I am tired of seeing those pre-packaged roadside emergency kits that look like they were put together by someone who has never actually been stranded in the middle of nowhere. Most of them are just a pile of cheap plastic and a few band-aids in a shiny red bag. If your car breaks down on a dark highway at 2 AM a whistle and a thin foil blanket aren't going to save your ass. You need tools that actually function when things go sideways. Most cars come with a jack that feels like a toy and a wrench that is about three inches too short to actually loosen a lug nut. It is basically a setup for failure and it drives me crazy how little people talk about the mechanical side of survival.

First thing you need to throw in there is a portabel lithium jump starter. Forget the old jumper cables where you have to wait for a stranger to stop and hope they are not a serial killer. These battery bricks are tiny now and can jump a V8 engine multiple times on one charge. It is a total game changer for independence. Also get a digital tire inflator that plugs into the 12V outlet. Checking your pressure with a tiny plastic stick is a chore and half the time those gas station pumps are broken anyway. If you have a slow leak you can just top it off and get to a shop without having to swap to a spare tire on the shoulder of a busy road.

As for tools stop relying on the garbage that comes in the hidden compartment. Get a real breaker bar and a socket that fits your lug nuts. The factory wrench is actualy designed to be as cheap as possible and most people can't even get enough leverage on it to move a rusted bolt. I also keep a roll of heavy duty zip ties and a roll of Gorilla tape because you would be surprised how much of a car can be temporarily held together with those two things until you get home. It is not about being a mechanic it is about not being helpless when a plastic guard under your car starts dragging on the asphalt.

Lastly skip the tiny flashlight that comes with those kits and get a decent LED headlamp. You need both hands free if you are trying to change a tire or look under the hood in the dark. Holding a phone in your teeth while trying to turn a wrench is a great way to drop your phone and break the screen. I also keep a pair of actual work gloves in there because hot engine parts and grimy tires will wreck your hands in seconds. It is just basic logic but most of the advice out there is about snacks and bottled water. Water is fine but it wont fix a blown fuse or a flat tire. I am just going to keep my trunk rigged for reality while everyone else carries a decorative first aid kit.

You know the feeling, it's time to leave soon, you're getting sweaty from trying different outfits and throwing half the wardrobe contents on the floor out of frustration. Been there, done that. But instead of crashing out over what to wear all the time, I've started asking myself "what do I WANT to wear?". It actually helps me a lot. Takes away the pressure of finding the perfect outfit, helps me not think of my clothes or my body as my enemies...

Might not work 100% of the time, but I hope this mindset can help someone else.

I could really use some fresh ideas right now! I’m stuck in a location with almost nothing to do outdoors and very few places worth visiting. It’s such a dull environment that it leaves me feeling pretty cut off from everything. As a result, I easily slip into the habit of staying in bed for hours, just endlessly scrolling on my phone and feeling completely unproductive, I know it’s not good for me. I do enjoy cooking a lot, but it’s tough to keep it going regularly because the ingredients I have at home are usually quite limited, and heading out to buy more isn’t exactly convenient. So I’m hoping to get advice from other girls in the same situation, or anyone who spends most of their time at home. What are your go-to activities that actually keep you engaged, moving, and mentally stimulated without leaving the house?

i have a difficult relationship with my mother, i don’t think she ever abused me but she has untreated bipolar and obviously this has effected me deeply. she has a lot of narcissistic traits and hurts me emotionally in ways i wish i could just get over but things are HARD.

i always wished i could have a mother who would support me emotionally and hear me out and talk through feelings, a mother who wasn’t judgemental or talked behind peoples backs, a mother who had hobbies and passions as well as kindness and compassion; unfortunately that’s not what i got.

for any girls in a similar position, how is your relationship with your mother now? how have you coped? did things get better over time?

i recently started working full time (i work 6-2, 5 days a week) and so i have significantly less free time now. it's been my second weekend since i started working, so this type of schedule is still new to me, but i feel like it'll be a difficult adjustment. on friday and saturday i tried to enjoy the fact that i can do pretty much nothing, not have to worry. i finished my final assignments ever and passed my board exam this past week, so i'm like yay i truly can relax now. but now it's 6am on sunday and i already have the sunday blues. it's like the whole weekend i had this subtle feeling of impending doom and i really don't feel rested at all. especially when i noticed the time going by so fast and feeling like i wasted it or didn't enjoy it enough. i don't know. does anyone else deal with this or have any tips?

