u/Illustrious_Age_5959

Has anyone here made it work?

He (23m, ADHD diagnosed and likely BPD) and I (23f, OCD, social anxiety, depression) love each other so much, have been living together for a couple years, but we’re also in our first relationship with each other so we’re kinda clueless. The symptoms of our disorders seem to compete with each other sometimes, and I get scared sometimes that there just isn’t a way for both of us to care for each other and ourselves.

I just don’t know how to support him when listening without problem solving doesn’t get anywhere and problem solving doesn’t get anywhere unless I hold his hand every step of the way but when I do that I don’t do my own therapy and end up relapsing into self harm, which has to be glossed over very briefly to ensure his life stays on track

I’m having such a hard time getting a job, primarily due to severe social anxiety, OCD, and a physical condition making me incapable of standing for extended periods of time but especially explaining how I had to drop out of college and quit work to go to therapy every week for the last 6 months, leaving me here now only just recently capable of going to the grocery store alone (sometimes).

I quit my last job July 2025 so I could go to college, but then I broke down completely (after making the Dean’s list thooooo 💅) and haven’t been functional til now… any way of spinning it positively?

Has anyone here made it work?

He (23m, ADHD diagnosed and likely BPD) and I (23f, OCD, severe social anxiety, depression) love each other so much but we’re also in our first relationship with each other so we’re kinda clueless. The symptoms of our disorders seem to compete with each other sometimes, and I get scared sometimes that there just isn’t a way for both of us to care for each other and ourselves.

Or any reliable source of remote income? So I did really well in a medical transcription course but I was unable to complete my program because it was in person, without exception, and I had a variety of medical conditions that made it impossible to continue at the time. I am well-versed in medical terminology and have a decent typing speed of 95-100 wpm with an accuracy of 99%, so is there even a possibility for me to get a job where I'm at? I have to stay entirely from home to work and have only found hybrid positions that I might even qualify for, but even then they asked for 2 years of experience.

I'm looking into data analytics and UX design now but I have no idea how I can get by while I try to build on those skills, so does anyone happen to know of a transcription or similar entry-level type of employment opportunity that might be available online for Canadian citizens?

(Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask for advice like this, please lmk if there's somewhere else I'd have better luck! Thanks!)

So I did really well in a medical transcription course but I was unable to complete my program because it was in person, without exception, and I had a variety of medical conditions that made it impossible to continue at the time. I am well-versed in medical terminology and have a decent typing speed of 95-100 wpm with an accuracy of 99%, so is there even a possibility for me to get a job where I'm at? I have to stay entirely from home to work and have only found hybrid positions that I might even qualify for, but even then they asked for 2 years of experience.

I'm looking into data analytics and UX design now but I have no idea how I can get by while I try to build on those skills, so does anyone happen to know of a transcription or similar entry-level type of employment opportunity that might be available online for Canadian citizens?

(Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask for advice, please lmk if there's somewhere else I'd have better luck! Thanks!)

So uh..... Yeah... What do I dooooooo😭 Every interview that I freeze or shake or stutter regardless of how hard I try to ground and calm myself, I get more anxious going into the next one and the clock is ticking so much faster now like I NEED a job but I can't stand for extended periods due to chronic tendonitis in my feet, I can't go to college in person rn cuz I had a major issue with my blood pressure and fainting the last time, so I don't have a degree or even certificate, I can't afford any more college courses right now, I can't resume an online program I was in because I was accused of using AI when I didn't and was too scared to do anything more than defend myself twice, so I just failed it, and I wasn't even able to get my last entry-level job back because my anxiety has gotten so much worse over the last couple years of attempting to work and go to college.

It's so hard to stay optimistic when it feels like I literally cannot function and I have no idea how I can support myself consistently through life. I literally cried because I said "yellow" too quietly in UNO at a mental health facility. I didn't even want to! I didn't even know why my eyes started tearing up at the time! I'm heavily medicated, seeing a psychiatrist, going to group-therapy-like things, I've always had consistent 92-98% grades so I know I am intellectually capable, but around people I genuinely seem like an idiot. I think my only option is to work online right now but I can't find anything reliable or that would not involve talking to people in real-time. My doctor said he's surprised I haven't given up and celebrated my "courage," but when I also have depression and OCD I just keep feeling like I shouldn't be here.

