How many people out there overthink things? Quite a few. One study found that 73 percent of adults between the ages of 25 and 35 overthink, as do 52 percent of 45 to 55-year-olds.
Wild, huh?
Well, if you overthink, then you're not alone. Oh, and you're probably well-prepared for some situations that others are not.
We heard all about these and more after Redditor Adventurous_Program6 asked the online community:
"Overthinkers of Reddit, what unlikely scenario actually came true that you were completely prepared for?"
"Moved my family..."
"Moved my family from Kyiv to the safe place before the war started. Did this completely independently (not as company policy etc.) and with my family PROTESTING and not believing the war would begin."
ingroknow
This was an excellent call, understandably. Hope you continue to stay safe.
"I can grab..."
"I can grab the critical documents, computer backups, laptops, clothes, water, wife and dog and be on the road in 10 minutes or less. Proved I can do it when a forest fire overran the city. I've added a couple of gas cans to the process now as well."
betelgeux
Look at you! You know how to stay cool under significant pressure. Glad to hear you're safe.
"I convinced my family..."
"I convinced my family to let me install a motion activated light + camera in our alleyway as I spent lots of time in the garage and always thought to myself someone would come in murder me or something like that while I was working in there."
"Anyways, fast forward about 2 weeks after they let me install everything - I’m in there painting and I hear some motion in the alley and heard the motion light turn on, turned to check the camera monitor beside me and low and behold - there was a group of 3-4 teenagers and one of them was taking a s*it on my driveway."
"Ah to be young again lmao, but yeah to this day my fam still has that camera and light + extras around the property even though I’m gone."
Homeless_Alex
It's always good to have cameras in visible places!
"I overthink what to do..."
"I overthink what to do in the event of being kidnapped or being in an event that could lead to a kidnapping. Anytime I'm on the sidewalks at a late hour, someone knows. Call it paranoia."
"Walked home at 3 a.m. at a college campus, and a truck in the parking lot turned their lights on or they were on and turned off. Either way, it caught my attention. Someone got out of the car and joined me on the sidewalk a few yards behind me."
"I text the girl who knew I was walking my phone number and told her to call me immediately. I said hello loudly, announced my exact location and implied that we were going to be seeing each other soon. The guy broke off--I don't know where he went."
"I don't know if it was all in my head or not. All I know is that I'm still alive."
TheUnwelcomeTagalong
"Border closing..."
"Border closing between Canada and the USA. I'm in Canada, and like a lot of Canadians, have a PO Box across the border where a lot of things get shipped to. I had just had a few things arrive, and decided it was smartest to just go across after work to grab my stuff instead of waiting for the weekend (was going to do a grocery shop but that would have added 1.5 hours to the trip, whereas just picking up packages could be done in 7 mins)."
"Spoke with the agents for each side, and everyone was laughing off the idea the border would shut down. It was closed 2 days later."
LegitimateChart289
Sounds like you got the last laugh... though we've all seen how the last two years have played out.
"It was a surreal day."
"I watched some first aid videos when I was working daycare. I watched them multiple times. A week later one of our young toddlers had a febrile seizure. My co teacher froze."
"I got the kid out of the feeding table seat and got him on the floor. Director called the paramedics and mom. I stayed with him and gave info to the paramedics (no idea how I remembered his info). It was a surreal day."
EstelSnape
Great job! That must heve been so scary.
"I mentally prepare for conversations/arguments with people (usually work-related) by mapping out what I want to say beforehand. I think of every possible response that might catch me off guard and have a plan to respond or to deflect the conversation away from points I’m not prepared to address."
"It helps me because I have pretty high anxiety and sometimes get flustered speaking, especially during confrontations. I have been known in the past to redirect non-urgent, unexpected work to text/email so I can have time to carefully respond rather than trying to cobble together my thoughts on the fly."
"It’s rough sometimes because you have to play through a lot of worst-case scenarios, but it helps me because I’m ready to deal with most situations and have a plan for setbacks ready to go. And the more experience I get working with some people, the more predictable they become so it just gets easier to narrow the range of responses down."
PickleStandard
It sounds like you've found a system that works for you!
"I always..."
