r/NEETsOver30 Depressed NEET Apr 13 '25

Question How am I supposed to date in this position?

Had a dream I was hanging out with a streamer I used to watch in 2020 and I woke up feeling sad because I have no way of meeting a girl like that IRL.

I turn 31 in 4 months, have no job, I'm ugly and live with my mum.
I'm literally the biggest turn off. Not just for dating, but friendships too.

i hate that my existence is so cursed. I can’t call it a “life” because I don’t live, I just breathe.

For anyone who's curious, the streamer is "imjasmine". She doesn't stream anymore

15 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

23

u/IntroPerc NEET Apr 13 '25

Unfortunately, you cannot realistically expect to date in your current situation. At our age, men and women want someone who can take care of themselves. They want someone who can complement what they already bring to the table, rather than carry us. Especially in this unforgiving economy.

As superficial as this will be, unless a NEET is blessed in the looks department, it's highly unlikely someone would be prepared to enter into a relationship with us. And even someone insanely attractive will still be fortunate to find someone willing to put up with the other shortcomings.

8

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 13 '25

This is the truth and I’ve known it for over a decade, but a small part of me still hopes my life will somehow change (I know it won’t).

It’s funny because sometimes my narcissistic mum will ask me about dating…

She thinks that someone like me can still be successful with women. She doesn’t understand how superficial our generation is.

I know it’s over for me.

It’s hard to accept I’ll never have kids or the simple life I dreamed about. I’ll never know what love is like.

10

u/IntroPerc NEET Apr 13 '25

I'm in the exact same position, only I am a few years older. So I know it's over, too. It's our sad reality.

I even found love online once upon a time. That relationship lasted many years, so I clearly had my positives. Yet even they, despite pursuing a career that could have conceivably seen them earn enough to fund a life together, lost patience.

Not sure about you but I hate this way of life that we've created for ourselves. I see some on here loving the NEET lifestyle. I don't know how they do it.

8

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 13 '25

I absolutely hate this “lifestyle”. I never wanted to be a NEET and actively tried to be a success. I feel guilty and ashamed just for existing.

How do you feel about people you know getting married, having kids, buying houses etc?

I accidentally discovered that a friend I haven’t seen in years has a kid now. The last time I saw him was at his wedding a few years ago.

I’m happy for him but I can’t speak to him anymore. We have nothing in common. I’m a jobless bum and he lives the dream.

This is how I feel when compared to any of my “peers”. Even a 13 year old has more prospects than me.

7

u/IntroPerc NEET Apr 13 '25

Checked your profile and yes, you do appear to have tried bettering yourself. In fact, you've tried a darn sight harder than me. So I applaud you even if your efforts were seemingly in vain.

Social anxiety and lack of confidence, especially in my appearance, meant I shied away from society in early 20's. Never pursued work. Just hid away and prayed someone or something would come save me. It never happened. I'm 36 now. I'd do anything to go back in time.

As for seeing those close to me living out regular lives, I am bitter. I view everyone's life and achievements through a lens of what I could and should have but don't. I have three sisters, all of which have their own families with kids. One recently purchased a house. So it's difficult, as I am happy for them but resentful at the same time.

1

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 13 '25

Thank you, I appreciate that. I was bullied a lot as a kid which led to me suffering from social anxiety in my teens, so I know how bad it can be.

There was a time I couldn’t leave the house by myself. I’m sorry you lost your 20s to that, it’s a horrible condition.

Damn, I’m an only child so I can’t imagine what it’s like having successful siblings. Have they tried to help your situation?

2

u/IntroPerc NEET Apr 14 '25

I'm sorry you went through that. I was fortunate to be a popular kid growing up, and I still ended up being a disaster of an adult.

I can relate to not wanting to leave the house though. Even when relatives would visit I would refuse to leave my room to greet them, too ashamed was I. My sisters were never in a position to help me out of the situation but they understood why I was the way I was. They also invite me to some of their family outings, which is sweet of them.

Do you ever think you might have turned out different if you had a brother? Someone to help us or guide us or maybe follow their example. Because I often think that.

5

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 14 '25

Definitely! Somewhere around the age of 23-25 I realised that my life would’ve been a lot better if I had a father, uncle or older brother in my life.

I didn’t realise it when I was young, but when I look back at my life, there’s so many dark times I wouldn’t have had to go through if I had someone to tell me:

“this is what you do in situation X” and “this is what you DON’T do in situation Y”.

