u/Quynm

I just discovered Metamucil, and I feel like a different person. This could be a placebo effect, or there could be another variable that I am overlooking, but I am noticing a benefit after only a week.

I am in my poor-girl-era to the point of eating roughly the same three cheap meals everyday. I normally have to white-knuckle my way through the evening without consuming two portions of my “sweet treat” for the sake of rationing.

I decided to take a risk and invest in Metamucil after reading Reddit reviews. I started having a serving after dinner, and, man, the post-dinner cravings are gone. I have very little to no desire for my “sweet treat” now. Plus, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night ravenously hungry anymore, and I feel relatively more satiated throughout the day. It’s great.

It blows my mind that some peoples’ career path is linear— they choose a profession, they earn a correlating degree, they are hired by a company, and then they start to climb the ladder, steadily gaining experience and, hopefully, making more money until they retire. 

This is not my path. My path is a jagged line. I chose a profession, earned the degree, could not get into the field, stopped wanting to get into the field, chose a different profession, tried to earn the degree, ran out of money, and here we are— 31 years old living with my parents. 

I would not consider myself a deadbeat, but, gosh, I feel like one. I spent today scrolling through open positions and bookmarking any that look remotely interesting. I would start filling out the application and tailoring my resumé to it, but then I would stop mid-sentence and realize that I do not want to do to this job. 

I am overwhelmed because I am broke, like I-have-been-living-off-of-graham-crackers-and-ramen-broke. I am tired of starting over, hopping from job-to-job because I become bored and/or realize that this job is not serving my future and/or something horrible happens and my body needs longterm attention.

The full-time positions that I have held since college… 

• Overnight security at a hotel
• Organizing and running community programs for kids
• Overnight security on a college campus
• Delivering packages 
• Sales 
• Non-certified healthcare

Everything has been deadened and entry-level. I do not feel qualified for anything, and I do not have money to get qualified for anything. 

Right now, I am considering the trades, but, again, I don’t know if that is really what I want to do. I am waiting to hear back from an apprenticeship that I applied for— it’s been two months.

• I want financial stability. 
• I want to be challenged.
• I want to use my brain and my hands consistently. 
• I do not want to be stuck behind a desk or staring at a screen all day. 
• I want to work to benefit people, not simply to make a business money.

 

This process is exhausting, and I feel trapped in a vicious cycle. I really don't want to settle and take a job that I do not care about, but I am losing faith that I will ever find my niche.

There is a book’s worth of background story that is too complicated to get into, but basically…

My “situationship” came to an abrupt end. She was upset with me over a miscommunication. She expressed that via text. Her message hurt me a lot, and I took time to process it. If I would have known that not responding within a certain timeframe would be the end, I would have approached the conflict differently. That was it. I tried to repair things after some time, but I was met with indefinite silence.

I was worried about our recreational league starting because I didn’t know what she thought or felt about me/us. When we finally saw each other after three weeks of no-contact (our abrupt ending), it was like nothing happened. The connection was still there. We still gravitated towards each other. She still looked for me in the crowd and called me over to her.

I got a boost of hope that we could repair “us” after that first week of the league, especially when she called me the following morning. I answered, but I couldn’t talk long because of where I was— not conducive to our first conversation. She never really told me what she wanted. I wanted to call her back when I could be present in the conversation. That didn’t happen. She stopped responding. I regret not talking longer when the window was open.

She only gives me attention at the league— the flirtatiousness, the banter, it is still there.

I don’t understand, and I am going crazy.

I feel like I need to stop attending because the hope is too problematic. I don’t want to be reminded of how much I enjoy her if I can’t have a real friendship/relationship with her.

Hi — I am new to northeast Ohio, and my bub is due for his rabies vaccination and general physical exam. Looking to find a relatively affordable vet on the east-side. We live in Willoughby.

My bub is no golden retriever— he is not always kind to other dogs, and he prefers women. So, preferably, a vet with a large waiting room, female veterinarian, and affordable. Does this exist?

It’s been almost a week since we last spoke, and I feel dead inside.

You would think that finally removing myself from an abusive relationship would feel good— it doesn’t.

My friends don’t understand my hurt. They noticed her poor treatment towards me, too; they think that she is “crazy” and “toxic.” I find this ironic because I always thought that she was significantly kinder to me when somebody else was in the room. I should feel lighter. I should feel free. I should feel at peace. I don’t. I miss her. She is my best friend. Despite everything, she is still the person I want to talk to when I an having a good day.

The last text message that she sent me reflects the relationship at the core— false accusations, dismissed feelings, gaslighting, criticism. It hurts to read, especially knowing that it came from somebody who claims to care about me. Anytime I want to contact her, I read it to remind myself what I would be returning to.

This is not fun. The hurt from not having her is just as strong as the hurt from having her.

I learned some things this weekend.

I learned about the importance of maintenance runs and staying consistent with your pre-race routine.

I attempted my second marathon this weekend. I barely finished.

My first marathon was in October, and I completed it with relative ease— there were no real issues other than some hip pain around mile 16. While the pain was uncomfortable, it was tolerable.

This second marathon though was a different story. I kept my planned pace and felt solid until mile 14. At mile 14, my body decided that it was done. My heart rate & breathing felt controlled, and I wasn’t experiencing any specific pain; my entire body just felt depleted like it could not run anymore. I had to run/walk the entire second half.

I completed my longest training run of 20 miles three weeks prior, and it actually felt really good. Sure, by the end of the 20 miles, I was aching, but it wasn’t excruciating. I could have pushed on for six more miles if needed.

Here’s what I think went wrong…

After I hit taper during training, I fell off the wagon. I stopped following the training plan and would only run leisurely, inconsistently. My weekly mileage drastically declined. I hoped that the 20-miler would be enough to take me to the finish line without needing to stop. I was wrong.

Other factors…

My diet. The two days leading up the race were busy. I was not prioritizing nutrition and hydration. Even before the race, I only had a pop-tart & a gatorade. Usually, before half-marathons, I would have a heartier meal. I did not know what I was thinking.

My fear…

I have another marathon in three weeks, and I fear repeating this experience. I want to give my body proper time to recover, but I also want to do what I can to complete the next marathon feeling proud of my performance. I can easily adjust the nutrition/fuel, but what about the runs?

Any advice on what my strategy should be during these three weeks leading up to it? For note, my knee is still mildly inflamed and my feet ache a bit, but everything else feels relatively okay.