Former Spoiled Woman Finally Gets Job, And Seeks Help Trying To Adjust
One day at a time.
Not having to earn a living through work is quite the luxury. You've only ever done small, non-demanding jobs and now yuo need a serious one. That can be quite the life shift. One Redditor Orbmave has had to face this experience and she needs help dealing. She wrote... Hey, Sorry if this is rambling and weird, Im having a rough time.
This all sounds so stupid and first worldly but I am seriously struggling. Im in my 30's and have been spoiled much of my life. I was the youngest of my family. While I was a child we were poor but then my dad made a career change and we were suddenly doing quite well. I had no obligations or expectations on me. I see as an adult that I was neglected a bit. I think my parents were done raising kids before I came along.
As I was a good kid as a teenager, didn't do great in school but I didn't cause my parents many headaches. I was never punished for anything though. Bad grades? Broke a window? Supposed to clean my room but didn't? Just "don't do it again." And I'd just get the same words next time it happened.
I had a few jobs as a young adult. Cashier at Target then later data entry at a mortgage loan firm. I only worked at Target for a month and the firm for three. So even that experience is small and kind of sad.
At 21 I left my job at the firm to marry my husband and move with him to Canada. He's in the Navy so for the next 12ish years we've moved around while I was a stay at home wife. We didn't want kids so it was easy to afford our lives without me working. I'm not blaming my husband for spoiling me in that way but I wish now that we had made different decisions.
Now my husband has retired after 20 years and we've moved back home near my family. His retirement pay is alright but extra would lessen the burden. He's been looking but hasn't found anything yet.
I got a job as cashier/stocker at a local small grocery and I hate it so much. I get this terrible tightness in my stomach/chest just thinking about having to work tomorrow. I feel like puking and crying all the time. I just flatten out and can barely have a conversation with my husband when i get home. The job is totally fine, everyone is nice and its pretty laid back but it's so difficult for me to handle. I feel like such an idiot and a child that I can't do what everyone else does almost every day of their lives. My husband tells me he's so proud that I got a job but it hurts so much just hearing that. How can anyone be proud of this? I don't want to disappoint him by quitting. I don't want to quit because I worry I'll never get another job if I do that. He tells me to talk to a therapist but when do I do that? There's no time for anything! I get home and have to recover for like 3 hours then I might have an hour or two where I feel normal but then I start worrying about having to go back the next day.
What do I do? Is this anxiety? Depression? Does everyone else feel this way? My whole body hurts with the stress. I haven't even worked there very long. He keeps saying itll get better. How is that even possible? Will this feeling just go away in a few weeks? I don't know what to do.
Thanks for listening. I have to go to work and writing this was a good distraction. I'll reply when I get home.
Well people... thoughts?
Doing what you gotta do...
Your experience sounds like something similar to what my wife has gone through recently. She worked to support herself for many years, but when she and I got married, it turned out that the money I was bringing in was able to cover our respective expenses comfortably, so she did not have to work if she did not want to. She decided to stop working at a job and instead focus on other things; that was nearly 15 years ago.
Recently, for reasons that are unimportant to the conversation, we have had some unexpected expenses come into our lives, and my paycheck was no longer enough to cover everything. So she went out looking, and found a job a couple of months ago. And she hates it. Just as you hate yours. She has the same dread each evening, thinking about the fact that she has to go to work tomorrow. She has the same frustration that there's no time (it seems) to do anything but work any more.
I don't believe that in her case it's anxiety or depression; I believe it's simply the stress that comes from adjusting from a lifestyle that one has lived for many years into a new one that is substantially different.
I can't say for certain that it will get better, though it has, somewhat, for my wife; you and she are different people. But once she got into the groove of going to bed earlier, and getting up earlier, and going to the office and doing whatever it is that she does, it at least became regular, instead of seeming like an intrusion every day on what her normal routine was. That may happen for you as well.
I don't know whether that will help you or not, but I wanted to post it so that you would know that at least you are not the only one who is having a similar experience.
In my wife's case, it helps her to focus, not on the job itself, but on the end goal that the job is helping her and us to work toward; carrying a heavy sack of concrete really sucks, and if you are focused on nothing but the weight of the concrete all day, it's nothing but drudgery. If instead, however, you focus on the temple you are building with that concrete, and how beautiful it is going to be when you are done, the weight (though not less) can be more fulfilling.
