When is it appropriate to set a boundary regarding how much time you spend dealing with your friends’ romantic turmoil? And how do you set healthy boundaries? I’m not referring to things like supporting a friend through a breakup, but, rather, more ongoing situations. More inside. I’m 33 and have been single for quite a while, though I have dated recently. The friends I’m thinking about are around ...
posted to Ask MeFi by mermaidcafe at 9:12 PM on October 6, 2015

I behaved in a similarly disturbing way as the type of person disclosed in this this post, the only difference was that I was desperate for friendship and was not and never thought of this person in a romantic way. I still feel so ashamed for over disclosing and acting in an insecure way with a coworker despite a couple of years passing by. How can I truly move past this and forgive myself? A ... (keyword in HTML)
posted to Ask MeFi by Anonymous at 1:02 PM on November 29, 2012

I don't know if analyzing the situation threadbare with girlfriends would help, but I don't even have that option, so here I am. Would you have the conversation, or proceed straight to an amicable breakup? Would you wonder what's wrong with your choice of partner, or even your preferences? Sorry for the slightly ranty question, but details below the fold. I (F, mid thirties) met someone (M, ...
posted to Ask MeFi by Nieshka at 9:49 AM on February 10, 2021

Why did you break up? More specifically, you thought you found someone you're compatible with, you guys mutually made a commitment, but yet you ended up breaking up a year or two later, or later in life. What was the reason for the breakup? I am in a great relationship. We both talked about wanting to be together forever, we talked about all the big things that couples should agree on, we both ...
posted to Ask MeFi by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 5:39 PM on December 5, 2012

This is long, so just jump to the extended explanation if you've got a warm cup of tea in hand and some time. TLDR: new relationship after disastrous end to old relationship, pouring anxiety into age gap, that's a red herring, tell me what my brain is doing (and why?)? Someone talk me through this. It's long, but I want to give some context.  I'm a woman in my late 30s. Recently finished a very ... tremendous love but also a lot of unhealthy dynamics. I was extra-pathetic for a while after the breakup, told my ex repeatedly I wanted him back, he ...
posted to Ask MeFi by Anonymous at 8:46 AM on December 6, 2019

How do you get over someone that dumped you out of the blue and says they will never speak to you again? About a year ago I was happily in love with a guy whom I was sure I would marry. We were inseparable, and he seemed almost more smitten with me than I was with him. He would tell me constantly that I was perfect, that he never wanted to be with another girl, that we would be married with kids ... don't believe he was being dishonest with me, which makes it all the stranger. Right after the breakup he did unleash a list of minor grievances ...
posted to Ask MeFi by timsneezed at 8:33 AM on April 3, 2011

How many days/hours should pass before one can safely assume that one has been ghosted? For the purpose of this question, please assume the standard ghosting hallmarks, that there was regular contact which the assumed-ghoster simply ceased, that the assumed-ghoster is active on other social media such as the dating site (and clearly isn't in hospital or jail), and that these are still early days ... ghosting is still an 'acceptable' breakup method. When is it safe for one to block and move on? As a general rule? ...
posted to Ask MeFi by Capt. Renault at 6:59 AM on March 13, 2018

Eat24 explains why they're done with Facebook. They're not the first to notice problems with Facebook' business model. (previously). But it's not just businesses affected. people have been noticing a drop in their friends posts for a while. Facebook limits the users reach, and asks them to pay to ensure your friends see it. (keyword in HTML)
posted to MeFi by [insert clever name here] at 4:11 AM on April 11, 2014

I have a history of serial monogamy - some successful, some not so successful. I seem to find it easy to fall into relationships, sometimes with fantastic people that for whatever reason it didn't work out with, and sometimes with people who are so clearly ill-suited to me that I have obviously been shaping myself around them like a pretzel - which I don't realise till it falls apart and I realise ... / starting to look around for men whilst going through the acute withdrawal stage (2 weeks after a breakup) by telling me why this will be good for me, ...
posted to Ask MeFi by starstarstar at 9:31 AM on February 12, 2020

Hi. So I am a 30 year old woman dating a 37 year old guy. We started dating back when I was 22 and he was 29. I was pretty young then really now I think about it. Early days were great. However we've now been in a rut for the past 8 months or so and I'm starting to question whether I should make the effort to help fix things,... or whether it might be better to breakup. What is it like to be a ...
posted to Ask MeFi by ohayo_lion at 6:06 PM on January 11, 2013

