u/Affectionate_Tie8896

Yesterday at dinner, there was no drinking water at home. My older brother told me to go to the neighbors and get water. I felt really awkward and shy doing that, so I told him, "Why don't you go?"

Instead of understanding, he immediately started ordering me around: "I can see you feel shy, but just shut up and bring it. You stay at home all day, you should take care of these things." When I asked him again why he couldn't just go himself, he got aggressive: "How dare you question me?"

I almost started crying right there. I held back my tears, gave in, and brought the water.

It was never about bringing a bucket of water. It's about how easily men in this house feel entitled to control and order women around.

I even try to take care of myself. I workout every single day thinking exercise will keep my body healthy and help lower my stress. But in my case, it feels like today's workout barely handles yesterday's stress, while new stress just keeps piling up every single second in this house. It never stops.

My mom already left this house because of this exact patriarchal behavior, and now she lives on her own. And if anyone is wondering why she left me behind, she didn't abandon me. She actually tried her best to keep me with her. But she was so mentally disturbed and traumatized by everything that her stress started affecting me heavily too. I couldn't handle that constant heavy environment back then, so I had to come back here.

After that, I had to fight so many mental battles just to not be treated like a full-time maid. I once had a huge breakdown and cried my heart out confronting my brother. After that, he started cooking his own basic meals, and we didn't speak for months until he needed something from me.

Both my dad and brother are toxic in very subtle, sweet-sounding ways. Living here is slowly draining my mental health. I feel like I only have 1-2 years left before I completely break down, or before they try to push me into some arranged marriage with another toxic guy.

I stopped sharing this with my best friend because I hate crying in front of people and feeling weak. Honestly, living in this house has made me want zero men in my life - no father, no brother, no partner, no male friends. Nothing. I just want peace, financial independence, and a way out.

I am fairly new to Reddit. Recently, I made a post about feeling low and emotionally exhausted from dealing with patriarchal attitudes. Right after that, an account reached out in my DMs pretending to be a girl, comforting me and sharing similar experiences. We bonded, talked warmly, and I even checked her profile and everything seemed genuine.

When she mentioned wanting to lose weight, I shared a completely faceless picture of my abs just to motivate her showing that even simple workouts make a difference. She then sent a faceless saree picture and asked for mine so I shared a faceless saree picture back. Soon after, another photo she sent looked suspicious. I reverse image searched it and it turned out to be completely fake from Google. Before I could even confront them, the account was deleted. It was clearly a guy catfishing behind a fake identity.

I panicked. Not because my face was visible (it was completely faceless) but because I hated the sickening thought of a predator using my pictures to catfish and trap another innocent girl.

I came here looking for guidance and damage control solutions. Around 50% of people showed genuine empathy, reassured me and offered practical steps. I am truly grateful for them.

Then came the other 50%.

Instead of showing basic human decency or calling out a manipulative creep, they directed all their energy into attacking me. They started throwing around "Rule No. 1 of the internet you should not trust a stranger this-that", and acting entirely holier-than-thou. They completely ignored the fact that the pictures were faceless and that I was deceived by someone pretending to be a woman in distress.

Yes, I made a bad judgment call in trusting someone. But I am a human being not some flawless saint. I was already terrified, spiraling with anxiety, and drowning in guilt for falling into that trap. The moment someone realizes they made a mistake and panics, they have already learned their lesson. They already know they will never repeat it. They don't need moral policing, condescending lectures or unsolicited life lessons from self-proclaimed "pro Redditors."

This experience made me realize something painful: exactly why victims of cyberbullying, cybercrimes, online harassment, and even severe abuse end up broken, hopeless, and pushed toward self harm or suicide.

The original trauma is horrific on its own, but what truly destroys people is what comes after. When victims build up the courage to reach out for help, society doesn't support them, it shames them. It's always "Why were you out at night?", "Why were you wearing that?", or "Why did you send that picture?" People pile on guilt until the person feels completely isolated and worthless.

It is easy to distribute free moral advice when you have never been targeted or when nothing terrible has happened to you or your loved ones. Kicking someone who is already crying, vulnerable, and asking for help doesn't make you smart, wise, or realistic. It just exposes how completely devoid of empathy you are. If you cannot offer solutions to someone who is down, keep your superiority complex to yourself.

At last, to those who offered actual support and kindness, thank you for being a safe corner in an otherwise cruel space. To the rest, I truly hope you never have to experience what it feels like to be kicked while you’re already bleeding.

