Ever experience buyer's remorse? I know I have. Impulsive, unnecessary, and overall stupid purchases can be the bane of anyone's bank account. But your's probably is nowhere near as bad as these Redditors.
u/victoriwnl asked: What are some dumb purchases you made?
I see the Sign....
sign language GIF
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I bought several sign language books because I wanted to make friends with a deaf kid at my school. I ended up learning a tiny amount before discovering he was a total creep who wouldn't stop staring at my feet.
Meowed.
So I have this cat this constantly dressed up in stupid crap and I know that people judge me for it, but in reality I figured one day that maybe he was constantly biting and scratching me because he was cold. Turns out I was right and if he doesn't have a sweater on he just goes right back to being an fool.
I no longer judge anyone with any animal in any sort of ridiculous attire because I would rather have some one think I'm a crazy cat lady than be covered in scratches and bite marks.
Annabelle?
I bought a faceless doll to scare people. Turns out I was the most scared one.
I got a scary doll too, it was $30. It was so I can creep people out with it. Turns out they're creeped out for the minute they see it, but I saw it every night on my desk in my room and it creeped me out. One day the hair started moving on its own, and when I checked it out, it was a bunch of small flies. A fly laid it's eggs in her hair.
It was something like "Apple Sine Doll"?
How To....
I've bought a lot of how to kits/books. Like how to knit, how to calligraphy, how to paint, how to write poetry, etc... have I learned how to do a single one of those things? No, no I have not
Edit: y'all thanks but I am aware of the existence of YouTube, google, and libraries... that would be why I'm saying they are dumb purchases lol.
Dane Undone.
dog show GIF by Westminster Kennel Club
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Bought a onesie for my Great Dane. don't know why I bought it but I think he liked it.
"get whatever you want"
I bought an $80 pen one time.
Edit: I was about 8 yrs old, and was driving to Florida from NY with my dad and sisters. My dad is super showy (and I have no idea where he got the money) so at a rest stop, he handed us each a $100 bill and said "get whatever you want." So I bought the pen for $80. He was not happy when I got back to the car.
Edit edit: My father and I don't get along, and one of the reasons is he throws money at everything instead of actually solving the problem. So this was basically just to keep 3 little girls quiet during a 19 hour drive. It was pretty typical of him.
Edit edit edit: I'm 33 and no longer have the pen. Idk what happened to it over the years, but I hope someone who loves pens found it and gave it a nice life.
Snapshot
I thought I was buying a vintage Polaroid camera but when it arrived I realized it was a giant poster with a small picture of the camera in the center. I have a bad habit of not fully reading the description before buying (the exact reason I had to go to summer school in the 7th grade) and my boyfriend forced me to hang the poster for a full year as a reminder of what a dummy I am.
House
A house in 2007.... it's still not worth as much as we paid for it.
My parents bought in 2004. Around 2012-2013 when I was applying for the FAFSA, it gave an error when I entered that their mortgage was more than the house is worth.
LIIITTTTT!!!!
A cactus that lights up.
Hey now. I love my lighty cactus. In fact, I'm sitting next to mine right this instant and it's already lit up!
Fish Luxury....
$400 dollar fish tank lighting. I wasn't carpenter enough to build the hood to mount it. It sits in the basement as a monument of my idiocy.
In the past I convinced me parents to spent $500 for fish stuff. I don't know how they were convinced.
Ryan & Ambien....
I had accidentally doubled my dose of pain meds right before I went to go see a showing of the film Drive. On my walk home I ordered a pair of what I thought was the gloves Ryan Goslings character wears in the film. A week later I got them in the mail and realized they were 3 sizes too big and a entirely different color. 160 bucks down the toilet. That night I took my Ambien and apparently decided to try again after staying on the computer after my sleep meds had kicked in. I bought the same pair of gloves.
Crappy Birthday....
suspicious birthday cake GIF
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An ex broke up with me. She was the first person I dated and didn't really know how to navigate the break up so I bought her a really thoughtful gift for her birthday a month later. What a waste of money and time looking back on it.