I've had a really rough couple of years, and spent 2016-2018 recovering from a confluence of events that entailed a layoff, a hostile roommate situation and a breakup, followed up by a plus-yearlong spell of unemployment, depression and what I now realize was an abusive relationship. And for about six weeks or so in the very last bit of 2018, I was incandescently happy with someone who broke ...
posted to Ask MeFi by blue rare at 4:04 PM on January 20, 2019

My parents are getting a divorce. How do I support them? How do I relate to them without it being terribly weird on me? How do I stop worrying about them so much? I'm 30 and live on the opposite coast. They've been "working on things" for a couple years. Neither was that satisfied, but my mom was more willing to do something about it, and she made the final decision against his will. I ... over them. Since I can't, I watch the details I get like a doctor watching for early signs of breakup infection. Then I remind myself, who am I to say ...
posted to Ask MeFi by salvia at 8:35 AM on June 30, 2008

Justice Department (apparently) blocks the merger of AT+T and T-Mobile. The Associated Press is reporting that Justice will block the deal because "would reduce competition and raise prices." Sprint, the US #3 carrier, objected to the deal, as did many consumer groups. If the merger denial survives the probable court challenge, AT+T will be on the hook for up to US$6 Billion in ... (keyword in HTML)
posted to MeFi by andreaazure at 8:36 AM on August 31, 2011

'The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was snatching body positivity out of the hands of fat women and then convincing them it was never theirs in the first place.' Writing for Dazed, fatshion blogger Bethany Rutter dissects the ways in which the body positive movement has been 'co-opted by [Instagram] models and fashion labels to reject bodies it should celebrate'. [TW: discussion of ... (keyword in HTML)
posted to MeFi by thetarium at 9:49 AM on April 28, 2017

Inspired by penguin pie's comment yesterday, realized I resuse AskMetafilter answers. Selections from my Ask answer rotations: The poem The Sentence by Anna Akhmatova (1, 2, 3) James Turrell's House of Light in Niigata, Japan (1, 2) Kate Harding's essay The Fantasy of Being Thin (1, 2) The Wadi Shab hiking trail in Oman (1, 2) What are your best on-rotation answers? *never ... (keyword in HTML)
posted to MetaTalk by BusyBusyBusy at 6:59 AM on May 1, 2019

I have a lot of love, and it wants to get out into the world. When I'm in a romantic relationship, my partner is by far my biggest source and destination for love. It feels wonderful, yet fragile, because so much happiness is dependent on one relationship. When I'm single, nothing comes close to relieving the pressure from the love that gets bottled up in me, or filling the void left by the ... of them, we both moved a little faster than we should have (no harm done though). I've initiated a breakup because of an incompatibility that came up ...
posted to Ask MeFi by gray17 at 8:35 PM on December 6, 2020

I completely understand the general idea that you aren't responsible for someone else's feelings. But what about in an emotionally abusive intimate relationship, where the anger is a natural and righteous response to gas-lighting? More inside. I'm untangling lots of things in the aftermath of an emotionally abusive relationship with someone who was probably on the narcissistic spectrum. One of ... did, and he'd get even more defensive and use new age floaty stuff in his defense. Since the breakup, of course, I've had even more anger, and it ...
posted to Ask MeFi by miaow at 11:18 PM on July 23, 2020

I had a very deep relationship with a woman a couple of years ago. She ended it and my reaction, to say the least. was not the best (no violence or threats). I've had a number of short lived overtures from this lady over the last year (yesterday was the latest - call in to rescue her at 2:30 this morning.) and have apologized for my past behavior. For whatever insane reason I now think the ... mix? Thanks folks. I really think we're close but she can't quite get past the way the initial breakup went. I expect comments along the lines of ...
posted to Ask MeFi by Carbolic at 9:26 PM on January 1, 2009

Partying like a rockstar lately! Will my body rot off and die? How do I stay in good health? Coming off a fresh breakup, (this one hurt a lot), I have decided to forget about her by going out with buddies and painting the town red. So for the past few weeks, I have been going out 5-6 nights a week, drinking like crazy, bad eating habbits have been the norm, staying up late (like 6 hours of sleep a ...
posted to Ask MeFi by boyinmiami at 10:26 AM on June 8, 2006

Boss wants to talk about why I haven't been in the office that much these past few months and why my work is not up to par. I've been struggling with depression. How can I talk to him about this? I work in a very small group at a university. Culture is very relaxed, and we rarely go through HR about anything. Boss is nice and seems to care about employees, but I would not consider us friends (more ... working from home, but from now on, I will come into the office more. But then I went through a breakup, and following through with that seemed even ...
posted to Ask MeFi by Anonymous at 6:06 PM on April 3, 2012