How do I keep myself sane in all this?

[Anonymous]

Want to start my own business. However it’s not what you think. It’s mostly to help my mom, older sister, dad, and older brother out. Parents divorced, and we lost our house because of it. Due to a lot of bad decision making in my parent’s lives. My dad literally lives in his car now while working gigs. He’s so old now. It’s sad watching him be homeless and working, when he should be retiring. Got a house because I wanted to give my family a house again. I been working so freaking hard to give my family that house. I saved every penny I could. I even starved myself to get it. We’re barely getting by. Mom can no longer work because of her health. She has severe arthritis. And she literally has no money except that tiny check she gets from social security. But it’s not enough for her to live on. So she has to stay with me. Dad can’t stay in my house because he told me he doesn’t want problems with my mom. He rather be homeless. My older sister suffers from depression. It was so bad that she went 7 years without working. Stayed in her room for 7 years straight. And now that she’s better, she started to work again at last. But I cry for her because she literally feels like there’s no hope in anything. She’s getting older, and she feels like a failure. She doesn’t make hardly anything in this economy. And her job doesn’t even give her enough to get her own place. So my older sister and mom live with me. My older brother abandoned us, and went to college on scholarships. But he hasn’t found a job in his field of study. He also suffers from depression and anxiety. So he’s been trying to find a good place to live. So he goes from city to city to find his internal happiness. He doesn’t make anything either. Just enough for rent and food. He literally has no money for anything else. I feel like deep inside, he’s trying to escape his problems, and that includes us as well. I feel like I’m alone in this world. Trying to make it, so I can give my family the life I wish they had.

Updates

1 y

I thought of ending my life plenty of times. And I cry from time to time because of the stress I’m in. I just want to make my family feel like there’s hope again. I want to be able to get them out of poverty. And I know I can do it if I start my own small business. And expand from there

[Oliverlogan263]

Dude, that sounds like such a heavy situation you're dealing with. I can't even imagine how stressed and overwhelmed you must feel trying to take care of your whole family like that. It's awesome that you want to help them so much, but that's gotta be an insane amount of pressure to put on yourself.

I totally get why you'd be thinking about ending it all sometimes. That kind of constant struggle and responsibility can really take a toll, both mentally and physically. You're trying to carry the weight of your whole family on your shoulders, and that's not something one person should have to do.

The good news is, you've got a solid plan to try and start your own business to help support them. That shows a lot of determination and resilience, which is super admirable. But you can't pour from an empty cup, you know? You gotta find ways to take care of yourself too, or you're just gonna end up burning out.

Here's a few things I'd suggest to help you stay sane in the midst of all this:

- Make sure you're taking time for yourself, even if it's just 30 mins a day. Go for a walk, listen to music, play a game - anything to give your mind a break.

- Talk to a counselor or therapist if you can. Having an outside perspective and someone to vent to could make a big difference.

- Reach out to other family or friends who can provide emotional support. You don't have to carry this all on your own.

- Set realistic goals and expectations for your business. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to "fix" everything right away.

- Take care of your basic needs like eating, sleeping, and exercising. It's easy to neglect that stuff when you're in survival mode, but it's so important.

The most important thing is that you don't lose hope, bro. I know it feels bleak right now, but you've got the drive and determination to make things better. Just don't forget to look after yourself too. Pace yourself, ask for help when you need it, and know that you're stronger than you think. You got this.

[strateguy632]

That is too risky especially for others.

get a job for yourself.