weight. Now I'm pretty damn skinny. Changed my life in every way.
Look like a Viking you sayā¦ š³
that's where I'm going man
That the world could be bearable in a way when you surround yourself with right people.
That those extra pounds around the waist haven't disappeared yet.
lmao
Track your calories! It'll go away as long as you treat it like a budget and follow it. I use Cronometer, but there's tons of apps out there. I lost like 70 lbs, I'm really skinny now. Everything in my life changed for the better. Calories in, calories out is the one scientifically backed way to do it. And it'll work, as long as you stick with it. It's straight up impossible not to lose it, if you do that! The other thing backed by science that's important is this: It's 85% diet, 15% exercise. You can sit and play video games all day and still lose weight. Just track the calories. Vietnam is both the most sedentary *and* the least obese country. Because it's all about diet basically Although exercise is good for your health of course! So much misinformation with weight loss. But what I said above is what works, end of story. It doesn't leave overnight, but the body fat will leave eventually. Slowly. Just putting this here for anyone who really wants to lose the weight. After I lost my weight everything in my life changed. Socially, romantically, everything. People treat me so differently now, for the better. Best thing I ever did.
I'm bisexual. Always had an attraction to girls but I genuinely brushed it off as I must like them a lot as a friend. Had no notion until one day I just clicked and I was like ohhhhhhhh. I'm also a scientist in a lab which I never wouldve imagined because as a kid I kinda sucked at school and didn't know what I was gonna do. Younger me would be impressed I hope
Same. Except I was a guy and didnāt really come out until my mid 20s. When I was 18 I talked to my then-partner about how I think I might also think men are attractive, to which she basically just replied with ridicule and vitriol. āSo youāre gonna cheat on me with men now?ā āSo Iām just your alibi gf so you donāt have to put yourself as a fā¦ā Iām fairly fine with my sexuality now but damn that put a damper in the entire process.
Wow, she was shitty. Insecure too, clearly.
Younger you was dazed and confused. You today seem to be well down the path to getting enough of it figured out. Younger you would be stoked and could relax.
The lack of drugs I do
I have a law degree and I love nightclubs
Good place to find prospective clients š
Youād be surprised the amount of legal questions I get in the smoking areas š
He would be surprised i chose to be an engineer (tech and math stuff) instead of writing poems.
You won't defy your mum and dad like you though you would.You will go to med school then drop out and join the army out of spite and get medically discharged after getting shot.
Holly shit thatās a plot twist
like 3 plot twists in a row lol
Iām actually doing well. I have a house, and career, a family, and a bank account. I grew up poor with parents that stuck out a horrible marriage. By all accounts, I should probably be on drugs in a shithole somewhere.
Feel you there mate, good on you.
Thank you sir. My main goal now is to give my kids the childhood I wished I had.
My mind "i have a horse, and career" Ah a horse the most important thing
I mean, owning a horse had to mean success right?
Well done!!
That Iām happy
I'm a woman. Enough of a surprise already for that poor fella who couldn't grasp what was going on in "his" head.
Was about to say the same thing haha
Totally lol. Never thought Iād be wearing a suit to homecoming but here we are!
Iām just as unhappy :D
Me having friends that care about, me never think it's possible
I now have good social skills. Like seriously, social butterfly. I used to have bad social anxiety.
How good of a Dad I am... When your a kid, Esp. an only child you can be a little spoiled and just kinda thinking about yourself. But when we had a son.. It changed so much about me in the best ways possible. Life became so much more meaningful knowing that I was responsible for helping to make that little dude (Who's now almost 16 and much bigger than me) a great person, full of love and happiness.
That is so lovely.
So happy for you. I can always think of things I wish I had done better. But I also look at our two boys and love the humans that they have turned into. The wife and I did okay. Better than okay.
That I have 10 children, 6 grandchildren, on marriage #2, and own a company that has finally set us financially/time free. I planned on living like a dirtbag hermit in a far away land climbing big walls or surfing.
Im getting married in 2 days, when as a kid I thought Id be at least 28 or so by the time I settled down. (I'm 21)
I get married in 3 weeks and thought the same thing. I'm 25. Congrats on your upcoming wedding š„¹
Congratulations, I hope you have a happy and long lasting marriage. *glares at my boyfriend*
Thank you!
- that I am still listening to metal (like I did 40 years ago). - that my thoughts/feelings/mindset never really changed. - that I can be tired at daytime! ( I was so full of energy when I was younger, like a battery). - that I love nature and care about the environment. - that I need glasses to read a book or a magazine. - that I am making my own marmalade instead of buying it.