Do not think of each day as "I have to go to work"; try to think of it as "I am helping my husband and myself have a more secure financial future."
Depression is everywhere.
Situational depression is a thing and needs be taken seriously. You really should make time to see a doctor about how you are feeling. Make an appointment and let your job know not to schedule you for that time. They won't mind if you let them know before the make that week's schedule.
Thank you so much for writing this. My mom has gone through a similar situation, SAHM for 20 years then suddenly back working, and has stressed over it constantly. I had been attributing it to some undiagnosed anxiety, but you've made me consider that I may be being unfair to her. If I could ask, how long did it take for your wife to start feeling better about her job?
You are going through a massive crisis because of significant changes in your life. It is perfectly normal, and you will get used to it in time. Most people don't feel quite as bad about working because they have gotten used to it. But a lot of people feel like that e.g. on Sunday nights when the dreaded workweek is ahead again. Talking to a therapist would probably help. But developing skills will help too.
Your time used to be yours and you could do whatever you wanted with it. Now, with someone else dictating how to spend the most of your day, it has become a precious commodity, and you need to get much better in using it and organising it. You say you have no time for anything, but you have three hours to recover after work! That is loads of time. What did you use to do when you didn't work? What did you enjoy? Go back to those hobbies and schedule them in to your week. Make clear time slots for them so that after work you have something fun to look forward to and life isn't just about work. Even if you feel tired at first, make yourself do what used to be normal.
I would also recommend scheduling in something fun for first thing in the morning, e.g. exercise. That way when you wake up, it's not "oh no, I have to go to work," but you actually have an hour of something enjoyable to do before the 'getting ready for work' starts. Running is the easy one, because you can just get your kit ready in the evening, throw it on and be out the door in five minutes enjoying the sunshine - or the rain.
Building a weekly schedule for everything will help anyway and there are all sorts of cool organisers and youtube videos on how to do that. The benefits are: you will get stuff done, you have a record of what you've been doing and you can see it's not all work, and you have things to look forward to - and you can achieve things because you have a plan for them.
Talking of achieving, you have decades of work ahead, so it is probably best to start thinking about getting an education and an interesting job in something you actually like. If you have no idea what you're interested in, sample lots of different courses online, e.g. on coursera, go to the library and browse books, read blogs and watch videos. Take your time and keep your mind open. I guarantee you that eventually you will find something that makes you excited and wanting to learn more. Then build that learning into your weekly schedule. It doesn't have to be a degree, it might e.g. be a special skill that helps you set up your own business.
You are going through a massive life change, and possibly the first big challenge in your life. It is scary, it is exhausting, you will often have no clue what to do. But if you keep your mind open, get curious and are willing to learn, anything can happen and you can become anything you like. I believe in you!
Run Forest! Run!
Fun might be the wrong word, but I love my morning runs because as an introvert they're my truly alone time. I get up at 5 in the morning so that I can run before work, and it's so valuable to me to be able to spend half an hour or so just cruising along lost in my own thoughts. Hardly anyone else is out that early so it's just uninterrupted peace and quiet.
But I recognize that it's not worth it for a lot of people!
Be adventurous...
This is a good idea, just do something you think you will enjoy, whatever it is. I get up between 4 and 4:30 am. I used to get up to an alarm at 6am do all the things to get going and head off to work, sometimes earlier if it was gym day, hated it. Around five months or so ago, one of my dogs became sick and started getting me up at all hours. He has improved on sleeping until 4 or so, but still gets me up. He is in hospice, so now I get up, take him out, feed all of them and then sit on the couch with my morning tea and breakfast for more than an hour reading Reddit with him in my lap. It makes my days so much better, even with not getting as much sleep. Turns out, I really need the slow mornings to make my life happier. I like my job, I really like the people I work with, but given a choice, I'd rather stay home.
Think about what you might enjoy doing, possibly got to school for it. One thing I've noticed is the more white collar and higher in an organization the more flexibility you tend to have in your work life. It's not fair, but reality. I can pretty much set my own hours within reason, but the receptionist or admin assistants can't. You might want to find a position that lets you work from home sometimes, which helps me a lot.
Good Luck...
