u/Itchy_Badger_2851

This year, I had a roommate who liked conspiracy theories and tried to convince me that Epstein and his rich friends drank children's blood to stay young. I said that I felt uncomfortable about this and didn't want to talk about it, but she pushed me into those conversations.

Additionally, I made an account on Xiaohongshu (RedNote), a social media app that's like a mix of TikTok and Pinterest. If I searched the word "Jew" on the app, most things that come up are philosemitic articles that play on stereotypes (like "learn this Jewish money trick" or "how Jews are so educated"), some have false information, and some have hateful information (like "how the Jews destroyed China" and "why Jews are evil"). A lot of the comments are negative and call Jewish people "squids" and "an evil race", say "Hitler was on the right track", and just plainly saying that they hate Jews or think Jews are ugly.

I've honestly never experienced this before, and I didn't know what to do.

I’m second generation white Russian-American and was having lunch with my friend, who is Ukrainian, at a Central Asian restaurant a month ago. Many Central Asians speak Russian (the language my friend and I were speaking in), which will be relevant in a second.

Since Russian is my heritage language, I’m not that good at it and don’t know some cultural nuances. When I speak it I essentially think what I will say in English and then translate it.

My friend and I were talking about music. My friend said that she didn’t know about Bad Bunny until the Super Bowl even though she immigrated to the US three years ago, and how she felt awkward about that since he’s been famous for a while. I replied that it’s fine, he was not mainstream for a while and was mainly popular among Latinos for a long time and that I found out about him before from Latinos at my school, just like I found out about kpop through Asians in my high school before it became mainstream.

The word I used for Asians was the direct translation, «Азиаты» (“Aziati”, “aziat” is the singular form) but apparently I shouldn’t have. The waitress who was nearby stiffened, and my friend quickly changed the subject. I felt so awkward. I don’t speak Russian that often so I just wasn’t aware you can’t say that word.

The next time I came back to that restaurant with my mom, which was today, the same waiter was serving us. She spoke Russian with my mom but pretended to not understand me when I spoke Russian.

I feel irritated because I’m just not good at Russian and didn’t mean to be racist. How was I supposed to know that the word Asian is apparently taboo in the Russian language? I feel very frustrated because if what I said was wrong it was unintentional.

I had an appointment today at 3:20, right in the middle of the day. The facility was an hour away. I got there at 3:00 and received a call and message that the appointment was cancelled because it was deemed "not medically necessary." No one asked me why I had kept the appointment and just cancelled on me.

I told the person at the front desk of the medical facility about this situation, and she called the doctor saying that I had medical questions and wanted the appointment. The doctor rushed in, said the appointment was medically unnecessary because I need to have a scan before she could answer anything. I didn't even ask my questions. She said that I wouldn't be charged and left, looking irritated.

I am considering looking for a new doctor, but I also want to actually ask the medical questions I had through patient gateway. I don't know if I'm disrespecting myself by still talking to this woman, even on patient gateway. It feels like a slap on the face.

I'm in my early 20s but have chronic pain, health issues, and mental health issues. For example, I have PTSD and one of the ways it manifests is that whenever I'm in a situation where there is mutual interest in a friendship or if there is a friendship, I feel so anxious to the point of sickness or dissociate. As a result, I'm very lonely. Additionally, because I don't have a full time job and am still in undergrad (and about to change my major), I feel so out of step with my age and society. I am in pain and also isolated. I want to keep living (for music, for sunsets, for photography, for colors, for the ocean, for theater, for cute animals, for flowers, etc.), but I feel so sad and hopeless.

For those that don't know, Lindsay Clancy is on trial for a crime she committed, and she and her ex-husband sued her medical providers for not providing good psychiatric care. The lawsuit she and her husband made claims that she had post partum depression and insomnia, and she was prescribed a bunch of different medications with little oversight and didn't have enough concern from her psychiatrist. For example, her last meeting with her psychiatrist before she committed the crime was 17 minutes long only and was telehealth.

This is making me feel so anxious. I have health anxiety and actual health problems. A lot of times, I tell myself that I can trust doctors and that they can help me, but this case shows how flawed the medical system in the US is. How can anyone heal under this system? As a person who has health problems, it gives me anxiety.

I dissociate quickly and easily when I feel anxious. My therapist noticed that and said we will take EMDR very slow. She only does telehealth.

It’s easy for me to talk to people if we’re doing a shared activity or if it’s small talk, but if they ask to hang out I don’t know what to say or talk about.

I am in a joint lease, so I cannot individually leave unless all of my roommates sign a form agreeing to let me. For that form to be sent to my roommates, the balance on our account has to be $0. However, my roommates are over $2000 in debt and have no plan to pay it off.

I tried IFS and it was not for me. I found the idea of essentially having a bunch of cartoon characters living inside of me and making choices for me deeply unsettling, especially having a "conversation" with one of them, where apparently "his" words were not mine.

I emailed my therapist requesting to do another therapy method, and she said yes but asked why. I'm not going to respond since it's not up for debate: I'm not doing this ever again.

How do I recover? I've experienced psychosis and was almost diagnosed with DID before, so I'm trying to hold on from slipping into that.

So far, what's helping is reminding myself that I didn't literally see the "part" I was talking to and that I was just making stuff up to answer her questions, as well that it's an immersive metaphor to explain our emotions and not the actual truth.

I tried IFS and it was not for me. I found the idea of essentially having a bunch of cartoon characters living inside of me and making choices for me deeply unsettling, especially having a "conversation" with one of them, where apparently "his" words were not mine.