Has anyone had a similar experience or maybe some advice please on how to feel like moving forward is even the right thing to do? Anything would be appreciated I've never felt so hopeless but maybe I'm not alone at least?

Just the lil fuzzies at the seams are so irritating to me and just feel wrong lol

TLDR: bf gets overwhelmed by suggestions to help with stress & unhealthy habits, but just listening and validating doesn’t help him out of a downward spiral, either. He’s asked me to stop trying to “fix” him, let him figure things out for himself, but his financial and substance-related decisions directly affect me too. Basically, how can I support him without making him feel pressured, when both advice and simply listening seem to make things worse?

My bf (22M with adhd) and I (23F with ocd, for context) have been together for three years, living together for two, and I honestly don’t know what to do. We’ve been arguing so often because when he complains about being stressed about not doing things or changing unhealthy habits and I try to suggest relevant things to do together, for fun, then he gets a little irritated or I think mostly overwhelmed then we end up not doing anything, but at the same time he feels horrible if I go out to do something on my own.

I’ve been in therapy since I was 13, my bf *said* he went to therapy when we first dated but I found out a lil bit ago he did not, so when I try and share things that I learned that help me overcome OCD (sometimes) and I think could help with executive dysfunction, anxiety, etc., he tells me I need to lay off the self improvement stuff with him and let him figure things out for himself. We were basically not even a couple when I went to college for six months before a huge breakdown and I thought that would be a great time for him to figure things out on his own, but he still consistently has not been able to pay rent, I’ve lost tens of thousands just covering his rent, car, and groceries, so I have a hard time trusting him to change now, especially since he PANICS when he can’t get high enough at night.

I seriously don’t know what to do. I love him so much. Last night though, I was woken up by him tearing the room apart in search of his vape, then he got angry he ran out of weed before he was tired enough to sleep (which I get lol but he gets so upset and I don’t know what to do when suggesting anything makes it worse). He’s been telling me to focus on myself, but because I was trying to help him relax last night (he was not being quiet) I got no sleep and am unable to drive myself to therapy this morning, so regardless of what I try it does affect me directly, as well, just like he’s made me aware my OCD affects him.

When the concept of suggestions stresses him out, and simply listening sends him into a spiral of self despair and regret, what can I do to show him that I support him and want to help however I can?

Sorry for the length of this post, I really wanted to paint the picture as accurately as possible. Thanks!

Basically that^ Does anyone else feel like they can only make friends with others who have social anxiety? I feel so much pressure to help those around me feel more comfortable when I obviously am not and have been avoiding talking to anyone at all cuz I’m so inconsistent with texting back 😭

I was told to look for friends that don’t have any mental illness but I also have OCD so just the way I am is a lil different and most people don’t understand right away or even bother to engage in another conversation with me lol so I’m starting to think maybe social anxiety doesn’t mean you can’t have friends at all, but maybe your options are a lil more selective?

Idk sorry kinda venting and just trying to put something into the world without deleting it for being imperfect (like me! lol)

I’m assuming a lot of people on both sides will use some sort of AI for personal reasons at some point… but which one do most people in this community rely on most?

Ngl my bias may show if you say Grok

I have this problem where when I’m talking to unfamiliar people or with anyone in a public setting, I completely lose my train of thought like every ten words, pause for WAY too long so people ask if I’m ok, I still can’t get my idea back, so I either stumble through and get the roughest possible idea across or literally cannot say anything and eventually ask they move on 😭😭

I was just talking to a doctor and they asked if I blank like that often when speaking to people but didn’t really offer any advice apart from just keeping doing what I’m doing and being uncomfortable pushing myself outside of my comfort zone

Like hobbies? Breathing deeply. Interests? Meditation. Journaling. More breathing. “How’s it going?” — “heh wheh pleh, see yaou!”

23F, struggling with OCD, severe social anxiety, depression, chronic posterior tibial tendonitis, made it through six months of training for medical office administration before panicking touching files and being incapable of getting in or out of my car or walking more than thirty mins :/ —— I tried shadowing in a vet clinic couple weeks ago but that didn’t work out, my anxiety causes me to kinda freeze and be literally incapable of speaking at times so I’m realizing I might want to avoid medical offices for now… but I don’t really know where else I could go with little to no training anywhere except retail and Starbucks lol

I like the idea of being a budtender or something cuz I like weed and learning about plants but idk if that might look bad on a future application somewhere but that also might just be bias from my family