The Most Common Lies People Tell Themselves

girl in bathtub holding white ceramic mug
Photo by Artem Labunsky on Unsplash

Life gets frustrating or hard, or even downright depressing sometimes.

We do our best to make things better, but sometimes the only thing we can really do is lie to ourselves.

It's not exactly healthy, but we all do it.

Sometimes, the lies are small and harmless. I would sometimes take on a little project, like alphabetizing my DVD collection, get halfway through, then decide to finish the next day. That day never really came.

Other lies are not totally harmless but are common. Before I started working out regularly, I'd always tell myself I'll start the following week, but always found an excuse to continue my existence as Couch Potato Girl when the following week came.

Some lies are really just a way of running away from your problems, like telling yourself your bad grades will be better than you think when your report card comes out, even though you know that's not true.

Redditors have admitted they tell themselves lots of lies, from the harmless to the harmful and everything in between, and they are ready to share those lies.

It all started when Redditor mikaloha asked:

“What is the lie you tell yourself most often?”

Some lies are simple and funny.

And One More After That

"Just one more episode."

– UnimaginativeFish

"next minute you're already watching the season 2"

– mikaloha

"Can confirm! Also one last chapter. Next thing I know I'm looking for the second book because the first one ended in a cliff hanger"

– lexi2222222222

Too Tired Today

"That tomorrow I am going to exercise."

– gametime-2001

"99% all diets and exercise regimens start on Monday."

– Thencewasit

The Feline Problem

"That I own my cat, and he doesn't own me."

– Rouxxx90

"LIE! your cat owns you, that's a fact"

– mikaloha

Teeth Care

"Dentist: Do you floss?"

"Me: Yes"

– Downtown-Assistant1

"I just tell the truth. No"

– cardinalkgb

Just So Delicious!

"That fried chicken is healthy for me"

– evildorkgod

"keep lying who cares chicken are yum"

– mikaloha

Others were heavier and shows what people are really going through.

There's Someone For Everyone

"That someone out there actually wants to date a divorced 38 year old man who lives in a crappy apartment, only makes 30k per year, and has a kid."

– jamesofearth1

"Your age, apartment, marital status and job don’t define who you are as a person. Those are your current circumstances. Plenty of women are looking for a good human, a good dad, and someone who hangs up their wet towels. Just gotta find the right one who is worthy of your love."

– brain_always_on

"The love of my life was a divorced 37 year old man with a four year old daughter and lived in a duplex. We met on Tinder. I was 35, no kids, never married, doing barely okay financially, entrenched in my loneliness. Three and a half years later, we are still in love, have enough money for weekly pizza night, and my stepdaughter is the most important person in my life. He never thought someone would want to gamble on him and I never thought someone would break through my depression. It's incredibly hard but it actually does happen."

– lokiandgoose

Positive Thinking

"That my life will magically get better if I just keep my chin up and stay positive."

– FuzzMcBeefy84

"Staying positive and keeping your chin up is important on improving your life, but it's just the requirement for being able to do things that will then improve your life. If you've been able to keep positive attitude despite adversities, you are really strong already."

"Things won't just magically happen, but even small improvements can bear big fruit. If you think of most people in the world, they aren't really go-getters, yet their lives go perfectly okay. For most time, life doesn't need great deeds to go well. Just keep doing your small improvements where you can, and remember to look behind yourself sometimes to see how far you've come. You can do this."

– ConservativeSexparty

The Future Is Bright

"That the next generations will find all the solutions to the human condition."

– therealstrongwoman

"Not if as kids they are watching Bob the sponge!"

– lexi2222222222

"Oh they've been found long ago, it's just a matter of taking power back from those who misuse such powerful information, and implementing the proper measures to advance our evolution, rather then stiffle it and reap profit from our miseries."

– Other-Time-3115

Build Up Confidence

"That I'll not let it get to me next time. But when next time comes around..."

"Although I think I have made some progress over the years. Thinks get under my skin a tad bit less often now."

– ballsOfWintersteel

Everyone Moves On Eventually

"that im doing alright. that i am okay with leaving him. that im over him. that i dont love him anymore."

– Deleted User

"You will be alright- one step at a time. You will be okay because there's a reason you left. You don't get 'over' or stop loving someone instantly and you can also still love someone but also know that you can't be with them."

– Faith5v5

And of course, there are those lies that we all tell ourselves.

Eat Better, Feel Better

"I'm starting my diet next week"

– bettyfordslovechild

"Tell yourself you'll start it right now. And if you mean it, hopefully it'll happen. It's easier to do something in the moment than to postpone it."

– StickyBlackMess69420

"And also, remember to be specific with what you’re eating. If you say, “I want to eat less treats”, then you’ll end up eating the same. If you say, “I will only eat (X) treats every day”, then you’ll end up doing that. It worked for me, I hope it works for you."

– Thedownrihgttruth

Could Use a Rememberall!

"That I'll remember something and don't need to write it down.. whatever it was"

– CasualSlacker

Yeah, That'll Happen

"I'll stop scrolling Reddit in 5 minutes and go to bed."

– LazyLion65

"The legend says, he's still scrolling"

– Ill_Gas4579

Why Do Today…

""I'll do it tomorrow""

"I have delayed stuff for months and some of them are things that would take me like 30 minutes to do."

– Raigheb

"procrastination is a disease. there are ways to stop it but i'll tell you how tomorrow"

– mikaloha

Yeah, I’m a victim of that one myself.

Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below.

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