I'll say this: Going to work sucks. I've been working full time everyday for the last 12 years and I'm no closer to a house, or anything. (Don't get me wrong, I have savings but houses are literally 1.5m+ in my city so unless my partner gets his stuff together we won't be buying anytime soon - and that's another story...). Recently, I've had a lot of co-workers, who I've known for years, move on. To new jobs or new locations. I'm the only one left in my section. So, obviously my job, after 12 years, is no longer mentally stimulating. I do enjoy what I do (customer service/helping others) but I can do that with my eyes closed. 90% of my motivation, the co-workers who became my friends, are gone. I'm dealing with a bunch of new people I have no connection with. And hey, added bonus, the pay is still pretty low. (It was worth it for how much I enjoyed being there previously). I used to wake up excited to go to work. Now, all of a sudden, I feel exactly the same as you do. Anxious, de-motivated, and generally pissed off.
I know how you feel. It's because you don't want to do it. You don't want to sacrifice 8 hours (+/-) of your day having to do something tedious to earn a few bucks. You, having tasted what freedom feels like, and being able to do whatever you want, and relax at home, probably resent the fact that you are being forced into this position, this environment where you can't do what you want. I've been a little spoiled (work was fun for me for a long time), so I get it. I hope I haven't rambled on too much about my own issues with work but I really feel what you are saying. You are not alone.
See a therapist. Try to change your mindset. Try to not think and just do. Don't feel like you are forced to go in, make it your choice to go in. Try to look for the positives in your job. Customer service can be tough, but it is also rewarding. Think of your husband. Do it for him if you find you can't for yourself. And there are options: Perhaps look for another job you can relax a little more at - maybe a job where you can work from home would suit you better (that's what I dream of!). Good luck.
I'm in a similar position. I escaped retail/service and was working towards becoming a tradesman. I got started later than all my peers, and was fully 15-18 years older than my work mates. But I was hanging on and doing well. And the work was brutal, exhausting, terrible labor. But I was learning a lot, and having a great time, and at no time did a customer ever come up and be an a-hole and ruin my day.
And then, for the third time in my life, I blew out one of my knees.. well having been through it before I figured "I got this." So I put on of my old braces on, and went back to work.. but it got worse, and worse, and worse (yes I know this is all my fault from not seeking medical help). Until it got to the point it is now, where I hobble around and can't do much of anything.
I sit here.. knowing that there was a good life ahead of me, but that opportunity is gone now, and I sit depressed completely out of money, behind on bills, and trying to get myself to apply to these crap jobs, that make me think I'd rather jump off a bridge, than serve another customer coffee, or bag their groceries or whatever.
I've tried leveraging the construction/trade experience into some sort of maintenance position or custodial, but all it takes is for them to see how I walk when I come into the interview, and the interview is over at that point.
Hell I even had a grocery store give me an interview, and when they saw me walk in, looked at my legs (obvious I have bracers on under the pants), and said "ok well thanks for coming in, but we don't really have anything for you."
I hear ya. I have only been working for a little over a decade but I've hated every minute of it. My life is whatever I can piece together with the tiny fragments of time left after all of my 'responsibilities'. And it will never end. I will always need car maintenance, groceries, laundry, bills, the only thing that keeps me going is the hope for a brighter future. If it were the 1800's and there was no technological progress I would have killed myself by now. Not in a dramatic emotional way, just like oh this is what existence is, no thank you I'm not interested. It's not getting easier, as time goes on I just lose a little more of myself and get a little more numb. I worry that if my life ever does get better there won't be anything left inside of me to care.
There is better out there!
Girl this is just what it's like to have a crappy job. It doesn't mean you'll feel this way about EVERY job. But yeah, minimum wage, unskilled jobs often cause a lot of people to feel this way.
Why don't you try figuring out something you might enjoy doing? Or working part time until you do?
What's up Doc?
I know someone like this.
He has major anxiety surrounding adulthood. Super smart, fundamentally kind, but absolutely terrified of being a grown-up. He has admitted that if he could spend forever in his childhood bedroom with nothing heavier on his plate than cleaning his room and doing homework, he would do it. Adulthood just scares the crap out of him. For some reason, the idea of working and paying bills and doing taxes and generally just being responsible for himself for the rest of his life overwhelms him. And it's not because he was spoiled - his parents had high expectations and he did very well in school. He's just had anxiety his whole life and this is how it chose to sabotage him.
He is in therapy and on meds. It helps enough that he can hold down a low-stress, part-time job. He's not to the point where he can handle full-time work or living on his own, but that is the goal. You're not going to improve without help. Don't be afraid to ask for it.