Over Niagara....
This kills me every time I remember it and it's honestly made me into the extreme money saver I am today. When I was younger, my family visited Niagara Falls. I had $50 (which is A LOT for a kid with no job) and was excited to buy some souvenirs. I spent it all on key chains, I only got like 6 of them which made it to $50. They were all of the same place, too. It's not like they were from different cities. I wasted all the money I owned on FREAKING KEYCHAINS. Who even uses those?? It haunts me to this day.
Useless Air....
michael jordan basketball GIF
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Not me, but my mom. She surprised me with a pair of fancy basketball shoes for my birthday, even though I'd never expressed any interest in such a thing, and I was neither cool nor athletic. I brought them to scout camp a few weeks later and lost one of them in the mud.
They were original, size 11 Air Jordans. In 1984 or 1985.
Still Cringing....
I'm usually pretty conservative with my spending but I have bipolar disorder and sometimes when I am manic I go a little nuts with dumb purchases. My two worst are probably a top of the line spin bike (which I had never tried before) for about $1000 and I resold for 300 once I was out of the episode) and I also convinced myself to join a hockey league. I spent $1200 on skates, pads, gloves, stick and helmet. I have never skated and I still haven't. All the gear is in the back of my closet and I cringe whenever I stumble across it.
Slide....
200 dollar Gucci slides for my high school graduation. Yeah, I bought them for the joke of saying I wore gucci slides to my high school graduation but they aren't even that comfortable so I just re-sold them to someone. KindaA**
Blame Canada
Today I purchased these foot balloon/condoms for my dog to walk in the snow (the ice always leaves her paws bleeding). Of course her nails ripped them apart in 3 mins flat. I have yet to find a solution for my dogs paws in winter, I'm a failed Canadian.
The Dalmatian....
fun lol GIF by Disneyland Paris
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When I was 7, I saved up for a 1' (foot) high porcelain Dalmatian from a department store. My pocket money was £1/week, the dog cost £27.
My mother still has it at her house. It's the kind of thing a 70 year old would buy. I have no freaking idea what was going on in my head.
EDIT: I think it was ceramic, not specifically porcelain. Maybe as tall as 18 inches. This is the closest I could find https://images.app.goo.gl/8Jb9fZLipec4zV8aA
I was obsessed with getting it, and I never had buyer remorse. It's also so completely out of character.
Getting Gnawed
Those claw covers for cats to stop them from scratching up your furniture.
They were ripped off the next day. He was gnawing at his little feet until every one was gone. LadyCreepsPasta
I've trained my cat to not scratch furniture by placing a sturdy scratch pole close to the furniture he would scratch. Every morning when he is eager for breakfast I made him scratch the post before putting down the food. I've done some basic dog training before but so far I've gathered that cats only respond to positive enforcement. I kept encouraging him with treats if he would scratch the post during the day and I've never had any issues since.
Bugs?
Omg when I was in 1st grade, we got school bucks for good behavior and we could "buy" things with them at the school store once a week. One of those things was a ceramic bunny and when it was my turn to buy something, I RACED over to get that bunny so no one else would get it first... no one else was going for that bunny. After I thought about it, I was like wtf was I so worried about. Anyway, the reason I wanted it so much was to give it to my mom as a gift and she kept it for ages.
Twice...
Accidentally bought stuff in clash of clans. Twice.
I knew a guy in high school who worked at Burger King part time just to exclusively fuel his Clash of Clans addiction. He legit spent his entire checks on that game. Wonder how he feels about it now.
Green Death
Staying Alive Dancing GIF by Patrick Hosmer
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75$ in plants only to let them die because I forgot about them.
There should be like an SPCA for plants. You know, some place you can guiltlessly drop off your mangy neglected plant
Halloween Blues...
I spent $60 dollars on a electric blue ceramic pumpkin.
