Some of the strongest people are emotional and sensitive, don’t make it a bad thing or let it change who you are for the worse. You sound relatively young, but at least have a college degree. Your degree is in speech therapy? What issues do you have regarding following through with that path (for now)? I’m not totally sure what your credentials are, but there are speech therapists/SLPs that work in hospitals. From my own knowledge, they do things like swallow evaluations and aspiration (food or fluids getting into the lungs) studies for patients. They can do tests like the Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) to even better understand how patients swallow. Link if you’re curious: https://www.asha.org/public/speech/swallowing/videofluoroscopic-swallowing-study/ Your degree can make you good money and help you gain independence, both with whittling away at your debt and moving out from your mom. I recommend looking into SLP work in hospitals if you’re wary of traditional “speech therapy” work. The work can be very fulfilling knowing that you are helping people, but patients and their families are not always the most appreciative. You learn to deal with it and cherish the good moments with the kind and grateful families. I’ve also made some of my best friends through work (I am a nurse). As far as relationships, getting them and maintaining them is often out of our control, because another human being is involved. From your comments, it sounds like you are involved in several communities, which is great. I have been/am in your shoes where I desire a romantic relationship and community. The romance is harder to come by for me, but community involvement is a great way to meet a potential partner. It used to bother me more that I am single, but now I am happy enough with my work, friends, myself, and some aspects of my family that I am doing alright without. And I’m excited for the day I do meet someone special.