I'm similar. Severe anxiety, very much overwhelmed by the daily realities of making in a living in this world. What made it worse was the fact that I did not have a full-time job until I was 28, because I lost most of my 20s to mental illness and wasn't stable enough to keep a job. And starting so late, when everyone else around me - YOUNGER than me - was already accustomed to the demands of daily work was humiliating, grueling, and overwhelming.
It took 4 long years and nearly a second mental breakdown before I said F**K IT to the big city rat race and moved to a smaller town in a different part of the province.
I'm doing much better now. I'm in a different line of work that I actually like. The cost of living is 25% lower. I found a family-oriented company that actually cares about its employees and wants them to have a life outside of work. The dread still sets in every Sunday night, and I find myself desperately waiting for Friday every week... but I make it through, and I work hard.
The only lingering thing that pesters me is the fact that I cannot make my own work hours and build work around my life instead of the other way around. But that's the way it is for most everyone. You hand over your time to someone else. That's what makes me dread Mondays. That, and the nagging fear that I will regress into not being able to hold a job again, but that's another story.
OP should def see a doctor/therapist about her anxiety, but a big chunk of the problem is that OP just has to grow up a little later than other people, just like I did. Growing pains always hurt.
You're not alone!
Damn this is me right now. Whenever I get a job it's just constant anxiety until I quit. I did have a job for a few months that wasn't too bad, I didn't like going and sometimes I called in sick when I shouldn't have, but I could manage it it was just a few hours every day doing data entry. Then they changed the job to answering phone calls and dealing with customers and working full time and then the anxiety was to much and I quit. I have no idea what to do with my life tbh or how to get a job I can handle.
Do what you have to...
Some people say "find something you love," but I don't think that is practical. More like, "Find something you don't mind doing for 8 hours a day," or something that doesn't run you into the ground.
Right now I do something I don't mind doing for 8 hours a day, such that it passes the time and it can be interesting (learning about science). But it took me 4 years to figure out wtf I was good at and what I even liked. I do still look at people who say, "I love my job!" like they have three heads. But I had 5 jobs before this one as I tried to figure out what I liked and what I could handle.
A big reason I can function at this level is because I take daily medication and I go to therapy twice a month. Those two things help mitigate the insane anxiety I have very little control over. It lowers the base line enough that I can try to combat the situational anxiety that still comes through. BUT, therapy is a luxury, especially if you're American, so I know that isn't always practical.
So you do know one thing - dealing with phone calls and customers is too difficult to handle. (Same with me.) The next step is to look at the things you're good at, and figure out the kind of jobs that would let you use those good skills. Skills like: You like to solve problems. You are curious, so you like to research because you find answers to weird questions. You like to figure out how things work, so maybe you'd be good at putting things together or fixing them. You're a good critical thinker, so maybe you'd be good at analysing data. Or you like to do social experiments, so maybe you could test out social media posts to see if you can boost a company's followers/engagement. OR, you like jobs without complicated expectations, so you stock products in a store - that way you mostly don't deal with people, and you need to figure out where things go and organize them. Or you deliver packages. Or you make flower arrangements in a shop.
You can get pretty creative if you want to. Eventually you'll figure out more about what you can/can't handle and you can narrow down the list of the types of jobs you want to try.
I had to quit several call centre jobs because I couldn't stop crying at work. I picked up some light retail hours in an area I was actually interested in - adult retail - and now retrained to work for myself as a sex coach. I don't think I'm cut out for the 9 - 5 world (I still have nightmares about office work) and running my own business is so much less stressful than the anxiety of working for a corporation. The most important thing to me is that I work to my code of ethics and can be proud of what I do.
You know, I think there is a job that for everyone that they will enjoy. That said, it's probably not the first or second or even third job you will have. It takes time to find something you will enjoy. Enjoy the road along the way with each job that doesn't work out, too, because now you know you don't like that kind of work and can try something else.
Draw from your life previously...
Can I ask what you did during the day when you weren't working for so many years? Did you garden or create and plan big meals? Did you tidy the house? I suppose I'm trying to understand if it's just the shock of being somewhere you have no choice about or if there is an actual real problem here. To be fair I've been working since I was 14 and every few years I get that feeling. I feel like I want to cry when I wake up and would rather die on the way to work than actually go. That's when I know it's time to move on and find something new. But that's after a few years usually not a few weeks.