Edit: it is a different shade of blue then I thought. I haven't seen it in years because I hid it in the back of my garage after I broke the stem off.
Online Info
I bought books when i was in 1st semester, later realize that i could have read online. So sold them after the semester.
After my first semester and realizing that not every teacher even used the books, I waited until I got the syllabus for each class to see if we in fact needed them. This was when shipping still took 7-10 days too, so I would just use the library copy (if available) or share with a classmate until I got the ones in the mail. But still, I felt good about saving a few hundred dollars every semester.
It's still an insane rip-off though.
My Looks
I have so many... maybe the personal training package & gym membership I kept too long because I felt awkward cancelling. I'm still fat.
bad romance....
lady gaga power GIF
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A crappy mall katana... while I was on a date, no less.
It was a first date. There was not a second.
Edit: since many of you are requesting details, here goes:
This was close to 20 years ago. I was 19. I had just moved into a new apartment, and thought mounting a katana on the wall would look mature and cool. It never made it up on the wall in any place I ever lived. I eventually sold it at a garage sale. Got $20 for it.
The date wasn't going terribly up to that point, but it was also clear we weren't destined for a second date.
I've never owned a fedora, and thought I grew out of my nice guy/neck beard tendencies by 10th grade. Maybe it was a last gasp attempt for those traits to manifest themselves.
I hope she remembers it, preferably with a laugh. I certainly remember it. I have three boys, and they will definitely hear about it as a cautionary tale. tomdincan
Ruined...
Bought a motorcycle from somebody that didn't "properly" take care of it. There were a few small warning signs but I just let the fact it was the specific model I was looking for, in my price range, with things I could easily fix, cloud my judgement. Basically anything he touched on the bike I have had to replace, or more accurately, pay a shop to replace, because I don't have a garage or really the time/energy to do much of the work on it myself.
It was a little bit cheap (and came with a bunch of spare parts) but I really wish I'd held out longer and paid a bit more for one that had been better looked after, because it would have probably worked out to be cheaper and less hassle to boot. But I live in a pretty small market and was after a specific model, so it might have been 6-8 months.
Altogether the expense hasn't ruined me - I bought it to sorta celebrate getting back into full-time, salaried work - it has definitely made me enjoy the bike a lot less than I have previous ones. I will definitely vet the PO of my vehicles more thoroughly in the future - have just been pretty lucky until now I suppose.
* he did sorta try, which is the problem...
Life Choices
Cocaine. Expensive, addictive, and dangerous all to feel a little euphoric and annoyingly chatty for 30 minutes at a time.
Way way back in the day, I and one of my friends used to spend about 800 bucks a week , sometimes more. I remember getting ready to go on a two week long road trip with her and a couple other friends, and we blew about 3 grand on it, just so we wouldn't run out while at this huge gathering in the woods. It's a strange feeling doing lines in a tent with a bunch of US Marshals and national forestry service people trotting by on horses....
Crabs & Me....
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I went on a first date with the girl that I liked, we live in New Jersey and it was July so obviously I took her to the boardwalk. While we were there I saw a vender selling hermit crabs, and my dumb fool thought it'd be funny to buy them as a joke and try to impress her. I then realized after spending $30 on two crabs (two because one would get lonely) that I needed a proper set up.
So we went to petsmart and got a tank, food, sand, and a log for them to play on. Long story short I spent over $100 on hermit crabs and supplies. Not to mention that the girl completely friend zoned me, which is okay because now I have my two crabs Pickles and Júrgis to keep me company.
The Meds....
When I was high off pain meds after my ACL surgery I was on amazon and saw a typewriter that I really wanted. Order it— and it was a picture of a typewriter on a notebook. I'm still mad about that lol
Update: wow, I did not expect so many people to relate to this lol
Everything just seems like a great idea when you feel like you're floating.
