u/NainaaDaaaKyaKasoor

9 months ago, I shared these posts when I was feeling completely lost and clueless. An year later I've finally made it to the other side 🥹

https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXIndia_Over25/s/Ihoem22iqQ

https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXIndia/s/Flibt3EMPR

Quick backstory, I graduated when I was 19 and after that I spent the next few years preparing for the civil services exams. Things didn't work out the way I had planned and after a lot of ups and downs, I decided to switch to digital marketing.

Now at 26, I've finally landed my first job. What makes it even better is that it's completely remote 😭

I'm really excited but also a little nervous. Since it's my first job, I honestly don't know what to expect. I'm wondering how I'll perform, how long it'll take me to get comfortable and whether I'll be able to do well.

If you have any advice for someone starting their first job, especially in digital marketing or in a remote role - I would love to hear it. Whether it's about work, setting up a good wfh space or things you wish you knew when you started, please share your tips in the comments.

Looking forward to this new chapter. :)

I spent years preparing for UPSC and throughout that entire phase my uncle (mama) was incredibly nosy. He constantly asked how my exams went, tracked every little detail, speculated cut offs and wanted updates on everything. Despite being so invested in my preparation, he never once offered any financial support while I was completely dependent on my parents.

Now I've moved on from UPSC, enrolled in an online course and I'm currently going through placement interviews. Realistically, this isn't an iit or iim where graduates walk into high paying packages. As a fresher, the best I can do is a 4.5-5lpa.

But he still keeps pestering me. Every few days he'll call to ask how the interviews are going and within minutes he'll jump to, 'So how much salary are they offering?' Now obviously that's not something I'm comfortable discussing with him so I told him that salary discussions and negotiations happen only in the final stages and I haven't reached that point yet. Yet every single time he calls, it's the same question all over again.

I'm honestly done with him. He barely knows what his son is upto but wants every single detail of my professional life. I want to give him a beautiful reply that ends this discussion once and for all but I also know for a fact that no way he's ever keeping his mouth shut

I had something happen yesterday that left me feeling weird and I'm wondering if anyone else relates or if I'm overthinking it.

I met my best friend after a long time. She came over to my place first and before we went out, she asked if she could invite two of her other close friends. Even though I've always wanted to meet them but I didn't feel...ready? I told her the same. She understood and said no worries we won't invite them.

When we reached the location, those two friends called her asking where we were since they too happen to live in the same city. She told them and then they asked if they could join us. She immediately said yes. I felt a little caught off guard because we'd literally had the conversation earlier but I didn't want to make it awkward and anyway they have always sounded like good people so I just went along with it.

At first things were okay. But after a while, I started feeling...invisible? We sat together for over 4 hours. The three of them already knew each other well so naturally most conversations were about shared incidents, inside jokes, my best friend and things I knew nothing about. Nobody was intentionally rude but I found myself just sitting there listening most of the time

This is exactly why I've always always been uncomfortable joining already established friend groups. I don't mind meeting new people one on one, I come off as really confident that way honestly and to be frank I genuinely enjoy meeting new people. I'm not an introvert or I don't get anxious or anything like that. But walking into a group where everyone already has history together makes me feel a little uncomfortable

I don't know how people just blend into existing groups so naturally. Does anyone else feel this way? Does it get easier with time or have you found ways to make these situations less awkward?

Every 2-3 months I get this really strong urge to change something about my looks. It's usually either a new haircut or a new piercing. I've done so many of these things on a whim. It'll stay on my mind for weeks and then one random evening I'll just get up and come back with a new haircut or a fresh piercing. At one point I had shaved my entire head.

I think this itch has come back because my nose piercing has finally healed. I can't feel any pain anymore, I can rotate the stud freely and now my brain has moved on to wanting the next change.

This time the itch is... surprise surprise...an arm tattoo.

The thing is, I know myself well enough to know I'd definitely regret getting a tattoo. It doesn't really feel like me. I've never been someone who wanted such a huge, permanent change to my body. But for some reason the thought has been stuck in my head lately and I just need to do something to get it out of my system. I can't get any more piercings because well...my ears are small and if I add anything beyond what I already have, they're just going to look too cluttered

So now I'm here I am looking for suggestions on what can I do instead to get over this itch without actually getting a tattoo?

