I sometimes feel hopeless as though it's too late

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chris1989
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Joined: 2 Aug 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,521
Location: Kent, UK

11 Feb 2026, 10:21 am

I feel like sometimes I get feelings of hopelessness because I'm feeling behind other people. From what the AI chatbot told me, most 35 year olds are married and so on and so it reinforced feeling that I AM alone. I do get irritated by internal thoughts that seem like they are telling me to "hurry up, find a partner, get married etc" but I don't feel like rushing things and I feel like it just increases anxiety. I can't understand why I have these thoughts and yet I don't actively want to use dating sites/apps if it's what's itching on my mind.



Minecraft_vegan
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Joined: 23 Feb 2026
Gender: Female
Posts: 7
Location: North Carolina

24 Feb 2026, 9:50 pm

I get very stressed out when I feel rushed. I find that I have a similar problem of looking at other people's lives and wondering why my own isn't like theirs. Lately I have been working on reminding myself that I am a completely different person who has lived a completely different life from the people that I am comparing myself to. It is okay to take your time and as someone who is divorced already at 27 I highly recommend not stressing yourself out worrying about it and just make sure that you focus on yourself first. When we really want something we may be quick to sacrifice pieces of ourselves to make it happen without realizing what is going on.



Mikurotoro92
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Joined: 30 Aug 2022
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,079
Location: Mushroom Kingdom or Bikini Bottom

25 Feb 2026, 1:14 am

We need to remember that comparison is the thief of joy! !!

I have found myself stuck in the same endless loop of comparing my life progression to my friends' and neighbors' ESPECIALLY when it comes to the "marriage goal"!

I am just out of an engagement with my recently-deceased fiance David and had he survived until April, we most likely would have gotten married if the outcome was different

The marriage goal is 100% overrated Chris and you should instead start chasing fulfillment in other life sectors like a career