YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

I'm trying to find an apartment in NYC, but I don't have a job so I have to find a place that accepts co-signers. I'm almost 25 years old and I still need my dad to pay my rent. This whole process just really drives home how little I've accomplished with my life so far. But the worst part is the constant gnawing feeling that I will always be a failure, that I missed my window of opportunity, that I don't stand a chance at becoming a professional writer. And it's led me to question all of my life choices and hopes and I'm worried that I'm on the verge of some sort of existential breakdown.

You're definitely not a failure. You're still young, trust me. I have the same feelings of failure at 36 (been living at my in-laws' house since we lost our house over a year ago, as an example) and I constantly need to remind myself of my successes in life. It's not easy, I know. Today's been a struggle for me, falling much further into the "failure" mindset than "success", but I know it's temporary - just as I think your situation will be.