A few days ago, I posted on 3–4 subreddits and started receiving DMs. Among them was an account claiming to be a girl. She told me such a detailed, emotional story and brought up relatable trauma that instantly struck a chord with me. It felt so deeply genuine that it broke all my walls down—I was the one looking for comfort and understanding, and I truly felt I had found a safe space and a genuine friend. I trusted her completely.

During our chat, she talked about being chubby, feeling insecure, and wanting to lose weight. To motivate her, I sent a picture showing my abs—no face at all, strictly just my body.

Later, when I asked for her picture, she sent a photo in an off-shoulder black saree with the face completely scribbled out, saying she was trying it on. Because I had blind trust in her, I sent a normal, modest saree photo of mine too (again, strictly without my face, nothing vulgar at all).

Then she sent another photo of "herself" at a café. But in that picture, she looked very slim. When I pointed out the difference, she made an excuse that she had gained a lot of weight in the last 6–7 months. My gut immediately sensed danger, so I asked: "Why do I feel like you're actually a guy pretending to be a girl?" She kept denying it and said, "Ladki hu yrr."

I kept asking for a face picture to verify, and while chatting, I decided to reverse search the café photo on Google. My heart sank—it was stolen straight from Pinterest.

The exact moment I realized what was happening, I rushed back to screenshot the profile and chat so I could expose and report it. But by then, the coward had already deleted the account.

I feel so violated, foolish, and numb. Even though my face is completely hidden in both the abs and saree pictures, I am paralyzed with pure anxiety and guilt. This has happened to me for the very first time, and it has destroyed my ability to ever trust anyone online again.

My biggest terror right now is: What if this fraud uses my faceless photos to gain trust and trap some other innocent girl the same way he trapped me?

Please tell me, what should I do right now? Can deleted Reddit accounts ever be traced or reported to cyber cell? How do I deal with this suffocating fear that my pictures might be used to hurt someone else? Any genuine advice would mean the world to me.

Earlier on Snapchat, I used to test guys’ mindsets by asking: "Suppose you are married and your wife asks you to live separately, would you leave your parents for her?" Most guys didn't even ask for context or what the situation might be. Some said yes blindly, while many showed very rigid, patriarchal mindsets. It started messing with my head, so I stopped doing it there.

Recently on Reddit, I was talking to a guy in DMs. We were just having a casual conversation, but out of nowhere, that habit took over and I asked him the same question. He replied saying he wouldn't leave his parents, but maybe they could live on different floors of the same house.

I immediately got triggered and pointed out the irony—that guys never even ask why the wife might want to move out or what circumstances she is facing. He then tried to defend himself saying his parents are liberal, that he knows them well, and that he wouldn't just ignore his wife leaving everything behind. But by that point, I had completely lost my cool. I called out the deeply patriarchal mindset in India, how laws exist only on paper, and how guys just make excuses after getting called out.

Things got heated, words were exchanged, and it ended badly.

Honestly, this isn't even about him or that specific argument. It's about me.

I deal with patriarchal attitudes at home, my social media feed is full of news about women's safety issues, and my head is constantly boiling with frustration. I feel like this constant heavy feeling is dragging me into depression. I know being aware of reality is necessary, but obsessing over it has completely ruined my inner peace. After almost every argument like this, I end up crying and feeling totally hopeless about why men think this way and why things never change.

Right now, I don't even have the energy to talk to guys or engage in these discussions. How do I step away from this mental spiral? How do you protect your mental health when the anger and sadness against everyday reality feel so overwhelming?

Earlier on Snapchat, I used to test guys’ mindsets by asking: "Suppose you are married and your wife asks you to live separately, would you leave your parents for her?" Most guys didn't even ask for context or what the situation might be. Some said yes blindly, while many showed very rigid, patriarchal mindsets. It started messing with my head, so I stopped doing it there.

Recently on Reddit, I was talking to a guy in DMs. We were just having a casual conversation, but out of nowhere, that habit took over and I asked him the same question. He replied saying he wouldn't leave his parents, but maybe they could live on different floors of the same house.

I immediately got triggered and pointed out the irony—that guys never even ask why the wife might want to move out or what circumstances she is facing. He then tried to defend himself saying his parents are liberal, that he knows them well, and that he wouldn't just ignore his wife leaving everything behind. But by that point, I had completely lost my cool. I called out the deeply patriarchal mindset in India, how laws exist only on paper, and how guys just make excuses after getting called out.

Things got heated, words were exchanged, and it ended badly.

Honestly, this isn't even about him or that specific argument. It's about me.

I deal with patriarchal attitudes at home, my social media feed is full of news about women's safety issues, and my head is constantly boiling with frustration. I feel like this constant heavy feeling is dragging me into depression. I know being aware of reality is necessary, but obsessing over it has completely ruined my inner peace. After almost every argument like this, I end up crying and feeling totally hopeless about why men think this way and why things never change.