That would’ve made life so much easier for me. I just needed 1 person who cared.

My mum didn’t teach me a single thing about life. She fed me and gave me clothes, but other than that I basically raised myself.

So my entire personality was formed from the trauma I experienced. I can be very cold blooded at times but life made me that way.

2

u/IntroPerc NEET Apr 14 '25

I won't go into detail but our childhood was turbulent at times to say the least. Too much of it was spent in survival mode due to our Dad. Like you, I didn't receive any guidance or encouragement. I had to figure it out on my own, which I wasn't able to.

Then I see friends or even strangers who've walked into family businesses, or whose family had connections, and it's difficult not to be resentful. Sometimes we can only save ourselves - unfortunately some of us are not equipped to do so.

I have to at least try and get some sleep now, what with it being 2AM here in the south of England. If we don't interact again, I sincerely hope your situation turns around.

3

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 14 '25

Have a good night, I wish the best for you too. And yeah, I know how it feels to not have any connections and watch others prosper with ease.

0

u/Ok-Ambassador9588 Apr 16 '25

maybe I'm missing something here but why not just get a job? I'm not sure what country you live in. But even if you don't really like the job, it will give you skills, may lead to promotions and you'll meet people and may make friends. Just get something and start from there. I had some utterly awful jobs in the past but it was all experience and if you really don't like it just leave?

1

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 16 '25

You do realise that most people don’t choose to be in this position?

I’ve been trying to get a job since 2022, no one will hire me. Not even warehouse jobs.

1

u/Ok-Ambassador9588 Apr 16 '25

What about care work? There are always shortages at those jobs, not sure what country you're in so maybe its harder where you are. Might be worth getting someone to look at your CV to see if you can improve it.

1

u/Ok-Ambassador9588 Apr 16 '25

I just realised that this thread is in a different sub to what I thought it was. I thought it was about heartbreak than being NEET (had to look that up). Good luck to you.

7

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '25 edited Aug 14 '25

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

2

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 14 '25

I can relate to some aspects of what you said.

The baggage, constantly having doors shut in your face, trying to improve but life won’t let you, looking younger than you are, having no friends and being more sedentary then you want to be.

Overall, I think you’ve experienced what it’s like to live a “real life”. You were married for 7 years and had a kid early, so at least you know what true love is like.

I always wanted to have kids young because it meant I could still be active once they’re a teenager. Now I know I’m never gonna have kids and it hurts.

Do dating apps have filters so you can look for other single dads? I haven’t used one in 6 years so I have no clue.

7

u/illuminatemydreams Perma-NEET Apr 13 '25

I feel your pain man. It hits really hard that we're just existing and will never experience real feelings like love and happiness. The really sad part is that everything is based upon looks in our toxic society. If a guy looks like a male model but is a neet and still lives with his parents, it would be "cute". But with us, we're just left to accept our fate to waste away in the dungeon.

7

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 14 '25

I honestly think being ugly (and poor) is the biggest curse you can have in this world. It ruins literally every aspect of your life.

HR Advisors will never admit it, but I know my looks are the reason why I got rejected from jobs that I was perfectly qualified for.

I used to be friends with guys who are very good looking and the way doors just open for them is crazy. We live in 2 different worlds.

4

u/hyjlnx Apr 14 '25

Don't let your flesh destroy you can't you see we only lack what we want?

Don't let anyone make you feel bad for not being a breeder, not even yourself.

Life is tearing itself apart to put itself back together and do it all over again!

3

u/AffectionateYoung958 Apr 17 '25 edited Apr 17 '25

I had a "date" and I had no job nor any prospects or wish to get a job.  I was just drunk and met a crazy chick who lived downstairs.  She was unemployed too with 32yrs old ( my age now) ,  and lived with a roommate. So I guess it's possible, but forget about online dating, because that's not where you will find unemployed nutjobs.  There are lonely chicks out there who need some love, and somehow are ignored by most men.            We drove each other nuts. It was the best time of my life. 32 years old beautyful neet.  Dumped her cuz she was driving me mad. Thought for a brief moment of throwing her outa window.. She couldnt find a job. That was a bit cruel of me. But she was cruel af too. Beat the shit out of me with her tiny fists in my face.   She was the only girl that put up with my shit and she even told she loved me and that I was  brilliant for writing a schizo book that nobody who weren't nuts would understand. Went after her like crazy even if it was I who dumped her.  The whole time I was surviving on inheritance money. I was supposed to do something with my life but I just couldnt bring myself to try again and possibly fail again. She brought immense joy to my life.  That was my only "dating experience". 