I'm just curious if this happens to anyone else or if it's just me.

Whenever I come back from the gym or a run or any morning workout, I take a shower, have breakfast and sit down to start my day. But at that exact moment, I get extremely sleepy. Not just a little tired but the kind where your head starts to hurt from lack of sleep, the way when you force yourself to stay awake late at night.

The only thing that fixes it is taking a 15–20 minute power nap. As soon as I wake up, I feel completely refreshed and stay energetic for the rest of the day. But if I skip that nap, my entire day feels miserable. I get headache, my productivity drops and I just can't function properly.

The weird part is that this happens regardless of how much I slept the night before. Whether I got 8+ hours of sleep, ate enough calories or had nutritious breakfast, it still happens. It doesn't even depend on how intense the workout is. I could do just one set with a 5 kg dumbbell or a 1.5 hr session, and the same thing happens. My theory says sweat is the trigger. Once I sweat and then take a shower, something happens to me psychologically and I get overwhelmingly sleepy. At any time of the day. This isn't even limited to workouts. If I'm out in the sun for 5 minutes, get sweaty, shower, and then sit down, I can barely keep my eyes open. At that point, only a 15 minute nap saves me. Yesterday I decided to skip the post workout shower and did not feel the need to sleep the entire day.

I've been following this routine for almost 10 years so now I'm wondering if it's become psychological or if there's an actual physiological reason behind it. Does anyone else experience this?

I'm 26. Two days ago I had a fight with my mom. It started over something small but escalated to the point where I screamed something at her that I've carried for years, that growing up I often felt suicidal around her and that I never felt emotionally safe with her. These feelings go back to when I was around 10-12 years old.

Her response to that was to remind me of all the (material) things they have done for me since childhood and tell me that how ungrateful of a daughter I am.

Since then we haven't really spoken. And the only times she's said anything to me have been to taunt me. Even this morning she sarcastically said "You anyway feel suicidal around me, don't you?"

I honestly can't deal with this anymore. I live alone and they're leaving in two days. I hate saying this but I genuinely can't wait for them to go back.

My mama visited me yesterday and asked what I was doing these days. I told him I'd stopped preparing for upsc and other gvt exams and had switched to corporate. He immediately said, "Arey pcs ke liye toh padh leti, pata hai kitna rutba hota hai unka. Hamare department ka ek bachha pcs bn gya hai, ab uske liye gaadhi hogi ye hoga wo hoga" bla bla bla. (You should have at least prepared for pcs. Do you know the kind of respect pcs officers get? A boy from our department recently became a pcs officer, now he'll have an official car and all bla bla bla" )

I finally replied, "Mama ji mere paas toh 15 saal aur hain pcs ka exam dene ke liye. Since you're so motivated about it and still eligible, why don't you give it a try yourself and get promoted?" (Mama ji, I still have around 15 years left to attempt the PCS exam if I ever want to. Since you're so motivated about it, why don't you give it a try yourself since you're still eligible)

Sigh. Mai aage badh gyi, family aage badh gyi, zamana aage badh gya. Rishtedaar nahi aage bdh paa rhe. (I have moved on, my parents had to move on, the entire world has moved on. Except my highly concerned relatives) This mama in question has never called me once, I've never seen him since I was like...13-14? And feels like he has the authority to comment on my life choices?

I'm 26 and trying to break into digital marketing after years of gvt exam prep. I enrolled in an online digital marketing course because as a fresher, breaking into the industry felt nearly impossible. I recently got shortlisted for an interview with a US based marketing agency. However, it's a remote role with US shift. They're offering 30k/month for a 3-6 month internship and if converted, around 4.5-6 LPA. I'm so conflicted.

One part of me really wants to do well in the interview, get selected and finally start my career. The job market is rough, especially for freshers. Most internships I'm seeing pay just 10-15k/month in metro cities which is barely enough to survive on. and I cannot keep depending on my parents financially at 26.

But the other part of me is almost hoping I mess up the interview because...it's a night shift.

I've literally been an early morning person my entire life. I naturally wake up between 4-6 am. I go to the gym regularly and I like having a routine. The thought of flipping my entire body clock upside down honestly scares me. But I might have to consider this opportunity given I'm not really in a position to be too picky.