One thing I've noticed that makes it harder to get things done is social media, since everyone likes to pretend on it that their lives are #perfect #soblessed (excuse me while I throw up in my mouth a moment). I sometimes feel guilty for needing to arrange my days like that (no errands or gym after getting home, etc) because people post stuff about their perfect homes and how they go to the gym at like 11 at night after the kids are asleep but then still get up for work at 5...
Then I just don't want to do anything productive, because I'm thinking "what's the point? I'll never be as good as Brenda over there." Ugh! It's frustrating. But oh well, we just have to learn to work with what works for us and stop worrying.
The best medicine...
He tells me to talk to a therapist but when do I do that? There's no time for anything! I get home and have to recover for like 3 hours then I might have an hour or two where I feel normal but then I start worrying about having to go back the next day.
You say you already have 3 hours allocated to "recovery" each day. That's time you should be using to go to therapy. To say that you can't go to therapy because you're too busy feeling badly about the thing you need therapy for is no different than saying "I'm too sick to go to the doctor." Really, when you feel sick is when you most need to go to the doctor. You can't expect to get better before you take your medicine. It's just that in this case your medicine is counseling.
Baby steps...
How long have you been doing this job? In rehab, when someone is ready to go back to their job, there is a period of "work hardening" where the person has an adjustment period of getting used to the change in schedule, sleep schedule, energy demands, etc
I know that my friends who left work for their families and then went back also had this adjustment period. The adjustment period includes figuring iut what you actually have time and energy for, making adjustments to daily routines and expectations and getting sleep and wake times adjusted.
You will not have the time and energy to do all the things you did while you were not working. Most of that ends up being no big whoop (so we have rotisserie chicken and sides from the deli instead of a completely homemade roadt dinner), but some changes are harder.
Give yourself a break. Expect that you are going to be more tired and more stressed for a while. Loosen the demands on yourself. Notice what you do like about the job and what you don't like. The job itself may not be an ideal fit.
Financially speaking, most of us could benefit greatly from having extra money each month.
But where someone might assume that the extra money would just be wasted, most people would apply these funds to very practical purposes and expenditures.
Redditor dothepingu asked:
"What would you do if you had an extra $1,000 every month?"
Dental Care
"A couple of weeks ago, I went to the dentist and overheard a heartbreaking situation."
"The office had a very open floor plan with privacy screens rather than individual rooms. But you could still hear every single conversation."
"This teenage kid comes in and says that he has a broken crown that needs to be fixed."
"The dentist says that it will cost $700. Kid says he has to call his mom first."
"So the kid calls the mom, and the mom says, 'No way in h**l can we afford that. Just tell the dentist to stick the old one back on.'"
"The dentist is like, 'Are you sure? That's not really a thing. It's just gonna break off again.'"
"The mom says too bad, he has to live with it."
"If I had an extra $1000, I would have picked up that tab for that kid."
- taleofbenji
Practical Choices
"Pay off debts and save."
- luciliddream
"Exactly my thoughts, start actually being able to plan things and save money rather than being on the back foot all the time."
- thebeardeddrongo
Financial Pressure
"Worry less."
- Cool_Ranch_Dodrio
"Absolutely. Money just helps so much for lowering stress!"
- appleparkfive
Quality Time
"I'd ask my husband to take more time off work. We don't need the extra money, I'd rather have his company."
- Eve-3
Health Care
"Save more money and continue with my current lifestyle, except maybe also be able to get eye surgery for my worsening vision."
- Morbidhanson
A Little Self-Care
"I'd start actually getting my hair cut and colored by someone that's not me at 3:00 AM feeling brave."
- digitalisdaydream
"I feel attacked by this comment, it feels personally directed at me."
- friendlyghost_casper
Mental Healthcare
"Be able to take care of my and my wife's mental health a h**l of a lot better."
"Her therapy is important but expensive. I would love to make sure she had more appointments and the best care."
- onionleekdude
Time to Retire
"Retire. 1000 USD per month is LIFE CHANGING in the Philippines."
- Eleazarosaurus
Home Upgrade
"Probably move out of my uncle's shed."
- chunky_chumpkin
Mortgage Payment
"Make an extra mortgage payment; pay off this house twice as fast."
- HawaiianShirtsOR
Regular Meals
"I'd try out that three meals per day trend that people talk about."
- BeginningCap2333
"I'd settle for one meal a day and not living in my car."
- Desalvo23
"Dude. Been there for six months. One day we'll make it big. We'll sleep on a mattress and eat TWO meals a day."
"Like kings."