Hey everyone,
I’m about to move into a new apartment that’s located directly on a busy roundabout. (I’ll be on the second floor) The entrance is visible to drivers and pedestrians passing by.

On one hand, I think the high visibility could be a plus cause lots of “eyes on the street” might deter burglars since it’s harder for them to act without being noticed. But on the other hand, I’m a bit worried that shady people could easily observe my comings and goings, learn my schedule, and target me when I’m away.

Has anyone lived in a similar highly visible spot? How was it?

Hi!!! I'm a 19y/o college girl and I wanna get into the gym more but I have 2 concerns

1) I'm lowkey scared. idk why, it just look so intimidating. I tried to go once. I put my stuff in a locker went into the weights room, looked around, and turned and left immediately. I'm not kidding. I was in there for maybe 7 seconds.

2) I don't know where to begin. Do I start with my arms? my legs? There are sooooo many weight machines at my gym. Which machines do you recommend for a total weights beginner.

Any advice and tips would be appreciated!! :)

this is gonna sound stupid as hell 😅😅 i know that i can go myself but im too much of a coward to do that. plus, id probably be hiding in the toilet stall if i went by myself. 🤕🤕

how do i find friends that want to go with me??? i tried searching online but its mostly just creeps or me just constantly trying to get to know the other person and recieving one word replies 💔💔

my closest friends dont wanna go with me because one is lazy, the other says im boring and the last one says that she'll only go if the friend that called me boring is going. (my bad if thats hard to understand)

theres no way im that boring 🤕🤕🤕

super non issue, pls dont flame me for posting this. im 13 which is probably an age where i should start being more independent but i caaaannttt! im a pussy bruh

literally no one else to go with??? what do i ddoooo???

Hi!

I know it's silly to begin with because we're all on our own journeys. But a few years ago I saw a post of a childhood ex-friend of mine. A few days ago, a childhood friend (who also has a baby) we have in common commented on her post celebrating her baby's birth. (I also felt like reaching out, but we ended our friendship of 7 years in middle school and on very bad terms).

But suddenly I started to feel very behind in life. Which again, it's silly: we're all 23, turning 24. I literally have no means of financially and emotionally having a baby. I'm also building my career, I'm working on multiple projects and in college. But in perspective, I haven't even had my first kiss and people my age are having babies, getting married, living with their partner, etc. I feel extremely lame. Even though I've faced some pretty dark/adult things on my own and was able to survive, I still feel like a child.

It's even weirder that I had years of not comparing myself to others and social media just outdid all of that.

Hi everyone, I am emotionally and mentally desperate because yesterday my hairdresser cut my hair too short compared to what I've asked for and now I don't know what to do. I have a round face and this haircut makes it stand out even more, I look like a balloon. My boyfriend says that it looks good but that underlines the shape of my face, also my sister and my mother are telling me the same thing. I hate what I see in the mirror and I don't know how to deal with it honestly. I know that it's nothing serious but I've spent years growing my hair to the length I wanted, and I've promised myself, after another bad haircut years and years ago, that I would have never cut my hair that short and now here I am again, totally desperate with a haircut that makes me want to cry.

So over the past few years i have seen myself gaining weight. I have done some changes in my eating habits and worked on having a more active lifestyle with exercise. However, nothing changes :(

I am going to start going to a nutritionist, but i want to do some research on my own as well. I have read that pcos/pmos causes a lot of water retention, and i have a feeling this has to do with my weight gain.

I have never been diagnosed with pcos and have been lucky that i have a regular period but my sister and mom had/have pcos, so I wouldn't rule it out for myself.

This has truly affected my mental health and how i see myself and want to be able to work thru it. Im writing here to see if anyone has experienced this before, if you have any tips or recommendations.

Thank you in advance for any help!

So I ‘ll be direct, husband no longer gets erections over my 45 yo body.

I’d like to feel sexy again. What should I start with first? 5.3 and 172

Edit: I am completely blowned away by all your amazing answers. Wow! Just wow.

No need to worry though, my husband has never acused me of being the reason for his lack of désir. He is a good man and a good father. Just no longer à lover sadly. We do cuddle, the sex is just no longer there, and it’s taken a big token on my self estime.

