30+ peer support thread.

[StarsAbove]

I ap

I'm sure it can be revived!

Lets see, questions.

How many of you have kids or are child free?

I'm personally child free, always lived a single life. Too selfish to deal with compromising with a partner. In my younger adult years if I did think about kids, I'd usually spin into a sort of existential awkwardness. Mainly questioning how I could justify adding human life to this messy world. Mainly the issues of adding to overpopulation but also the environmental and climate deterioration - and how shit thats likely to be in just one generation time, so for them to be stuck in. I never had the longing/broodiness for kids. And now I'm suddenly finding myself in late 30s and no change with relationships/partners living a solo and now isolated life. And the biological clock must be pretty much up by now. Its like I never had to made an official decision myself but by avoiding it, time has inevitably confirmed the decision for me.

Sorry thats a bit deep. Or possibly sensitive. Feel free to add thoughts or try a different question/topic to try boost it up again!

I appreciate you bringing this up. I am sorry it sounds like you are in deep contemplation about the right to have the choice being taken away from you. Even if you don't want to kids that can bring up a lot of feelings.

I dont have kids either and im 38. I thought i wanted them up until my late 20s but it was really more about the societal pressure to have them. I am glad didn't, but the choice was also taken away from me because I have health issues that wrecked my hormones. Because of my health and my upbringing, and now discovering I likely have Autism, I cannot imagine trying to raise kids. You cant just give them back when you are extremely overstimulated or feeling sick and I feel like thay would have led me to be overwhelmed and possibly not very nice. You know what though, I saved a life by not creating one.

 

[thesaintviper]

33F. Honestly my first desire to CTB was when I was 10, now at 33 I have had schizophrenia for 6 years and counting. I had three episodes, my most recent one being in March 2026. To be honest this third episode caused me to lose a lot of my interests and functionality and I really think that I'd prefer to just be gone from this world. I have a decade long drinking problem and it's really because the voices are unbearable in my end. I went through a lot of different treatments but the latest one has left me with voices that tell me to end it. To be honest, this is the best it's gonna get as this has been present for two and a half months and I'd rather try to CTB while I have presence of mind.

 

[Ticket]

Sorry I'm in a weird mood and don't want to directly reply but hope this helps if you happen to see this.

I've dealt with voices where I believed in them and thought of them as either guidance overlooking me or as a part of myself. I don't know if you're familiar with IFS (internal family systems) but it has helped me the most out of all therapy modals. Basically you can learn to identify various parts of yourself and be able to isolate them from your actual self and communicate/acknowledge them and understand why that part exists.

Anyway, one way that has been helpful to me was when I'm able to identify the voices as voices then I don't have to associate them as all me. And especially knowing the voices are unhealthy for me or telling me horrible things such as death is the only relief but I'm also going to hell or whatever the voices decide to screw me with, I simplify the IFS process by identifying the voices as separate from me and automatically telling myself the voices aren't healthy for me and I shouldn't listen to them. I'm treating them as like an enemy that's attached to me. I do this with my depression parts/thoughts as well. I tell myself that it's not truly me and that it's the illness lying to me.

I may sound crazy to anyone coming across this but just treat this as a personal anecdote then. I'm writing this in hopes it might help someone else in any way whatsoever.

 

[StarsAbove]

33F. Honestly my first desire to CTB was when I was 10, now at 33 I have had schizophrenia for 6 years and counting. I had three episodes, my most recent one being in March 2026. To be honest this third episode caused me to lose a lot of my interests and functionality and I really think that I'd prefer to just be gone from this world. I have a decade long drinking problem and it's really because the voices are unbearable in my end. I went through a lot of different treatments but the latest one has left me with voices that tell me to end it. To be honest, this is the best it's gonna get as this has been present for two and a half months and I'd rather try to CTB while I have presence of mind.

Im so sorry that you are suffering so much. My older sister had schizophrenia and was completely unable to function. I am sure it is scary and uncomfortable. I am wishing you all the peace and comfort in the world. *hugs*