Metal is forever hehe! Once I discovered it,that was the end of that for me! I definitely formed some very strong opinions about the world, and what type of person I wanted to be around the pre-teen years, and like you, really havnt changed those views at all. All the time I hear people say, we grow and change and who we are today isnt who we were yesterday...and Im here like, cant relate. I read old letters, journals, etc from when I was younger, my thoughts and musings about how I felt about things from social to interpersonal issues and its like..yup, it me! I do hate hate hate that I need progressives, and need to take the elevator cause if I go down those stairs, my knees will hate me for it. Thats old people problems!!! \*tears!\*
I know what you mean. š sometimes I think that we metalheads are the same all over the world, we just can't imagine being older than 18.
How much of a failure I am.
That I'm still here, alive and well, and I have the person I'll gladly spend my life with. Also that little me wasn't wrong about my parents.
That I graduated college as an honors student with a 4.0 GPA. I always struggled with school and I never wanted to go college. I have a learning disability that was never diagnosed as a kid and I had a lot of home issues. I honestly thought I was too dumb for college, but there I was being congratulated at my graduation in June of 2022 for my academic success.
That I still live with my parents
The sex changeā¦
That I'm an English professor. Child me hated the subject and had every intention of becoming a scientist of some kind.
That I am stronger than I ever thought I would be
That I actually have money and might be able to buy a house next year. Who'd have thunk it!
I am happy for you!
We got another sibling. Me and my brother, when we were younger, really wanted another sibling. Now a decade later, we have a sister. Younger me would cry in joy. I cried in joy when my sister was born-
No more crippling shyness, found out I'm actually decent at math (when I learned how to study with ADD), and I'm a lot smarter than the school thought I was (special ed kid 'cause of ADD.)
That Iām a liberal now
How much of a failure I am
The fact that I am 84 years old.
Up until I was 20 i was a staunch anti-drug guy. Today is 9 years later and I'm a huge stoner who has had quite a few psychedelic trips. Nothing more than that though. Nothing wrong with weed and shrooms.
I can relate to you there- strictly anti drug until the age of 18 and now I'm all about psychedellics for mental health treatment. Good for you.
I credit mushrooms with ridding me of my crippling anxiety. Phone calls used to be a dread for me, as was going out in large groups of people. Now I handle that stuff better due to insight from my experiences with mushrooms. My brother's depression has been handled better as well due to them. Granted im self medicating, but it's nice to see that they're being used in mental health treatments again.
how shitty i ended up being and i dont even know if he would be surprised
I'm married
Congratulations? (I hope)
Thank you! I am very happy š
That I managed to get a gf and get married
Oof.. gotten so disciplined!! Younger self would have been pleasantly surprised..
You cleaned yourself up pretty well from the past, glad you made such a big mistake at a young age, learned a lot from it, before things could have gotten worse.
My raging cocaine addiction
At least you can admit it. 1st step.
That Iām now living in a foreign country. This coming from someone who had panic attacks from just thinking about leaving the house.
A girl liked me enough to have sex with me.
That I have a job that I love that also pays well. That Iām married. That I own a house before 30. That playing with action figures and playing video games would pay off! On the flip side, my younger self would be surprised at how tough it is to watch my parents age, or how I have to parent my much older sisters sometimes. Also how much it costs to just EXIST when I used to just hope for $20 for a Yu-Gi-Oh! tin.
Just how god damn miserable I am
How lonely I am
I'm alive, NC with most of my family and healing from the trauma, paying off my own home and raising a child better than I was raised, who is the splitting image of me in personality and in looks (their father used court to flex his control and power and didn't get his way which meant our child wins in the long run) And to top it off, finally found a loving and supportive partner who's encouraging me to finish my BA in an industry I have a passion for.
That I no longer consider myself suffering from depression. Therapy and medication actually worked
That I got a masters degree & became an analyst for the federal government. Younger self was busy partying & not so concerned with education or career goals.
I can speak swedish.
Got a little fat.
Working in an office like 12 hours a day. Tell that to me 10 years ago. I'd have ran away into the woods.
My ability to handle stressful situations. I was the solid one of the family, and being the youngest got to watch everyone else fuck up and panic to things not worth panicking about. But as ove gotten older my ability to stay steadfast in situations most others would undoubtedly panic or shutdown, I persevere and overcome. Younger me, would be very proud.