- CaptainFunktastic
Break Time
"I'd work fewer hours. I've been here for 32 years and haven't been able to take a vacation in over four years."
- The_Safe_For_Work
Providing for Family
"My mom recently became single, with three kids and a grandkid at home. She and two of the kids who live with her are unable to work because of severe health problems."
"I know she is constantly terrified about how she's going to pay the bills. I'd give her the $1,000 each month in a heartbeat."
- GiskardRayke
Man's Best Friend
"I'd finally be able to afford a dog."
- stoleyourspoon
...Ouch.
"Live instead of survive."
- Keanu_Christ
While there are millionaires in the world, or even just people who live very comfortably, most people are currently living paycheck-to-paycheck, give or take a few hundred dollars. And that $1,000 extra each month would make all the difference.
When love is on the rocks and there's no salvaging a relationship, it's better for a couple to call it splits.
Sometimes the reason for a breakup is obvious.
Other times, it's more complicated.
But the people involved going their separate ways is better than staying in an unhealthy relationship.
Curious to hear from ex-lovers who've been there, Redditor Lishasquarepant asked:
"What caused your last break-up?"
These Redditors found they and their significant other were no longer on the same page.
"Simply, we grew apart."
– catetheway
"Same, I feel like Michael Scott everytime I try to start another relationship. 'No question about it, I am ready to get hurt again.'"
– Gthew
Happier Apart
"Same. We loved each other like siblings, not spouses... Ugh! Lovely man though who now has a fab girlfriend. We are good friends and much happier apart."
– MoxieHasKnottyBits
No Regrets
"Same. And it f'king sucks, but that’s life. It’s been a year and I still hate every second that she’s not in my life, but at the same time I know she’s happier now than she would’ve been if we stayed together."
– throway35885328
Having no communication is the worst part.
Silent Partner
"He slowly got distant. I believe he lost interest and didn't dare be honest with me about that."
– GaiaNatur77
The Late Blame Game
"I had that happen as well, but then he pinned it on me being distant and not affectionate enough."
"My guy, if you pull your hand away every time I try to hold it, I'm gonna stop trying to hold it. And if I ask if something's up and you repeatedly tell me everything is fine, I'm going to believe you. Don't wait till I'm at my worst moment and then reveal you had issues with me for 3 months and break up with me for it being 'my fault.'"
– Billielolly
"Everything Is Fine"
"Oh man, the asking repeatedly and getting a 'nothing' reminds me of a story."
"My friend used to ask her ex this every time he was unusually quiet. He’d always say he was fine, then at one point, told her to stop asking because it was making him feel weird."
"So she did."
"Six months later he initiated a divorce because she didn’t care about his feelings anymore."
"Like…don’t ask for sh*t then get pissy when you get what you want."
– TheRealJackReynolds
And then there are those who were not invested in the relationship for a long time.
The Struggle Is Real
"He seemed to struggle with the concept of not f'king random people."
– spanglesandbambi
Leaving The Problem
"He moved to his country because he missed his family. So he only sent a WhatsApp message saying he was going to stay there. I would have preferred a call at least to break up a marriage."
– kattia12
New Life
"Something similar happened to my cousin. He married her in the US, they had a baby together.. a few years go by, he misses home, goes back to visit.. His family had an arranged marriage ready for him 🤦🏻♀️ He ended up with a new wife and new baby. Hasn’t came back."
– MysticalMom7
A Foreign Custom
"It just seems so surreal that a grown a** adult with a wife and baby would leave his family behind for an arranged marriage. I'll never fathom the mentality."
– ro0ibos2
Ouch
"I wasn't having sex near as often as she was."
– YourWordsMatter
Breaking up is hard to do.
But a good thing to remember is that love can be found again and the new relationship can be even better than the previous one.
And that's something that can't be recognized until you look back in retrospect.
We all have to kiss a few toads.
Everyone looks back on their high school experience differently.
Some wish they could relive it all over again, while others are more than happy to put it all behind them and seldom, if ever, look back on it.
Of course, no matter if they look back on high school with pleasure or disdain, everyone has a few memories of their classmates.
Particularly the one who always seemed to be getting into trouble.
Constantly landing themselves in detention and, in more severe cases, landing themself in trouble with the authorities.
Some of these students thankfully grew out of their bullying days and have grown and learned to treat others with respect and kindness. Others were not so lucky, and still found themselves getting into trouble long after their school days were over.
"Who was the worst student in your high school, & what did they do that was so bad?
