Can't see sims in game, and Mods folder is missing its content

my mods will show at startup, and when i try to start playing i can't see my sims or interact with the bar at the bottom (refer to 2nd picture attached). heres the twist. i went into my sims 4 folder in documents, then into mods, but NOTHING shows up but "Resource.cfg". i don't know what to do. i don't remember ever deleting my mods! If i turn off cc and mods in the game menu, I'm going to lose everything. and if i want to add something to the mods folder and try again, it still won't work because all my old cc pops up at the startup but not in my mods folder! someone please help me! this is driving me insane and if I can't fix it, then sims isn't something i want to play anymore. ☹️