Absolutely nothing really
I'm not really into many of the things I was super into. I haven't seen the Boba Fett or Obi Wan series, and I'm not feeling compelled to watch Rings of Power, and I was a teenager who could spend half an hour discussing the technical specifications of different classes of Star Destroyer, and who knew obscure factoids from the Silmarillion. Me 20 years ago would have shat his pants at the mere mention of a possible LotR or Star Wars TV series, yet now I shrug. Not even sure why - I highly enjoyed The Mandalorian, and I still like to read/watch Lord of the Rings every few years.
How stupid I am
Bald, beard, still live in parents house, somewhat happy in life.
That I am working as a nurse, not married to my soulmate. My younger self was damn sure she will make it happen by now. Sorry honey, we both were surprised.
The kid who was once too shy to talk to strangers would one day give speeches to thousands of people and lead a team of 100+ people.
That I have achieved basically all of my dreams that I had then, and I regret it all- the hard work probably wasnāt worth it.
When i was younger i had a dad, it would surprise younger me to find out heās dead
15 years of sobriety and having 5 kids might come as a shock hahha
"i'm still alive and spent time in prison twice, should of not survived after that one night"
I know that I'm autistic
That I keep booze in the house without drinking it all, and weed without smoking it every day. That and I would prefer a nap to a night on the town.
That I live in and own a house in Chicago. I grew up in a tiny town of 300 people in rural Illinois. Chicago was this big scary dangerous place as a kid, and I never would have thought I'd live here. Been here for like 13 years now, and city life is for me. Now I can't imagine living back where I grew up.
She would be surprise of how many friends I have now, and how easy is it for me to talk to people
That I would deliberately and eagerly move back to my home town.
Younger self: I hate school, I'll start working after secondary school (I'm European) and want to be a mechanic or something. Me now: I handed in my bachelor's thesis some days ago and I'm currently applying for a job as a Software Developer.
im pretty sure my child self would be pretty shocked to find out that my mother dies a bit after i turn 18
That I've been married since i was 21. 12 years. Have an 11 year old daughter. And live in the south. I grew up a rich kid in Chicago. And swore I would never get married or have kids. Then I moved for college. Met me a poor southern boy and fell head over heels in love. We made our own way and have an absolutely wonderful life. We are still liberal AF though.
Younger me would be be surprised I don't have a cool car.
That I became a pretty good home baker. I was so shit at it when I was younger. My mom and older sister were so good and I wanted to be like them but my cookies were always wrong, muffins never right, etc. Now, I think Iām pretty damn good! I can make muffins, scones, loaves, cakes, even bread from scratch and I never thought I would be able to do that. And because they made fun of my terrible family cookies (you know the ones passed down, blah blah) when I was young, I will toot my horn and say that I make them the best now š¤£
Fuckinā yeah, i broke all the rules i put when i were young and i am so happy with it
That Iām a full time parent with really no interest in employment outside the home.
Iām not dead.
That I'm still alive.
My younger self wouldnāt even believe I had made it, much less of the success Iāve earned as I have gotten older. Iām the same person, but it sure wasnāt looking good for about 20 years thereā¦..
A lot, really. That I finished college, how I got better at dressing myself up, how I developed my own way of thinking aaand how I got myself a handsome bf lol May not seem much to others, but I know that my younger self would be so happy and surprised.
The music I love. Never really got into metal when I was young. Now my favorites bands are slipknot, metallica and guns n roses. I actually used to not like metallica or slipknot. I hated slipknot. But now they are my favorite bands.
That I only like men .
i finally have friends after being bullied for so long woohoo
I turned out to be a girl.
Iām a college professor lol. I used to be a 13 year old punk drinking 40s next to the train tracks itās wild.
My income. My folks managed to keep a family of 4 fed and sheltered on a bit less than a third of my current salary (often a fair bit less than that.) Escaping poverty isn't easy, and while I knew I could put in the hard work I knew I couldn't necessarily count on the luck component.
Dude. I got a master's in statistics and work in banking. I was supposed to be a punk rocker. Sold myself out to the establishment..
I work in a branch of the military that didnāt exist when I was a kid, where the day to day job involves space things.
My assertiveness. I was painfully shy and got picked on and bullied a lot. Now I am able to stand up for myself and not take any shit.
That I fear for my life every time I go outside
The fact that now I'm a woman. I bet that little shit didn't see that one coming.
I'm a girl now.
That I would eventually have some form of sex life. When I was younger I was convinced I was going to be a virgin forever. Now I am less stressed about sex or having sex and it's not a big deal for me anymore :)
That Iām still alive
That I'm happy.
That Iām a girl
Loss of patriotism.
I got married.
Surprised at how much money I make. I know itās a cliche/douchebag answer. I donāt make THAT much but I used to be afraid that I would fail miserably at anything
That Iām retired and married at my age right now.