I think I struggled the most from about the age of 12 until about the age of 18, a little less from 18 to 20 and then again when I got divorced about 15 years later. Probably the most stable my life has been was since I got married the second time. Having someone actually caring in your corner does a lot to add stability.

Hard to pick just one. I guess my top pick is in my mid and late 40’s. The struggle was mostly because my husband was in a job he didn’t like, and also he was laid off during that time. Additionally, I became more fearful to make decisions and that added to the whole thing. We fought a lot!

Another time was in my early teens. I was on and off depressed and that was very difficult, but then you get older and everything is relative I guess.

I broke up with a long term boyfriend when I was 21 and it was devastating. I had horrible anxiety, physically ill from it. I should have taken a college term off, but I didn’t. I ruined my GPA. It was horrific for months. Severe grieving.

I was probably least stable around 14–15 when I was realizing that my homosexuality was for certain but I did not want to accept it in myself yet. I also had some doubt at the beginning of college, in 2009, when I questioned what I was doing with my life and the path I wanted to go down (I was also affected by homesickness and the abrupt change of starting college).

My high school days. It was three years of isolation not totally, I did have some people who weren’t mean to me, but they weren’t close to me either. Somehow the kids at school just decided that I was a freak and I shouldn’t be included in anything. Even some teachers were especially mean to me. There was a girl who wanted to be my friend, but in the end she was just doing that to “change” me and earn a reputation of being the saint who reformed a sinner. People either thought I didn’t exist or I was an annoyance.

Things started to get better in college, when people started to care less about being “cool”. I got to meet some genuinely good people who I’m still in contact with today. This was also the time when I became involved with Fluther. The people that I met were supportive enough for me to finally realize that some toxic people I was with weren’t worth my time.

I think my current time is the most stable time of my life compared to other periods before. I have a good support system, knowledge about the world, and the most life experience. I don’t think my past self would have imagined life to be this way. I used to hear talk about how high school was the best time in one’s life, and how life would get worse and people would get meaner, and I have never believed it. Looking back, high school was the worst time of my life and people just get tired of high school drama as they grow up. I have no nostalgia for high school in any way.