Men's Group

Sadly, your cynicism is well founded. It is a definite risk to share, but sometimes the benefits may outweigh the consequences. Of course, there are always PMs.

I am fortunate that my man is also quite helpful. It has been very hard and emotionally draining to have been out of work for almost 10 years. I feel like a failure. Everyone tries to be supportive, but it often comes across as "just do X", "you need to get out there and do Y", "stop feeling sorry for yourself," and the list goes on. It is always from a place of love, but sometimes, it stings. Fortunately, he has never done that to me. Sometimes I think we have it easier than heterosexual couples because we don't have the "wo/man's work" bullshit. We do what we like, and sometimes have to divvy up the chores we don't, usually based on who can do it better.

I am sorry to hear about the bad updates. Try and stay strong, but if you need to unload, just send a PM with the following, "I am just unloading, I don't need a response. Please delete after reading." And I will gladly do so. Or, if you want to chat, I am good with that too.

I am also glad you are a part of this group, to me it adds to the diversity of the group, which is oddly, often called into question.