The Beginning Of The End...
"There was a kid who walked up to the pencil sharpener and set the substitute teacher's hair on fire from behind her with a cigarette lighter and then claimed sparks had flown out of the light switch."
"Yeah."
"He's in prison for other stuff now."- isfrying
Lucky The Room Was Empty...
"I knew a lot of sh*tty people back in school, but I think the guys who dropped a whole desk out of a third-story window onto some kid qualify as the worst, purely because I think that qualifies as an attempted murder."- WixedEcho
Doesn't Exactly Scream True Love...
"The boy that put a pipe bomb into another kid's locker because he talked to the girl the original boy liked."
"He went to a juvenile program and then disappeared."- dreamermom2
The Demon Student Of High School...
"A girl at my school took the ashes of her recently deceased grandfather."
"Baked it into cookies and handed the cookies out amongst her classmates."
"Nine students had eaten them before she revealed the urn and told them what she did."- FiddlerofSticks
What A Waste, So Close To The End...
"He put LSD in a teacher's drink and they tripped."
"12th grade, he got arrested as he should have."- Amy_OZ
How Did He Even Get The Job?
"Not me, but my daughter and her female friends in 9th grade."
"There was a boy who was disturbed who was making threats to the girls in his classes."
"The girls told me he had photos of dead animals he'd killed."
"Anyway, for whatever reason, my daughter felt like telling me about it for the first time well into the school year, like in November or so."
"I had no idea this was going on until then."
"I called the teacher first, who was a man, and he was afraid of this kid."
"Teacher said to call the principal and gave me his number."
"Principal said, and I quote: 'Lady I have 1200 students to deal with on a daily basis'."
"'I can't be worried about whether your daughter is safe at school'."
"Which was the wrong thing to say, bc it obviously pissed me off."
"He said that he put this kid and my daughter alone in a room and told them to essentially kiss and make up."
"Called the superintendent next, who was incredibly bowled over by the incompetence of the principal."
"He told me to call the police."
"Which was too late because I had already taken my daughter and 3 of her friends to the police to make reports and file for a restraining order."
"The next day the principal called to apologize, from the phone in the superintendent's office."
"The kid was removed from the classes with all of these girls, which was next to impossible."
"And less than a week was removed from the school."
"I think my daughter said that he's in prison now."- floridianreader
Some People Can Turn Their Lives Around
"Not the worst student but craziest thing to happen was freshman year this kid got caught using a keylogger to steal teacher's gradebook logins to sell grade changes."
"He was also stealing credit card info."
"Ran into him a few years ago and he actually graduated Harvard and is in real estate now."- AbortionCrow
Bad Decisions Have Consequences
Bullied other kids mercilessly."
"Stole cigarettes & alcohol from shops, to sell to other kids for cash he'd use to buy weed."
"A few years after high school him and 2 of his closest mates were hooning in their sh*tbox on the highway, playing Chicken."
"It was night time and they had their lights turned off, and they were driving on the wrong side of the road with the intent to make other people flinch & dodge before they had to."
"Other driver didn't even know they were there & just drove a straight path."
"So because of that the other driver obviously didn't dodge or deviate, forcing them to flinch and they dodged off the side of a road, right into a huge Gum Tree."
"All 3 killed instantly 140+kmph impact on a hardwood tree."
"Small rural area so the whole town grieved over the 'tragic loss of 3 young lives' but single kid who grew up around them knew better than to call it a tragedy."
"Glad the other driver didn't see them & suffer their fate."
"Gladder that they're gone."- Pharya
Some People Simply Never Learn From Their Mistakes
"One of the rich families kid was just 100% incapable of driving safely at all."
"We're talking at the age of 16 has already totaled 3 cars."
"His parents kept giving him new ones, not cheap ones either, Acura RSX, VW Golf, Subaru WRX."
"The VW and Acura he did nothing but crash them into trees while he had his DRIVING PERMIT - not even a license."
"The First WRX he had a passenger in it and decided to hit another tree."
"Passenger broke his neck but was fine."
"3 months later, parents got him his second WRX."
"Was doing 70+ in a 45 back road with a 2 girls in the car."
"Swerved to avoid a truck pulling into a road, clipped the back corner, spun the car sideways and got T-boned by a box truck/Uhaul."
"Everyone died."
"It was sad but I'm more outraged at his sh*tty parents."- Saturn_5_speed
One never knows the kind of person your classmates are going to grow up to be.
