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People Break Down Adult Problems That No One Prepared Them For

People Break Down Adult Problems That No One Prepared Them For
Image by Barbara Iandolo from Pixabay

Being an adult can be difficult. No one taught me how to negotiate my salary for a job, for example. It was just something I had to figure out on my own and it made moving up in the working world a bit rocky. That said, I've always known how to cook well and clean properly, which is more than I can say about some of the people I know. Everyone has their own strengths. I also vastly prefer being an adult to being a teenager! It's a lot more fun.

After Redditor IllustriousLaw_4248 asked the online community, "What is an adult problem that no one prepared you for?" people shared some of their experiences.


"It starts so slowly..."

Watching your parents growing old. It starts so slowly and suddenly you have to help your father carrying things, notice how tired they have become...

bookworm1876

"My shoulders and neck..."

Me: "My shoulders and neck hurt every morning when I get out of the bed. Maybe I damaged something?"

My Doctor: "You are 32... Thats the new normal now."

OneMorePotion

"Having to decide..."

Having to decide what you want to have for dinner every day for the rest of your life.

shaodyn

This one is definitely annoying.

And especially so when you've had a busy day of work and realize you forgot to take out some meat to defrost let alone found the time to prep some vegetables. Cooking dinner can be more time consuming than people think.

"Comparing yourself..."

Comparing yourself to your parents when they were your age and realizing they didn't know what the hell they were doing either.

dusty_kat

"As a kid..."

Loneliness.

As a kid, there were always lots of other kids around. You weren't left completely unattended for any significant period of time. As an adult, I can go weeks without talking to anyone about anything not work-related.

2legit_2care

"School is so easy..."

It takes a lot more work to maintain relationships as an adult. School is so easy when you are stuck together but even if your colleagues are amazing it isn't the same.

GoldieFable

It definitely is difficult.

And takes a lot of effort. I do my best to stay on top of my friends and what they're doing, but it can be draining when you have work and other responsibilities.

"Looking in the mirror..."

Looking in the mirror every day and thinking "girl, you look tired." And then realizing one day that this is how my face looks now.

WendyWindfall

"As a kid, you just hung out."

Making friends and connections without spending a fortune. As a kid, you just hung out. As an adult, it seems like I need to spend $60 for a monthly membership or $40 for a night out. It's like a pay-to-play system.

snailer_33

Going out is EXPENSIVE.

I say that as someone who loves to go out (but who gets creative with it thanks to watching their wallet.

"No one told me..."

No one told me how incompetent adults would be. When I was a kid I thought people with jobs and people, in general, would be competent. Boy was I wrong. Competent people are the exception, not the norm.

mmoloney2​

This is accurate.

The number of stupid people I had to deal with on a daily basis when I worked retail was soul-crushing.

"When I became an adult..."

How fast you can get out of shape. For me exercise was always a part of socialization, i.e. teams, competition. When I became an adult and wanted to get back in shape it was just me and the equipment.

BobFX

Being an adult doesn't have to be depressing.

Life can be nice––but it takes a certain investment. That's easier said than done, admittedly. Be kinder to yourselves.

Have some of your own stories to share? Need to vent about adulthood? Feel free to do so in the comments section!

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Things People Secretly Love But Would Never Admit To In Public

Reddit user sweet_chick283 asked: 'What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?;

Collection of VHS tapes
Bruno Guerrero/Unsplash

What makes us all unique is our passions and the things we love, whether it's singing in the shower, reading books, or listening to specific music artists.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where we are judged for our various tastes and interests thanks to social media, and it makes us consciously selective about sharing the things we love on the internet.

Curious to hear about people's personal desires under anonymity, Redditor sweet_chick283 asked:

"What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?"

These aren't really chores for the following Redditors.

Good Clean Fun

"Mopping, im a janitor and generally hate my work... but damn mopping is so good."