I emailed my therapist requesting to do another therapy method, and she said yes but asked why. I'm not going to respond since it's not up for debate: I'm not doing this ever again.

How do I recover? I've experienced psychosis and was almost diagnosed with DID before, so I'm trying to hold on from slipping into that.

So far, what's helping is reminding myself that I didn't literally see the "part" I was talking to and that I was just making stuff up to answer her questions, as well that it's an immersive metaphor to explain our emotions and not the actual truth.

I tried IFS and it was not for me. I found the idea of essentially having a bunch of cartoon characters living inside of me and making choices for me deeply unsettling, especially having a "conversation" with one of them, where apparently "his" words were not mine.

I emailed my therapist requesting to do another therapy method, and she said yes but asked why. I'm not going to respond since it's not up for debate: I'm not doing this ever again.

How do I recover? I've experienced psychosis and was almost diagnosed with DID before, so I'm trying to hold on from slipping into that.

So far, what's helping is reminding myself that I didn't literally see the "part" I was talking to and that I was just making stuff up to answer her questions, as well that it's an immersive metaphor to explain our emotions and not the actual truth.

I tried IFS and it was not for me. I found the idea of essentially having a bunch of cartoon characters living inside of me and making choices for me deeply unsettling, especially having a "conversation" with one of them, where apparently "his" words were not mine.

I emailed my therapist requesting to do another therapy method, and she said yes but asked why. I'm not going to respond since it's not up for debate: I'm not doing this ever again.

How do I recover? I've experienced psychosis and was almost diagnosed with DID before, so I'm trying to hold on from slipping into that.

So far, what's helping is reminding myself that I didn't literally see the "part" I was talking to and that I was just making stuff up to answer her questions, as well that it's an immersive metaphor to explain our emotions and not the actual truth.

Don't know what to add for body text

Because of my life as an undergrad student, I don't see people my age that often, so I have to make an effort to meet them.

Up until last month, I met people my age by volunteering at an animal shelter once a week, but I can't go anymore since I found out that I'm allergic to both cats and dogs. Now, I'm looking for other ways to meet people.

I tried Boston Cares and Bumble BFF, but those don't work for me.

Are there any MeetUp groups you recommend? Or any bars where it's socially acceptable and safe to go alone?

What are your recommendations for meeting people?

I took ballet classes in my childhood at a local studio. Even though it followed an international curriculum, the teachers weren't that qualified, and it was one of those studios that exists just to get kids who don't play sports to exercise but doesn't offer a future beyond that.

As a kid and a teenager, I wanted to be a professional ballet dancer but didn't realize that you needed the best training. As a result, when I was 15, I wasted my time going to this studio and taking classes when I should've been studying. When I got badly injured when I was 16, I thought I was good enough to rest and then come back and still be able to be a professional. Because of my passion and my delusion, I sacrificed my education and my future.

I think that ballet is beautiful and enjoy going to the ballet. At the same time, I think these hobby schools preying on teenagers' passion for ballet and delusions that they will have a future are a bit predatory tbh.

I'm Jewish because my mom is Jewish (she was raised in the Soviet Union, where Jewishness was determined by family lineage, so she had "Jewish" on her passport), and we celebrated Rosh Hashanah and Hannukah when I was little.

However, I wasn't raised in a Jewish community, and I don't know any Jewish people besides my mom and her side of the family. I also feel self conscious about my differences from other Jews due to my Russian background, secular upbringing, and being raised by a single mom.

Context: I was a philosophy major but decided against getting a phd for it. I'm taking an extra year in undergrad to do a bachelor's in sociology, which I am fitting into one year (Summer 2026 - Spring 2027). I was inspired to do it because of Pierre Bourdieu and "Paying for the Party: How College Perpetuates Inequality" by Elizabeth Armstrong and Laura Hamilton.

The decision: Should I apply for a sociology phd for Fall 2027 or Fall 2028?

Pros of applying for a sociology phd for Fall 2027: continuity. I'd still be in my "student mode" and would only have the summer break.

Cons of applying for a sociology phd for Fall 2027: The deadline is December 10, 2026 (including a writing sample and recommendation letters). By that time, I would have taken only one 300-level sociology class. I would only meet the sociology professors in September (my current intro class is online asynchronous), so I'd ask for a rec letter in October or November.

Pros of applying for a sociology phd for Fall 2028: More time to have a good writing sample, more high-level classes completed (including capstone), more time to build relationships with my professors, and more time for my professors to write recommendation letters.

Cons of applying for a sociology phd for Fall 2028: A gap year. I'm not sure what I would do. It's not like the physical sciences where I could work in a lab. I'd have to do something unrelated to find work. I'm not sure if anyone would hire me if I'm planning to work for only a year.

If you read through this, thank you so much!

Hi, I’m 24f with light brown hair, but I already have a receding hairline. I want to get a nice wig or partial wig to hide the bad hairline. Any recommendations for places to go shopping for them?

I was minding my own business at a bus stop in Somerville, MA and some random old guy wearing dirty clothes who was smoking said “buenas dias senorita”. I just ignored him and kept looking at my phone. He did it again and my reaction was the same. I assumed he was a homeless person because that area has a lot of homeless people, and I have a strong sense of stranger danger. He then complained to his friends in Spanish about me. I dont understand Spanish that well but the gist I got was that he thought he said something harmless and got ignored and that he doesn’t even know who I am, a student or a worker. I felt bad but I just don’t say hi to random people regardless of the language. I also wouldn’t have felt comfortable responding because I can only understand Spanish but can’t speak it.

Edit for clarity: we were not “passing” each other. We were waiting for the bus at a bus stop.