It was $12 so I didn't really care about returning it and honestly, it's a funny reminder that I like to have around
My family still brings it up to tease me about it but it is funny so I can't blame them
Super update: I found the link on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T2OLV3U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Gimme the Whip!
Had a crush on a guy I barely knew who told someone else who told me that this guy was into dominant women. A few days later I dropped nearly $600 on bondage gear, an entire strap on setup and what I imagined to be dominatrix outfits. Everything arrived in the mail by a couple weeks later. I tried on everything, looked all manner of ridiculous and suddenly realized I had never planned beyond that point. I couldn't come up with any non-mortifying way to try to let this guy know that I was prepared to dominate him.
Like, I couldn't even decide if it would be less ridiculous to pretend I had always had all this stuff and been into such things, or to admit I bought everything on the off chance that a near-stranger I was infatuated with might be down for it. In the end I gave it all away to an elderly gay couple on Craigslist. That was my $600 value charity donation for the year. Wasn't even tax deductible.
Oh the Apple....
steve jobs apple GIF
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In 1997 Apple stocks were at an all-time low, $4/share as I recall. I went to a financial adviser to inquire about purchasing Apple stocks. Instead, he convinced me to invest my $5000 in a safe labour-sponsored mutual fund that had a 70% tax rebate.
The labour sponsored fund is now tied up in litigation for mismanagement and worth nothing.
If I had invested in Apple instead, those shares would now be worth 3.2 million.
For the Future
I was drunk when I learned that Futurama was leaving Netflix. I was distraught as it's one of my favorite shows. 3 days later I received a package on the doorstep. It was the special edition complete series box set of Futurama. I didn't understand why it was there, but my wife told me that I had drunkenly bought the show out of "solidarity" and then deleted the email receipt because I thought sober me would cancel the order. I then swore her to secrecy until it arrived, at which point she was allowed to fill me in.
Dinner at Burger King...
love him burger king GIF by Cheezburger
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I bought 5 bitcoins back when they were a dollar each. Wasted some time watching it nickel and dime.
My girlfriend wanted to go out to eat. We were tapped out from medical expenses. The bitcoins had reached $5 each. Five times my money, enough to cover a meal.
And that's the story of how I took my wife on a five.figure dinner date.
For the Win.
A $200 monopoly board game made of wood I found at Winners. It has a drawer for the money and monopoly game pieces but the dividers are made of plastic, thin cheap plastic like the original board game. I was unimpressed so has to return it.
College purchases are probably the worst ones.
So many unnecessary things early on in college. It was the first time I had some kind of income from working a part time job, so I thought it was absolutely necessary to buy all my textbooks instead of renting them or finding them online for free.
I also spent a f*ckton on dorm room stuff, which hardly anyone was going to see or care about since the dorms came furnished anyway. Lessons learned, I'd definitely pass on that advice to anyone going into college in the US.
RIP Megavideo. Gone but not forgotten.
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Lifetime Megavideo subscription. It was shut down shortly afterwards for copyright infringement.
Well, you get what you paid for. It was just that it was for Megavideos lifetime, not yours.
Story checks out.
When I was 17 I had unknowingly saved up a lot $2,000 from work - I chose to spend this on a double neck guitar.
That's the most 17 year old with unexpected $2000 to blow purchase ever.
Always go for the BahnCard.
My first time in Germany, I was only there for a few months, so I thought "I don't need a BahnCard; I'm not here for a full year." Then I spent well over 1000€ on train tickets. The whole time I could have been saving 50% AND collecting loyalty points.
So did a lot of people.
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Bought $50 worth of Beanie Babies because I thought they'd be worth something
Also bad - buying those plastic tag protectors, and an expensive giant case to display said Beanie Babies to keep them in pristine "collectible" condition.
Worth every cent.
Airplane WiFi. So I could be browsing AskReddit right now.
I've spent once 20 bucks on airplane wifi on a 12hour flight. Only for reddit. No regrets.
Big mistake.
Deciding to go to grad school in 2012 -5 years after graduating- for no other reason than "I have no clue what to do with my life".