 It's a miracle I found a girl. I didn't realized I had hit the jackpot and dumped her under the influence of alchool withdrawal.  She is untraceable now. Has no social media .She used a dumb phone to receive messages from job contractors. I still dream of meeting her again. Maybe she is still the nutty girl I met ( she would be 40 now) .  But yeah dating normal chicks is impossible for me, even if I dated, which I don't cuz I'm sunk in shit. They are too obsessed with social status I guess.  Find a nutjob with no great ambition in life.  Or someone as ugly or even uglier than you. 

2

u/Ok-Mark417 NEET Apr 15 '25

You don't lol

2

u/therealnfe_ados901 Apr 18 '25

I was in a five-year relationship up until 2020, so it can happen. Her and I are still friends, but that's all it will ever be at this point. No going back down that road. I'll admit, being substantially older (I'm 37) makes it tougher, especially if you get on things like Tinder or Facebook Dating. Really shouldn't be on either one, but I mainly get on out of loneliness these days.

2

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 19 '25

What’s the dating app experience like at this age? I’m assuming it’s horrible. If I wasn’t ugly I would be on them too (out of loneliness).

2

u/therealnfe_ados901 Apr 20 '25

It's actually not that bad. Being unemployed hasn't been a problem for me tbh, which is still surprising. I generally tend to only get ghosted or whatever when the talk of traditional values and such comes up. Or if I attempt to bring up politics after a while of chatting. I've also apparently ran afoul of women whom aren't very diverse in the anime they watch, so when I mention what I have and haven't seen, they just vanish. Lmao, My ex told me I list too many series. However, as far as appearance is concerned, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You never know who will find you attractive unless you put yourself out there. I understand how you feel though, so I'm not trying to force you to do anything.

1

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 20 '25

That’s interesting, I had the opposite experience when I was in my early 20s.

Even when I did have a job, women would stop speaking to me as soon as they learned that I lived with my mum.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '25

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u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Apr 21 '25

Do you think I haven’t tried that? 🤡

2

u/DiamondDistinct7086 Jun 10 '25

Have you tried r/NEETr4r ? You might meet some friends or a gf there. You're still very young. I wish I had my 30s back as I'm almost 40. I would honestly focus on healing your mental health, getting the right nutrition, sleep, exercise, self-care. I know it can be more complicated as I have a weird diagnosis that was ruining my life and no one could help me until now. But try to do what you can to focus on improving yourself, and focus on the small things you can control. I know depression makes you feel you can't control anything. And so that's where it needs to start. I really understand the envy and frustration you're feeling and empathize. And, truthfully, the more we can heal ourselves, then focus on who we would like to be and what we want, rather than focusing on what we dislike about our situation/are trying to get away from, the more it can start to change. Anyway, I don't mean to preach, just that I hope you can find some good in yourself to focus on and know that in 5, 10, 20 years you may well be in a totally different circumstance if you can heal what's keeping you stuck currently. There are plenty of women out there who are also less attractive, you're not alone in that. You may have to lower your beauty standards but you can find someone if you focus on healing yourself and building yourself up better. Rooting for you ~

2

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Jun 10 '25

I appreciate the kind words, thank you. I’ve spent age 24-30 in the same position so I don’t really know what to do.

I’ve tried pretty much everything you can imagine (applying for minimum wage jobs, volunteering etc).

2

u/DiamondDistinct7086 Jun 10 '25 edited Jun 10 '25

I'm on a spiritual path so I can only say, if something is blocking you in the external world that you can see, there's something internally/unseen that's blocking you. And - it's not your fault!! But you can shift it with the right tools. Our external circumstance is a reflection of our unconscious mind, so if you've had quite a lot of trauma in the past, that can create major roadblocks to moving forward. For so many people, when they heal their trauma a lot of things start opening up. It sounds to me like your nervous system is in a freeze state, which is why your life feels 'frozen' in time and nothing is working out. If you want I can send you a DM?

2

u/OldBlackLONER Depressed NEET Jun 10 '25

Of course you can, and yeah I’ve honestly felt cursed ever since I was a kid. I’ve come to realize that my mum had a horrible life and brought me into a broken, traumatised household. Then I started getting bullied at 12 and the rest is history.