"I always have an escape plan. I keep a go-bag with clothes, cash, a list of pertinent login/password info and a tablet/charger. It's within arm's reach right now."
"And every time I go to a party or otherwise large gatherings I figure my way out should s*it go down. I've had too many dramatic friends; I want to be able to peace out or do an Irish goodbye at a moment's notice if people blow up."
"A few times it came in handy, but the most prescient was a party a frat house. Never been there before but came with some friends and one of those friends had her little 16-year-old brother along with us and he had a backpack with our booze in it."
"Cops got called on the place (probably noise complaint) and once I heard them coming up I literally grabbed both my friends and the kid and said "bail" and led them out the back sliding glass door and through a field and navigated our way back towards our apartment areas."
"Found out after the fact there were a handful of fines and drug arrests but I made us all bolt because I didn't want the kid to get stuck with an MIP while visiting his sister."
DangerCakes13
Great and quick thinking! You could have definitely ended up in a worse situation.
"We had MREs..."
"I'm not a full-blown prepper, but I'm a fan of apocalyptic stories and games and figure that while I don't need to be ready for a zombie apocalypse, there's reason to have survival supplies around the house. My wife and I made jokes with each other, but that didn't stop me from buying extra supplies."
"The pandemic hits, along with some power outages, and we realized that we really didn't need to leave the house. We had food supplies, lots of toiletries, 12 months of insulin for my son, a generator and extra gasoline to keep the sump pump running and the mini-fridge with the insulin cool."
"We had MREs that I'd purchased for paintball games. Oh...cats need to eat too, right? We had catfood backups. We had liquor that was jokingly for "trade when the zombies hit", and we enjoyed mixed drinks and game nights with the kids."
"Seriously, while the pandemic had a tremendous impact on many people in the world, it was one of the most enjoyable periods I've had with the family. No trips or social events. No panic buying. No emergency medications that we hadn't prepared for. No need to leave the house for anything, and everything we needed and wanted at our fingertips."
"In fact, the pandemic was almost like a test run for a more serious event. MASKS! We never stocked up on masks...you know... zombies bite, aren't a big thing, right?"
"In short, the preparation that I was making in support of my family as a father and husband, turned out to be no laughing matter. While other families were telling stories of wiping their butts with newspaper and rags, we had dozens of rolls.
"While others looked at their shrinking pantry, we were enjoying a variety of meals that we now had time to cook and prepare. While others were store hoping to stock up, we were playing family games and organizing our supplies."
"Before, I was slightly embarrassed about my "mini-prepper" disaster preparedness angst. Now? I feel like super-dad. This was especially true when looking at my son with Type-1 diabetes. He damn-near cried when I told him that we could go a year without leaving the house for anything."
ap1msh
Indeed, while many people have suffered through the pandemic, others have thrived. Count yourself among the lucky ones!
It's quite the world out there–and anything can happen. It might be worth keeping an overthinker around. Their skills can definitely come in handy!
Have some experiences of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
As much as many of us don't like to disrupt the status quo, there is only so much time a person can tolerate a miserable situation before things become so unbearable that they ultimately have to peace out.
For some people, it takes a while for them to reach a breaking point. Eventually, there comes a time when they realize their self-worth is more important than continuing to please others who don't appreciate them for the sake of keeping up with appearances.
Curious to hear from people whose patience ran thin and made a strong decision, Reddit Prestigious-Order-62 asked:
"What made you say 'f'k this sh*t im out?'"
The unwarranted reprimanding was something that was never mentioned in the initial job description.
Feeling Criminal
"In the late 90’s."
"One time I got pulled into the Security office at a Department store I worked at. They accused me of constantly using the sales day coupons for people that didn’t present one (we always kept an extra copy at each register). I had watched my own department boss do it many times so I assumed it was okay. We didn’t even collect the coupons to be counted for the cash office, we just chucked them after use."
"They claimed I lost the store hundreds of dollars and had been watching me 'for months' do this awful, unforgivable crime for people spending 90 bucks on already bloated price designer jeans. I’m sure the occasional 10% discount was just devastating. 🙄""I got this huge lecture of how I was LITERALLY stealing from the store and they COULD call the police but would give me a chance to work off the damage. I couldn’t believe how criminal I was made to feel over it. The best part when they called my boss in who pretended to have never done it before to save her own a**."
