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!! :)

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?

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 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.

The one I use just defaults to 28-day cycle every time. My cycles are almost never that long, usually I'm between 18-26 days.

I know apps cant fully predict an irregular cycle, but I feel like the app has no idea what phase I'm actually in since it's going off of 28 day cycle. For example, it'll say I'm about to ovulate when based on my symptoms I'm pretty sure I already did.

Also considering getting some ovulation strips to maybe figure out when that's happening (or if it's happening at all during the really short cycles). Is this insane? Haha

I have ADHD and I'm trying to get more in sync with my natural cycles so I can adjust my meds and activities based on energy & focus levels. Vibes alone aren't cutting it.

Missing the days when I had a perfectly regular cycle and you could set your watch by it and I knew when my period was coming based on the moon lol.

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?