Relatable.
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I traded a rather rare volume into a local used book store because I had two of them. Then went back to the bookstore a month later and excitedly bought MY OWN BOOK BACK because it was rare and I didn't think I owned it.
I was wrong.
Fair.
Spent over $100 or more buying clothes for my avatar on a virtual reality game when I could've spent it on...you know, actual clothes.
I miss PlayStation Home too.
The things we do for love.
I commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of my then girlfriend's dying pet rat.
She had told me her rat was about to die a month before I got it. By the time it was ready, the relationship had ended and I didn't know what to do with it. I paid 90 for it and it was absolutely worth the price. Artist did an amazing job - I just didn't have anyone to give it to now.
I ended up giving it to her anyway. I regret doing that since I probably just made her feel guilty.
Thing is, I was fully aware we were about to break-up. I just liked her so much and I was totally alone in a new state. I didn't think I was good enough to earn her love - so I tried to buy it.
Real dumb.
A beautiful home.
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A mobile home. Worse yet, I paid the down payment by credit. Stupidest thing I ever did. Then when I moved to another state I found that they are not actually very mobile.
It is a great expense and a lot trouble to move them. I wound up letting it get repossessed and eventually had to go into bankruptcy.
It was hiding.
An iPad. I didn't go online a whole lot then, I don't play games, idk where my intentions were. Then I misplaced it. Like, I was questioning if my mom or I sold it without remembering. 4 years. The iPad gone 4 years. I just wished I'd remembered why I sold it & what did I buy instead?
Yea, no. It was next to my chair wedged between the wall. Super critical purchase, obviously. Gave the rediscover one to my mom since hers was used to death.
Asked where I found it, told her. She's like, you're such a responsible shopper, the thought that goes into your large purchases, I could learn something.
Well, reminded her I bought hers too and hate how much she uses it...shame if they both went back into the abyss.
Oof.
My mom got me and my two older brothers Pokémon cards from the farmers market. They both got blastioises (a very rare card) I got a charizard, (an even rarer card) they both convinced me blastoise was better so the next day I traded my charizard for a blastoise at school. My brothers laughed at what an idiotic trade that was. I cried. The next day I went back to school to talk to the kid and get my charizard back. He moved to another state.
My whole life is in shambles now.
Relatable.
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When I was around 15, I wasted a lot on Adobe products which I barely used. I never clicked much pictures and actually had no interest in the photoshop stuff. The only product I used was Illustrator for UI/UX design. I almost wasted $2000.
That's a lot of stuffed animals.
Crane game currency. Had an addiction to winning prizes from an app. Spent over $1000.
I'm a smart person. I read, I study, I comprehend. But certain types of math can send me to the funny farm. I tried trigonometry in high school. I needed a therapist after a week. My brain hates math. It is what it is. I give up trying.
Louder!
Meme Reaction GIF by reactionseditorGiphy"I can't comprehend why any company would think I'm more likely to buy their product if they make their commercial 20db louder than all other commercials. Instant boycott."
The Scale
"The sheer size and scale of the universe. Like the fact that you can fit all the planets of the Solar System between the Earth and the Moon. Now realise how far apart all the planets are in the Solar System. This is practically next door compared to the distance between our Sun and the nearest star."
"There are billions of stars in our Milky Way (with the majority having planets of their own). The sheer scale of the vast emptiness involved means that even when our galaxy merges with the Andromeda galaxy in 4.5 billion years' time, there will be very, very few actual collisions between stars."
"Then there is the void between galaxies, and that it takes billions of years for light, at its speed (massless, and the fastest speed possible), to travel between galaxies, speaks of the sheer emptiness and distance in that void. I can't quite fathom it."
The Before...
"What was there before the universe, what was there before that, and that and that and (you get the idea)."
"The problem is we are using English words that have implied meanings that are familiar to humans on everyday experience to describe events that are outside everyday experience."