"I asked if they were firing me. They said 'Yes and No. You will be let go, but you can choose to work off the damages so we don’t take you to court.' I told them I will just quit and asked for my last check. They said they will deduct what I owe from my last check. And I said 'Well then you need to show me all the footage and prove that I was stealing.' They wouldn’t produce footage, finally called the cops, and when the cops arrived, they were just as confused and called it an internal problem and advised them that this was overblown. I think they felt sorry for me. So finally upper management came in and just said 'just issue the last check, I will sign it here.' So much drama over so stupid a thing."
"It was sad because that actual day my Mom and daughter had come to the mall to meet me for lunch and I had to explain I just was forced to quit that job and was never allowed in that store again like I was some awful jerk."
"It was nice a few short years later, the entire chain bankrupted."
– Munich11
Power Trip
"A coworker waited until we were in front of a large group of people to start 'disciplining' me for something 'wrong' I did (I took my lunch 15 mins late to help another coworker) when she wasn’t even my supervisor. Applied for a job transfer the next day and couldn’t be happier where I am now."
– _shes_a_jar
Abusive Boss
"I had a piece of sh*t of a boss. He'd praise you in private but berate you in public. In front of coworkers and customers. Always about stuff that didn't matter."
"He'd also happily break company policy to side with customers after you spent an hour telling a customer you can't give them stuff for free, for example. Any time he was around, everything was miserable."
"My only regret is that I wasn't there to see him marched out by corporate when he got fired, because I had gone on to a better job by then."
– redisforever
Human Punching Bag
"I used to work in a Kitchen at a pub, it was grim work, but I had freinds there and had worked there for 3 years, So it wasn't too bad."
"One Christmas season we were being absolutely pumped, full out functions and busy services. My boss at the time was very stressed and fair enough, We were busy, We were all working overtime and full out. He used any excuse to completely blow up and absolutely scream at me for little to no reason, essentially him yelling at me was his stress relief. But fine, whatever, kitchens are rough places, no appolagies or anything, move on."
"I then go away for 3 weeks over the Christmas holidays and spend the time road tripping around the country having an amazing time."
"First shift back, not pleased being back, he makes a snarky comment."
"F'k this, Im out."
– Freddy54323
Even though these employees weren't chewed out in front of co-workers, the low salary without room for negotiation made them not wanting to stick around for much longer.
You Only Get One Job
"They cut my hours so I had to get a second job. 3 days before I was supposed to start said second job, my manager at the main job told me that I couldn't get this second job because I had main job first and I needed to make it my priority. That's when I said f'k you and left. I didn't even give a notice, I literally just sent an email saying I wouldn't be coming in the next day, grabbed my sh*t and went home."
– ginger_princess2009
Meager Wage
"I used to work Retail and after 7 years at the company, I found out I was only making 50 cents more an hour than someone who just started yesterday. I understood if they couldn't pay me more and asked for a good schedule. 7-3 or 8-4 every day and the same two days off every week. I didn't even ask for weekends off."
"I was told that they couldn't give me a good schedule so I quit."
– maybeashly
Situations weren't much different outside the work place. Social dilemmas prompted these Redditors to say, "nope."
Rude Reception
"Went to a pub because a friend kept asking. When I got there, he was with a group of people I didn't know, so I introduced myself and got the next round. As I come back with the tray, I hear them saying something along the lines of 'why is that b*tch still here? I thought she was just supposed to drop off a bicycle?' 'Ya, we don't want her to come to <this other town with more pubs> and now she is drinking with us?' 'She's so dumb' *proceeds to imitate and ridicule me as I was actively listening and nodding when I was having a conversation with my friend."
"Gave the beer to random people and walked right out after saying good evening to my friend and briefly explaining I did not appreciate being tricked into being a bicycle taxi for people who hate me directly after meeting me."
– ILikeLamas678
A Shocking Incident
"I was on my boat fishing for bass. I casted out my line and watched the lure hit the water but the line just floated in the air. Lightning and thunder crashed and the line fell to the water. F'k this sh*t, I'm out."