– MrDDog06

"When you have a great rhythm going it is something special. I get the same feeling while I vacuum, but won’t let my wife know I enjoy it."

– Bogus_34

Act Of Unwrinkling

"Ironing clothes. A dozen of them. Can’t explain how it relaxes me. I told one person and they looked at me like I’m crazy."

– eerie_white_glow

"My mum misses the days when dad would be out on a Friday night, my brother out with friends and me upstairs quietly playing PS1. She would pour herself a Bacardi & Coke and do the ironing while watching her TV shows."

"I'm sure she doesn't really miss it now that we've moved out and they've retired but it was her wind-down after a busy working week so I can see how people can find it relaxing."

– xdq

Our solo actions can spark joy.

Big Brother Is Watching

"pretending to be on the Truman show and whenever im in my house i act all inconspicuous so they dont know that i know that they’re watching me."

– Bec_121

"C’mon man, you’re not supposed to let him know. You signed a contract when signing up for live views. I’m reporting you."

– doeswaspsmakehoney

The Multi-Tasker

"Playing video games naked at home while eating cheese."

– thickening_agent

Releasing The Kraken

"I love the feeling when you've eaten good fibre and let out a solid long train log in the toilet. That feeling is heavenly."

– therapoootic

"Even better when it’s a clean wipe and not a poo crayon."

– TheWarmestHugz

Ultimate Comfort

"My (male 41) weekend routine is coming home from work, make hot chocolate, start a fire, dress in a ugly pink nightgown made for old ladies and watch forensic files."

– crazyloomis

Some people are obsessed with collecting things.

So Kawai

"Sanrio stationery stores. All those different multicolor pens, a thousand kinds of erasers, spiral bound notebooks galore... my kids sadly have absolutely no appreciation for this wonderland..."

– HavingNotAttained

It's A Staple

"Office supplies have a weird, special place in my heart ever since I was a kid. They don't even have to be 'cute' necessarily."

"Japan's legendary stationery stores is unironically a reason I want to go."

– _CozyLavender_

Not Caring Anymore

"The older I get the shorter that list gets. Not because I love less things, but because I don't care about hiding it."

– Bi-Beast

"YES!! I'm 53 now. I'm working my first job in public since 2006. Today is Halloween and we're allowed to dress up so I am sitting here waiting to go to work dressed as a VERY bad Wednesday Addams. My bf said I'd 'look stupid' because no one else will probably dress up and I'm like, 'WHO CARES!' My makeup looks horrible and not like I practiced, but I DO NOT CARE! I'm having fun with it anyhow and I don't care if my coworkers dress up or not. I'm bein' ME! :)"

– deanie1970

Honorable mentions start here.

The Savior

"Picking up worms from the street and sidewalks when it rains and moving them into the dirt so they don’t burn in the sun, every time it rains I do this."

– sky_kitten89

Hero Of The Moment

"Yoooo I scoot SO many snails and worms. I work as a tech/mechanic at an automotive shop, I had a peoject car towed to my house the other day and it was covered in snails. I saw them when the tow guy/coworker was unloading and I was like, 'oh! It comes with free snails!' and began moving them. He laughed then realized and said, '... Oh, you're serious. Uh... Okay.'"

"I don't care who knows it. These little things barely can look out for themselves, why shouldn't we if we can take a moment to help? I don't care what happens next, it probably doesn't matter overall but I can help this moment."

– chris14020

Why should some of the hidden desires mentioned above have to be secret?

Redditors opening up about some of these would make them a hit at parties–no shaming.

As a matter of fact, I'll totally be down for a Forensic Files viewing party where we all make hot chocolate, light the fireplace, and cozy up together in our respective pink ugly nightgowns for old ladies.

historical reenactors
Sigmund on Unsplash

We've probably all heard some variation of the saying "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Real life isn't just strange, it can also be downright ridiculous.

History is riddled with moments of absurdity.

So ridiculous that people have a hard time believing real life is, well, really real.

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