u/SpaceCanary87

Hello. This is a bit of an update on another recent post of mine, but long story short, I (26M) will be returning to college in the fall to get a degree and improve my career and have become interested in dating. However, I talked it over with my close friends (all devout Catholics as well) and they've cautioned against it, for a few reasons: firstly, I don't have a good enough paying job right now, whereas many men my age do, so I wouldn't make a good provider, secondly, I'm not extremely strong or physically imposing, meaning I might not make a good protector either, plus I'm not the world's best communicator either. They encouraged me to pray about it, which I've been doing a lot of. I'm coming to realize that God might not have designed me for marriage, even though it's been a lifelong goal of mine.

To be fair, this wouldn't be unbearable, nor would it be entirely surprising, but I'd be pretty crestfallen about it. Are there any good strategies to accept this, or should I simply keep praying about it?

So I (26M) am interested in finding a long-term relationship after being uninterested for a long time. I suffered from severe anxiety and depression for years, and didn't finish college due to said conditions plus the pandemic. Ever since, I've been working retail to save money and work on myself. I'm finally in a place where I want to find a girlfriend, but I'll also be taking classes in the fall, and part of me wants to wait until 28 or 29 when I finish my degree. (I won't have debt though! Yippee!)

I'm also thinking that going to college at 26 might be a turn-off for most women, but I'm also willing to bet I'm projecting my insecurities onto a Barbie doll I'm calling "most women." The fact that most of my friends are married already isn't helping.

Any thoughts or advice?

Hello! I (26M) have recently regained an interest in dating after being uninterested for a while, and I'm not sure whether to pursue it or not. For context, I dropped out of college a bit back due to horrible anxiety and the COVID pandemic, and have been working retail in order to save money while I got said anxiety under wraps. I'm now far calmer and (fingers crossed) will be a medical assistant in the fall, and something's rekindled my interest...

...Except I still have my doubts. Most of my peers married around ages 20-22 and have better paying jobs, so I'm not sure if I'd be a good provider, and I also feel like I can still accomplish a lot of good as a single Catholic. I'd just be fairly crestfallen about it.

Should I go for it anyway?