– fsh4fun051
Femme Fatale
"She lined my bed with broken glass put the blankets over it and I dove on in lol."
"Edit: She was violent/crazy and on drugs, was like the 20th attack I took and that made me really think lol."
– MyLifeForAuir1Ally For The Ex
"I found nudes of his ex (from ten years ago) that I’d previously asked him twice to get rid of tucked in a pair of MY socks. Our couples counselor asked why he’d kept them and he said, 'You know. In case I ever needed to blackmail her.' He said it like it was a perfectly normal and reasonable thing to plan to do. The therapist and I locked eyes and I noped the f'k out of there and moved out."
– Previous_Mood_3251
Most of these Redditors realized leaving their situation was better than dealing with the consequences of sticking around.
The latter is never a good option. Why remain in a scenario you know is already going to consume your soul?
The lesson for today is–Don't be miserable. Your sanity is worth saving.
Besides, you would never know that something better awaits if you just don't get the F out.
As we enter into the summer months, people now have to decide whether or not they want their morning coffee to be hot or iced.
Lucky for them, it's delicious either way.
One could make an argument that foods that are equally delicious hot or cold are perhaps the best, or at least the most reliable.
And this can include foods which are not customarily sold both hot and cold (cold pizza anyone?).
Redditor NectarineOther4989 was curious to hear which foods people enjoy either hot or cold, leading them to ask:
"What is something that tastes good both hot and cold?"
Fresh out of the oven, or the next day!
"Cookies."- SuvenPan
Chocolate withstands all temperatrues
"Brownies."- Reasonable-Software2
Chocolate Satisfying GIF by HuffPostCan't go wrong with fruit and pastry
"Pie."
"Apple pie."- Hak_Saw5000
This doesn't only apply to food
"Revenge."- pushthestartbutton
karine vanasse revenge GIF by HULUGiphyLet the flavor develop
"Banana bread."
"2 totally different flavors depending on warm vs cold from fridge."- nonkowledge
So many to choose from!
"Sandwiches."- Designer-Usual1691
A matter of textural preference
"Cheese, ya fools."- eat_dontpray_love
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs Eating GIFGiphyUnder a hot greek sun, or during a cold winter's eve.
"Spanakopita."- mrsxpando
While there's no better smell than a batch of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, those eating them the next day likely aren't missing out either.
Those who are truly superstitious have trouble shaking off customs which others might find somewhat silly.
These include holding your breath when passing a cemetery, throwing salt over your shoulder after spilling it, or not stepping on cracks for fear of breaking their mother's backs.
But even though it has been irrefutably proven that there is absolutely no validity to these superstitions, these same people will likely never stop performing these customs.
Nor will some others ever stop believing myths and hoaxes which have likewise proven to be one-hundred percent false.
Redditor Jimbo_Jigs was curious to learn the things people will never stop believing, despite ample evidence to the contrary, leading them to ask:
"What is proven to be a hoax but people still believe it to be true?"
Crack away!
"That cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis."- SnooCompliments9257
Though, it's still wise to avoid doing this...
"If you pull out a grey hair three more grow in its place, my sister still believes this one."- oopySpaff
brain GIFThough they might still not be please you'r touching their child!
"Touching a baby bird will make its parents reject it."
"Any baby animal."
"When in doubt, reach out to your local wildlife rehabilitation network/individual."- JustMeerkats
I can sleep with my mouth open? Who knew!
"That you swallow 8 spiders a year in your sleep."- rentinghappiness
Never pay others to be an entrepreneur.
"MLMs, Boss babes, 'be your own boss' scams."
"I'm not sure how many documentaries need to be put on YouTube before people will stop buying into these companies and wasting their money."- ImAGhostOooooooo
It's literally quite the opposite
"Shaving making hair grow in thicker."- offbrandbarbie
Though a balanced diet doesn't hurt...
"The food pyramid."- sd2528
Best to stay out of the mouths of others regardless
"That dogs mouths are cleaner than humans!"- Mental_Investigator3
GiphyJust makes you more visible.
"It’s illegal to keep the light on in the car while driving."- rerhodes770
It seems that there is no amount of convincing that will ever lead these people to realize that they've been duped.
And one can't help but wonder what people do with the false information that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a humans?