People who work 10pm-7am:

• How do you manage your sleep, especially if you have been a morning person all your life?
• Do you still have a social life?
• Can you consistently work out?
• Does your body eventually adjust?
• Do you feel healthy after a few months?

My current thought process is that maybe I should do it for 6 months, gain experience and then switch to a day shift role. But I'm also worried that once I'm in my health will take a hit - honestly health is the only part I'm concerned about. I was recently diagnosed with alopecia and I'm worried that working night shifts could worsen it or potentially trigger other autoimmune issues. Would you take this opportunity if you were in my shoes? Especially considering the current job market? I'd really love to hear from women who've actually worked night shifts - what was your experience like, and would you do it again?

I'm 26 and trying to break into digital marketing after years of gvt exam prep. I enrolled in an online digital marketing course because as a fresher, breaking into the industry felt nearly impossible. I recently got shortlisted for an interview with a US based marketing agency. However, it's a remote role with US shift. They're offering 30k/month for a 3-6 month internship and if converted, around 4.5-6 LPA. I'm so conflicted.

One part of me really wants to do well in the interview, get selected and finally start my career. The job market is rough, especially for freshers. Most internships I'm seeing pay just 10-15k/month in metro cities which is barely enough to survive on. and I cannot keep depending on my parents financially at 26.

But the other part of me is almost hoping I mess up the interview because...it's a night shift.

I've literally been an early morning person my entire life. I naturally wake up between 4-6 am. I go to the gym regularly and I like having a routine. The thought of flipping my entire body clock upside down honestly scares me. But I might have to consider this opportunity given I'm not really in a position to be too picky.

People who work 10pm-7am:

• How do you manage your sleep, especially if you have been a morning person all your life?
• Do you still have a social life?
• Can you consistently work out?
• Does your body eventually adjust?
• Do you feel healthy after a few months?

My current thought process is that maybe I should do it for 6 months, gain experience and then switch to a day shift role. But I'm also worried that once I'm in my health will take a hit - honestly health is the only part I'm concerned about. I was recently diagnosed with alopecia and I'm worried that working night shifts could worsen it or potentially trigger other autoimmune issues. Would you take this opportunity if you were in my shoes? Especially considering the current job market? I'd really love to hear from women who've actually worked night shifts - what was your experience like, and would you do it again?

Edit - I'm getting a lot of comments regarding the course, my dms are open to help! Please drop your queries. I'll reply to each and everyone as soon as I can!

Do you guys wipe gym equipment before using it, like machines, benches? And do you do it every time?

I always get this thought about how many people have touched the equipment and how unhygienic it might be with all the sweat and everything but I usually push the thought away before it really gets into my head. I know it's a public space and it will always be slightly unclean but maybe it's just my ocd. The moment I get home, I immediately wash my hands and face before touching anything else.

What is your best practice to stay hygienic at the gym?

I've been to Tavaasa already. Are there any other options? Preferably budget friendly

My feet feel quite dry after I scrub away the dead skin in the shower. Until now I've been using vaseline deep moisturizer and it has worked really well for me. However I've run out of it and am now considering some other alternatives

Today my mom asked me - "why is every woman on social media asking girls to not get married"

I replied, ask yourself 😭😂

I'm looking for some perspective from women who have navigated career, marriage, and family planning at the same time.

I'm currently 26 and have recently transitioned into digital marketing after more than half a decade of preparing for gvt exams. By next year I will have around a year of experience in the field and I'm trying to think strategically about the next 5 years of my life.

My issue is that all the major life milestones seem to be converging in the same 3-5 year period. Over the next few years, I would ideally like to:

• Build my career and gain meaningful professional experience
• Potentially pursue a masters/MBA
• Get married
• Have a kid at least by 32

To add another layer, my boyfriend's job involves transfers, periods of separation, and less control over location than a typical corporate couple.

The good thing is that we're aligned on marriage timelines. Neither of us is in a rush right now, but we both see marriage happening in the next 2-3 years.

What I'm struggling with is how people practically manage all of this. For women who have been through something similar, how did you prioritize without feeling like you were sacrificing one important life goal for another? I wish I had started any sooner because I know I would've achieved so much in my career :(