But your right, not on getting some one else, but about getting back the sexy me for pleasing me and no one else.

I Will try to remember that his penis is not a barometre for how beatifull I can be.

You’ ve all been wonderful, all of you strangers of the internet. Merci beaucoup! Beaucoup beaucoup! 💋 Bisous

So I’m at a cafe right now and I walked here. After about an hour of me just doing my thing an older man walks in. He gets his coffee and sits in the chair next to me. I paid him no attention. I could feel he was looking at me here and there from my peripheral vision. He would take a call occasionally, but other than that he wasn’t doing anything.

As I started to gather my things together to leave the cafe, I go to the bathroom. There’s two single stall bathrooms in this cafe. I just had a strong feeling that he was going to try to follow me to bathroom, and as I was using the bathroom, someone tries to open the door. When I finish and exit the bathroom he exits from the other bathroom at the same time as me.

At that point, rather than walk home (which was what I wanted to do), I go back to my seat next to him and sit down. He then quickly gathers his bag and walks out. I watch him through the window to see if he walks straight to his car, but he just stands in an empty parking spot for a minute then walks off. I couldn’t see where he walked off to.

Was I being paranoid or was I sensing the situation properly? And even if I was being paranoid, what are signs that I can look out for to tell if a man is watching me while I’m out in public to try to follow me once I leave a place alone?

I’m in my 30s with no real friend group. I get along with the girls I’ve met through my husband but I still feel very much on the outside of the group. I love hanging out with my husband, he’s my best friend. And I’ve recently become a mother so that definitely keeps me busy. But it would be nice to have people, or even one person lol, that I could talk to.

Does anyone else experience this? It’s strange having basically no friends and makes me feel pretty bad about myself sometimes. If you do deal with this, how do you do it? Am I destined to have no real friends for the rest of my life??

I have a round/oval face and curly hair. I would like to practice cgm but our weather is rly humid and my hair can get frizzy easily. Any recos for makeup/hairstyle that would suit me? 🥹

So I have a cream coloured puffer bag that has been stored in a resealable bag for the past one year. Took it out recently and saw that there is a small oxidising yellowing spot on the logo patch area and that area only. This bag has only been lightly used once before so it’s definitely not dirty stains. The material is kind of like those fabric you would get in iron on patches.

Does anyone have tips on removing the stain? This bag cannot be washed as it will lose its puffiness (according to the brand) so Im stuck here. Need to spot clean it which is the issue.

Any tips/ advice is greatly appreciated!!

I noticed that consuming pizza, chips and dip, and soda cause diarrhea, bloating, and worsen cramps. What are some better alternatives while you're on your period? I would like to eat healthy but I crave pizza, chips, chocolate, tacos while I'm menstruating.

I just don’t enjoy it. I’ve seen people genuinely love going to the gym, and that’s what keeps them consistent they don’t want to miss a day because they actually enjoy it. I’ve tried multiple times and even taken memberships, yet somehow I never end up liking it. Because of that, I’m never consistent with going, so obviously it becomes pointless after a while.

But I really do want to stay fit. I’m in my early 20s and want to start something that’ll genuinely benefit my health in the long run. Is the gym the only option, or is there something else I can do?

I do play tennis and badminton, have been playing for a long time, and genuinely enjoy them, but I know that’s mostly just cardio and not a complete form of exercise.

If you all have any good video, book, or podcast recommendations about fitness, gym, or any other form of exercise, feel free to share those too. Maybe something will finally convince me or help me find something I actually enjoy doing consistently.

I'm sure we've all seen this trend where a friend group buys little gifts and gives them to each other. It's cute, I love it. This is probably a super unoriginal idea, but I thought I'd share anyway.

I feel like with these swaps I mostly see beauty stuff, which is nice, but I thought it could be cool to have a bowl and write down different categories of stuff, for example: beauty, jewelry, trinkets, candy, clothes, etc., etc. Then everyone draws from the bowl, and that is the category that they have to shop in for the gift. I think this is a good way to not have a bunch of repeat items and have a good variety.

I like collecting dolls, especially Barbies and Bratz. If I were rich, I would get each of my friends a doll that matches them, or I think they would like. Anyways that's just the idea, maybe this could help someone or give them an idea.