How were you when you were turning 30 years old?!

I turned 30 two years ago....wait...lemme count my fingers for a sec.....yup, I'm 32. My birthday was unremarkable. I guess I felt a little older? Maybe like I should get a hint of a direction in my life? No wait, that's what I feel every day.

Anyways, I'm not gonna try for romance, kids, the whole "American Dream" nonsense....I've decided my life is meh, so why tip the scales and make it worse. I can live with what I have. It's acceptable.

When I was 30 I was in the military, stationed overseas. I got pregnant while I was there. I was living in crazy time (had untreated bipolar misdiagnosed as MDD) and doing things I would cringe about now.

I wish I could return to college. I only have an AAS and would've loved to complete a BS, but my credits are too old and what little money I have is for putting my daughter through college.

I'm married now for the third time. There were times when I should've put off getting married, but what's done is done and I'm enjoying what time I have left on this planet.

Well, I hadn't toadally gone off my nut yet, but I was well on my way!

Thankfully, with good therapy and hard work, I've put my life back together right nicely!

I was unemployed with 2 masters and a doctorate. I had just moved. I was not eligible for any social services, and my student loan payments required that I drain my savings every month. Only took a couple months for savings to be gone. To make ends meet I went around the neighborhood and swallowing my pride, introduced myself and asked people if they had any work that nobody wanted to do. I watched people's pets while they were away, spent a few weeks on my knees weeding someone's yard, carried and stacked wood, moved rocks, dug trenches, scrubbed and stained a few decks, etc etc.

I was pretty damned depressed at the time. I don't think my experience was unique either.

WOW, you're all so beautiful & wonderful people, with hard & tough experiences, it seems that we nurture increasing human empathy & acceptance

Thought I was having a breakdown when I was turning 30. I would love to be that age again now.

Nushi, first of all happy birthday. Thirty is a blip on the radar of life, not the end of existence. When i turned thirty I had just filed for disability, was jobless, living with my ex-in-laws and nearing 280lbs. I was heavily medicated, had my first shoulder surgery and started ECT all in my 30th year of life. Almost two years later my ex and i had our daughter, both in our then mid-thirties. Listen hun, you are far from a failure, so you have taken your time with your education, kudos, I have tried three times in 17 years to attempt school, i hold 20 credit hours. I have only been published three times with my poetry.
Oh, your utterous, isn't going to shrivel up when you hit 35 either. I have heard of older people being surprised, after there children all were in college and out of the nest. You are in the prime of life Nushi.
"Gather ye rosebuds, while ye may..." Robert Herick
"Carpe diem!" (Seize the day lassy, seize the day)Robin Williams Dead Poets Society
Don't gauge life in the accomplishments of others or societal norms. You have years of life ahead of you. You will have love, a PHD and a beautiful child. I will have my PHD some day and be widely published. Change perspective, look at the bright side of life and have a Happy 30th Birthday, okay

I probably had a world full of "promise" but I was still an undiagnosed BP at that stage in my life. I was starting to come into my own as a career professional, was newly married, but I began a slow descent of self-destructive behavior that led me to where I am today - drinking, leaving jobs, blaming others. Part of my healing is getting past the regret and looking at the spiritual side - did God lead me where I am today for a reason? It's a difficult concept for me to grasp, especially as a BP individual always seeking challenges, new avenues, and success. It is tough to measure and I'm not sure it will ever end.

Thank you all You're so sweet

Yeah, I guess I shoud work on letting go of the time that's gone, & make the best of what I've got now (but not the perfect best oh no, got to take care not to fall into the endless perfectionism black hole )...

But I still watch the babies held in the bosoms of their mothers, while I'm wandering in the streets, & it breaks my heart

I am turning 50 soon. So I wouldn't mind turning 30! Happy birthday. At 30 I was doing exact same thing as I do now job wise. Teaching high school, which I love. I was divorced with young child, she is now 28 and happily married I wasn't in a relationship at 30, I kept finding wrong men so I stopped dating. Life wasn't too great at 30. I honestly have better life now at 50. I appreciate life more and my life is much more satisfying . And I just got engaged. ️Took me that long. So don't give up.


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Had 3 kids and was working my rear off to make sure I could provide everything they needed.

I hope this doesn't make you feel bad but I was ok when I was 30. When I got older my mental health issues kinda came back out of the closet. Hope you can find a way to feel better about yourself.

I had just graduated with my BA at age 28-- and in TWO useless fields, a double major in psychology & philosophy. By 30, I was unemployed and living with my father...which I continued to do until almost 37!

At 28 I was completely dysfunctional, making bad decisions left and right. In 1981 I had 11 jobs...and I bought 7 brand new cars. Blowing opportunities like nobody's business. Got my first (and last) supervisor job. Those didn't grow on trees, but of course I quit because I couldn't stand prosperity. Got married at 31, but that was over in 1.5yrs.

Realized I was upside down finally and reached out for help. Mental health care was primitive in the early 80's. This psych told me to go outside with a baseball bat and pound on a telephone pole. Found out 25yrs later that quack went to jail for molesting two special needs clients of his. Yeah.

And that's the way I rolled for almost 30 more years because 'professionals' kept missing my diagnosis. Thank your lucky stars you're getting a handle on your issues now. There's nothing quite like looking back at the corpses of guilt and regret and money spent and opportunities blown during your journey down life's road to make you feel alive! Lol.

I was a MESS!

30th birthday..... Fresh out of a long term hospital stay and only 2 months away from going back in. Yeah, BAD year! But, I've done a lot of healing since then.

Thanks guys & gals for all your shares

Reading all your shares makes me feel like it doesn't matter what my past was, nor my future will be... I have to always remember that what I do now, for now, & only now is what's life's all about

Absolutely! If you keep looking over your shoulder at the past, you'll fall in a hole. There's not a dang thing you can do about the past anyhow...this was an anchor I struggled mightily with, but I eventually kicked its azz.

Looking ahead is seeing a mirage. Take care of your present...its all you've really got for certain.