If there was one thing every high school has in common, it's gossip.
Be it about two students who were secretly dating, a teacher who was up to no good behind the scenes, or that the girls bathroom on the lower level was haunted, every high school had their share of outrageous rumors.
But, did any of the truly unbelievable rumors from your high school actually turn out to be true?
Redditor Sam_21000 was eager to know of any high school gossip previously assumed to be fiction but later proven to be fact, leading them to ask:
"What was 'the big rumor' in your high school, did turn out to be true?"
Poaching the best atheletes
"Athletics coordinator was fudging documents on kids’ addresses so they would be able to go to our school instead of others in the district."
"We won like five state championships that year."- SL1Fun
That's "Doctor" to you!
"'Dr' Palermo, the band teacher never received his doctorate in music like he claimed."
"It was weird, he use to force all his students to address him as 'Dr', but when he came back from his leave of absence we all called him by 'Mr' like nothing happened."- googlyevileye
An underground operation!
"When I was a freshman some seniors were counterfeiting money."
"This was around 2004-05."
"They made some pretty convincing bills and spent them around town (including the school cafeteria)."
"That year I learned that the secret service has a counterfeit investigations department."- DLun203
Not fit to be a teacher
"That one of the English teachers used to physically assault kids."
"No one believed it because he was elderly and very kind."
"One day he told our class that back in the 80s when he was teaching any time a kid got mouthy or started a fight in his classroom he would pick them up physically and throw them out of his class."
"He gave a kid a concussion once because he bounced his head off a locker."
"They sent him to anger management classes but he stayed teaching at the school until his retirement."- dopiesarmy
Horrible acts never to be erased
"Not nearly as exciting as some of the replies, but at my old high school I was always told that if you go to school after dark, in certain conditions you'd see a bunch of swastikas painted on the brick walls of the building."
"I thought it was fake bc 'if they're really painted on there why cant you see them at all times'.
"One night I stayed late for an art club meeting."
"We were studying photo exposure and playing with some light tubes to make cool pictures, so we were having the meeting outside in the dark."
"As we were messing around I approached the building from a certain angle and saw them."
"Idk if it was spray paint that got scrubbed off and left some kind of residue/chemical on the bricks, or if someone sprayed them with clear coat or something, but there were very obviously swastikas on the wall."- CliffLanterns
The line that should never be crossed.
"That the English teacher had been sleeping with students."
"I found out when I was a freshman in 2008."
"Fast forward 8 years later, the chemistry teacher got caught and decided to bring the English teacher down with him to get some heat off his back."
"A total of three teachers went to jail."- backyardkinny
21 Jump Street?
"That a new student was actually a police officer."
"He was and the idiots were busted for selling drugs."- LilMissStormCloud
A truly heartbreaking story
"There was an 18-year-old freshman who was pregnant, and there was a joke spread that this was her 4th kid."
"They said she was first pregnant at 12 years old and that was why she never finished 9th grade."
"I actually made friends with her because we both walked the mile in PE, and I felt bad that people were spreading this rumor and making fun of someone who obviously is trying to better themselves for their baby."
"Well, turns out, it was actually her 5th kid."
"She had one set of twins at the age of 13."
"Then at 14 she was trying to be a mother of 2 and finish 9th grade, but she got pregnant again and dropped out."
"I realize now that the entire situation was very concerning."
"I hope she got some guidance."- zapsquad
A hard lesson learned, which he can continue to teach
"That an english teacher was using heroin."
"It’s pretty sad actually."
"He was just a regular guy who destroyed his knee."
"So after surgery he got painkillers, got hooked on them, and then eventually started using heroin."
"Nobody really believed it until he abruptly went on leave."
"He was gone for most of the school year and when he eventually got sober and came back, he told his story to the students to try to show them how dangerous that stuff is, and confirmed everything to be true."- Mirraco323
Who did they think they would fool?
"On a ski trip, the PhysEd teacher allegedly porked the science teacher."
"Someone saw him go in to her room in the middle of the night."
"They denied it but years later they got married."- PlanetOfTheAprons
It must be said, most rumors begin from an element of truth.
Even though I'm sure there are many people who still can't believe these rumors weren't just the work of devious children.