Hey, pal. You, with the oversized truck taking up two parking spots, cutting off all the mid-size cars on the highway, and carrying a Trump flag with zero construction equipment in the back...we get it. You're a really cool dude and totally not overcompensating for an apparent lack of confidence in your own self-worth.
Don't worry.
It's not just you.
Reddit user, u/WinstonChurchillin, wanted to hear:
What screams "I'm overcompensating for my insecurities"?
We Were Just Saying!
homer simpson truck GIFGiphyProbably the dudes who drive Ford F650s
You know the ones with the double stacks that are lifted 4 feet off the ground.
The hell are you going to haul with that?
I Lost My Internet! Seriously! Gawd!
The one I could think of on my own, thanks for seeing this myself, would have to be someone claiming lost connection for their rage quit on an online match.
Look, a power outage is a thing that anyone can understand that's out of ones' hands. I was at an online match, which I'll admit it pretty much suck that when I was close to a victory when the player cut out just as I laid down the final blow.
The message of my opponent losing connection informed me of what happened but willing to give me the "W". That was because I was able to find the same motherf-cker in the lobby. I noticed the player's location, which was nothing more than just a city's name... all I needed. Sure enough, there were no reports of a power outrage... not even a regional one.
When Words Fail, Using Your Fists
Trying to escalate verbal confrontations into physical ones when you could simply walk away. Only super insecure people feel compelled to "win" when the only thing on the line is their ego.
Making your whole identity about your tattoos or piercings, multi colored hair etc.
Most overcompensators I've met are horrifically insecure and have no thoughts to offer on any subjects or any substance to themselves.
Obviously many people with any or all the above don't make it their identity, that just comes along with their interesting personality and aren't obviously insecure
Where Have We Seen This Before?
Holding big fluffy political rallies where you constantly project your failings, shortcomings and fears onto your political opponents and anyone else who disagrees with you.
It was 3rd grade student council. Stop holding it over my head.
I Hated It Way Before It Was Cool
Constantly hating on things that are popular and bragging about how they are different than everyone else.
This is why I take issue with a lot of "hipsters." Rejecting something JUST BECAUSE it's popular doesn't make you interesting or deep. Going against the grain for its own sake is not a personality in and of itself--it's just asinine and executes as little mental energy as being swayed into going WITH the group in every instance.
You Think That's Hard?? Listen To What Happened To Me!
Being a one-upper. I know someone that cannot stand not being the center of attention and will try to steal the spotlight. You made a good burger, he made a burger that a chef wanted to have in his restaurant. You mention any game, he's never lost at anything. It's embarrassing.
Living Vicariously Through Their Brood
season 4 soccer GIFGiphyOver scheduling their kids with sports and extra curriculars.
Name dropping. I couldn't care less that your family member is friends with so and so politician or is a regular and whatever expensive or trendy establishment.
The Ultimate Karen Gathering
Honestly?? Usually the Karens.
Didn't 'get' it until I moved from fast food to a high-end retail job. In fast food, anyone with a stick up their rear can be a jerk, but in high end retail there's some expectation of politeness. Employer rhymed with Jottery Narn. It was as 'high end' as furniture could get because we didn't have US brands in our part of town much, so of course all the heiresses and landlady-moguls flocked to us to style their home 'for the summer'.
(I kid you not, there were a non-zero number of women who declared that they redecorated their house every few years with new furnishings. I was gobsmacked. I buy curtainsonceand replace them when they get moth-holes! Also, styling a property for sale nicely boosts its price for some reason)
So I served many, many entitled, 'I MUST have this item! I don't care if it's sold out!' customers, which staff and management slightly tolerated because they were also the type to drop $10k on a single transaction without blinking. But it was also super easy to tell what they were insecure about within minutes of talking to them. Some would lose their minds because they couldn't clear our stockroom by purchasing 15 matching sets of silverware without calling ahead, as we would sometimes sell out. Some screamed at us because they showed up two weeks before Christmas to buy tree ornaments and there weren't 20+ of their desired type in stock anymore. I wondered how their relationship was with their in-laws, as many of the 'unreasonable requests predictably leading to a tantrum' were usually associated with entertaining in the home...
...I quit on good terms with the manager, and haven't cared one second about decorating our home to be picture-perfect since. Some of the insecurity is probably judgement from other women, but making your home a show-room is just an expensive waste of time. Others only see your place for a few hours every year, and then the decorations aren't needed any more. I don't lose my mind at retail workers because my ability to feel good about myself isn't predicated on buying something from a store; so any time I see a Karen I just feel really sorry for them. They need to get a life.
Taking Ownership Of Something That Isn't Yours
People who use "my" to describe the people or groups they interact with.
For example, "my team" instead of "our team". Not sure if its insecurity or just arrogance but a guy I know does it constantly with everything and it drives me nuts.
See How Cool I Am?
Revving the crap out of your car in front of a group of [women].
It's not hot, makes me feel sorry for your car to be honest
Too Many Go Into The Field For The Wrong Reasons
Cops. A lot of them go into that profession because they were insecure as children, and now they found a way to be above everyone else.
It's A Fine Line To Walk
Picking on someone/ being nasty in front of a group of people to try and make everyone else laugh.
huge difference between roasting your friends and shooting the sh-t with them and flat out being nasty and picking on them and hurting their feelings.
HUGE difference.
A Trifecta From Hell
Unprovoked aggression.
Talking about how much things cost. (Unprovoked/ no context bragging about how much they've spent, not how much they've saved)
Being louder for no reason.
You Know Grades Are Public, Right?
I have a guy in my Uni Whattsapp group who is constantly sh-tting on everybody when they ask a question or make a comment that he finds to be unnecessary (which seems to be every question and every comment)
He failed the f-ck out of every test we had so far (6 in total), which is hilarious
You Should Be Smarter With Your Money, Like Me!
Insulting others using traits that you yourself posses.
Shut up you magnificent looking person
Okay, It's Not Just Oversized Trucks Giving Off S.P.P.
People that rev their loud cars at night, in a suburban area. Small Penis People
Right. Everyones focused on the lifted trucks (they're not wrong)...But the behavior proliferates to any type of vehicle. Lifted trucks rolling coal; dumb-ss tuners with underlights and frame rattle subs doing 70 down the 25 residential road where kids are playing; f-cking bikers with the loudest pipes possible screaming by at 2 in the morning.
D-ckless, all of 'em.
The Classic, "Everyone Else Is Wrong And I'm Right."
homer simpson GIFGiphyBeing overly judgmental of everyone else, and being overly defensive of any judgment toward you. Especially when you're super vocal about it.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.