Right now, I don't even have the energy to talk to guys or engage in these discussions. How do I step away from this mental spiral? How do you protect your mental health when the anger and sadness against everyday reality feel so overwhelming?

Hey guys, I really need some genuine advice because my screen addiction is getting out of hand and completely ruining my daily routine.

Basically I have a huge addiction to social media (including reddit), but even worse is my attachment to movies, series, and especially kdramas. Whenever I start a show I just end up binge watching the entire thing non stop, and I literally forget that I have to study. If I try to avoid shows, I end up scrolling social media all day. And if I cut out social media, I go straight back to binge watching. Even when I force myself to sit down and study, it hardly lasts 1 or 2 hours and definitely not continuously. Every 15-20 mins my hand automatically goes to my phone, either scrolling mindlessly or replying to random texts. I have house chores and responsibilities too but I just keep procrastinating while glued to my screen. Recently I started working out which is going decent and I think I can stay consistent with it but my study life is a mess. The worst part is even if I miraculously avoid both my phone and shows and sit down with my books, my brain just starts overthinking like crazy and my focus is completely gone.

Right now my main priority is to get rid of this social media addiction because it drains my energy and mental peace completely. Series is my second priority but phone addiction is the main issue here.

Has anyone been in this exact loop and actually fixed it? How do you stop reaching for your phone every 15 minutes, and what do you do when the silence makes you overthink instead of studying?

I need to vent and maybe get a reality check.

Recently, I was talking to multiple guys on Snapchat just casually. Honestly, it got so exhausting and annoying that I completely gave up, deleted/stopped talking to everyone, and reached a point where I felt like, "Yep, I’m done with men, zero interest left."

Except... there was this one guy.

He was a year younger than me and genuinely so sweet. But since I always look for perfection, things cracked. We had an argument, his mask slipped, and he pulled the classic victim card dumping 100% of the blame on me.

So yeah, logically I know why things ended. But right now? I’m sitting here just studying, bored out of my mind, and craving some fun or drama. Out of nowhere, I actually miss talking to him or maybe I just miss the dopamine rush and attention of having someone sweet in my notifications.

Am I just bored and lonely, or is this my brain playing tricks on me because my study routine is dull? How do you resist the urge to text back someone toxic when you're just looking for entertainment?

I need to vent and maybe get a reality check.

Recently, I was talking to multiple guys on Snapchat just casually. Honestly, it got so exhausting and annoying that I completely gave up, deleted/stopped talking to everyone, and reached a point where I felt like, "Yep, I’m done with men, zero interest left."

Except... there was this one guy.

He was a year younger than me and genuinely so sweet. But since I always look for perfection, things cracked. We had an argument, his mask slipped, and he pulled the classic victim card dumping 100% of the blame on me.

So yeah, logically I know why things ended. But right now? I’m sitting here just studying, bored out of my mind, and craving some fun or drama. Out of nowhere, I actually miss talking to him or maybe I just miss the dopamine rush and attention of having someone sweet in my notifications.

Am I just bored and lonely, or is this my brain playing tricks on me because my study routine is dull? How do you resist the urge to text back someone toxic when you're just looking for entertainment?

I am losing my mind looking at this trash mindset. There was a case where a delivery boy entered a girl's private room without permission and flashed his private part.

Instead of calling him out, a guy on Instagram is literally defending him, saying: *"glti sirf usse ye hui usse control nhi hua or woh ghush gya bs ye uski glti thi."* He is arguing that the guy just couldn't control his urge to pee, so it's a minor mistake that he entered her room!

To back up his dumb logic, he first claimed that women can just walk into any hotel or restaurant to use the washroom because "they are allowed anywhere." That's when I called him out and pointed out the reality that men are the ones who urinate anywhere on the streets, whereas women actually need safety and privacy.

He even called the girl's crying over being flashed "drame/natak." And when I dragged his disgusting behavior, he tried to bring my family into it, saying: "What if someone frames your father like this tomorrow?"

My blood is boiling. How can someone minimize a guy illegally entering a girl's room just because "he couldn't control his pee," call the victim's crying "drama," and completely ignore the fact that he literally flashed his private part? People like him are the reason why women are never safe. I honestly don't even know how to express this level of frustration.

I am a 21 year old female from india and I want to know if (my family member) has installed a camera in my room or any other room because how is it possible he is outside the whole day and when he comes at night he tells me what I was doing in the day??? This is suspicious and I am really scared! Please help me, suggest some app for finding that camera and it's just a doubt I wanna know how he knows what I did the whole day.