Though sometimes, you can't help but appreciate that you were right about your instincts to avoid certain people.
Who among us hasn't seen things that made us think we were still asleep?
Sometimes those scary movie moments are a reality.
Once in a while, Michael Myers IS in the shadows.
There are so many unexplainable happenings that leave our nerves wrecked.
As I type this, I swear I can hear moving in the bushes outside.
I'm not in the mood to be terrorized before bed.
Redditor TractorLoving wanted to hear about the things many of us have seen that left us shaken and a bit scared, so they asked:
"What's the most creepy thing you've ever witnessed?"
I've lost track of the number of things that have creeped me out in life.
I barely leave the house.
From the bushes...
"When I was about 12 I was sleeping on my trampoline with a friend and we heard the bushes move behind us, we flashed our flashlight to the bushes and a mountain lion was laying there stalking us, I have never run so fast in my life."
Fortherecord87
Voices
"Finding my dad dead in his recliner. I swear I heard his voice when the coroner came for his body."
PolesawPolska
"My granddad knocked over my great-grandma's ashes in his car accidentally, and to this day swears he heard her laugh, loud and clear as if she was standing next to him. She had a hugely wicked sense of humor and would have found this (and my very stressed granddad carefully collecting her ashes back into the container before my grandma saw) very funny."
Tanyaaahhh
From the Sea
"When I was serving my time as an engineer in the merchant navy we used to have to clean out what is called 'sea chests;' they're basically big filters for seawater that we would pump in to use as coolant and if the pumps were on when we were dockside we'd find all sorts of things like bottles, fish, crabs etc."
"One day we opened up the chest, pulled out the filter, and immediately saw this gold shiny thing which turned out to be a Rolex watch. Usually, we'd just dump out the filter but with the mitigating circumstances, we went through it thoroughly and found a piece of a shirt with cufflink still attached and last but not least a nicely rotted finger."
"The police ended up closing off the dock and dredging it but never found anything on the end." ~ MarkyBhoy101
Terrified
"This guy followed me home. Said he saw me there often and named a few local spots I go to sometimes as places he sees me. It’s been about a year. Never saw him again. I was terrified for a little while for sure."
ewqdsacxziopjklbnm
Stay vigilant out there kids.
People are watching and some of us don't notice.
Back Up Creep
"I was in a restaurant years ago on lunch break. At the time I was a very thin 25-year-old woman. There was this big creepy guy sitting there who would NOT stop staring at me from the moment I walked in the door."
"I mean just open face staring without blinking for the entire 15 minutes I was eating several seats away. I asked for a box and left early to get away from him. As I walked out he said, 'You shouldn't be out alone. Someone's going to grab you and steal you away." 100% convinced creepazoid had someone locked up in his basement."
xain_the_idiot
'Youth in need'
"Was working in a restaurant. Nice place. That night we held a charity dinner for a 'youth in need' type of house. The guy representing the house, a worker there, was such a nice and kind man. Every teen there was only saying nice things about him. A good soul, that was giving everything he could for these teens."
"At one point they gave a big check to the charity. I must guess an amount they rarely received. Well under the excitement, that poor man had a cardiac arrest. Dropped there on the stage, cheque in hand. He couldn't be brought back. He died. Seeing this was already bad enough, but the kids everywhere in the restaurant screaming and crying for hours after... haunting."
Agronut
Inside the House
"One random night in middle school I woke up and had the odd feeling that something or someone was present in the house and coming towards my room. I was scared so I closed my eyes to pretend to be asleep. I could faintly hear something come into my room and it felt like someone was standing over me, looking to make sure I was asleep. I laid on my back, eyes shut, until the feeling passed, and ended up falling asleep. I woke up in the morning to find out that our house was robbed."
ThatOtherOtherGuy3
There in lies the rub...
"Well dressed 50 something business dude on a quiet Chicago L train reading a Wall Street Journal. Pretty woman with long curly hair dozing in the seat in front of him, her hair dangling behind the seat. The guy is rubbing and playing with her hair while reading his paper so I figure she's his wife or girlfriend who just wanted some space to nap."
"He is now intently rubbing and fondling her hair and not reading anymore. Suddenly she snaps awake and pulls in her hair like a bug was in it or something. She gets off at the next stop, he continues reading. They didn't know each other at all."
mtzuker
Why do people feel the need to overshare?
People really need to discuss boundaries.