"Before" implies that time exists on both sides of an event, but that is not true when we are talking about the universe. Like how there are no positive numbers less than 0, there are no times before the beginning of the universe."
In the Words...
"Language, the fact that we all collectively decided separately and divertingly that certain sounds have meanings and that other sound mixed with those can change the meaning."
"Thanks for all of the upvotes and the award :3."
"Adding onto what I said, sounds are just vibrations in the air that out brains interpret into the sensation of hearing. Really we're vibrating the air at each-other and those air vibrations to your brain contain meaning. When you think about it like this language is not too dissimilar to the internet in a way. Makes you realize how crazy and unique of a skill language really is, with-ought it we wouldn't have a civilization."
"Another interesting thing related to this is when people call your name. Even if your in a crowded area with hundreds of people talking around you and you think your tuning them out if you hear your name you immediately notice, Some part of your brain must be constantly listening."
"Here are some other things my mind can't quite grasp:
- Computers, the fact that my phone is performing countless mathematical operations constantly.
- the plank length, if I understand it right it's the smallest distance anything can move, like a pixel of space.
- the human body and animals in general, were a collection of (large number but idk how large) cells all working together in various systems some how sustaining a brain that is able to be conscious, it's a miracle animals work at all let alone what they're capable of.
- why my ankles crack when I walk.
- what the future will be like, the world is changing so fast it's likely the future will be nothing like we think and it's coming." - Flaer15
I'm Empty
Fun Floating GIF by Tomas BrunsdonGiphy"My little brain can't comprehend the vast emptiness of space and the fact it supposedly just stretches on forever and never has an end. Kind of wild when you try imagine it."
Like any other muscle or organ in the body, we have to listen when pain is inflicted. We have to recognize discomfort and deal. Why don't we allow the same respect to our brain? It will tell us when enough is enough.
Simplicity...
Work Working GIFGiphy"How a simple calculator works. I can do math. I'm actually very good at it. How does a little plastic box do it though? Always boggled my mind."
Dammit!
"Dates. I am considered a historian by my family due to my knowledge on most world history, but God dang dates... I could be talking about WWII and say it happened the same date as WWI."
Billions of People
"That all the others persons I talk to or see, have their own thoughts, own inner dialogue and own life. For gaming analogy sometimes I just feel like others are NPC and I just can't comprehend that there are more than 7 billions person just like me."
"Sonder...
The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it."
Now That's Too Much!
"Quantum physics."
"I have a PhD in astronomy and MSc in Physics, and had to take ~2 years worth of quantum mechanics courses. It's one of those things where you can take solace that even with all that education on it all I can say is no one else really understands it either."
And the Dark?
"Light isn't affected by time. So... other things could just exist outside of time? Like, if you were a photon that traveled at light speed for a million years and then hit an alien's third butt, you'd experience it as instantly being a million light years away."
- Delica
"A photon moves at the speed of light through space, but is standing still in time."
"A person at rest moves at the speed of light through time, but is standing still in space. When you accelerate through space, you're simultaneously decelerating through time. That's why observers will see your clock slow down when you begin accelerating at relativistic speeds. It's referred to as time and space dilation. Makes more sense once you realize that."
The Process...
"There are people who don't have an internal dialogue with themselves. So, they never question if they are right or wrong. They never wonder if they are treating someone fairly, or if they are nice or mean."
"They can change their minds with no information, but it doesn't involve the process most of us go through when confronted with an opinion, or new data. It's not common, but it's not entirely rare. When I learned about this, I just couldn't understand how it was even possible."
The End
Season 2 Episode 10 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy"Death, obviously I understand why people die and all that but just thinking what happens afterwards. What's it like for the said person that died, is it just blackness? Is it like they're dreaming??? Reincarnation?? This probably sounds very stupid but I don't care 🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️"
There is so much to learn, and even more that we'll never know. And that's ok. When the brain is full, it's full. Seems like just a part of life. The mysteries will sometimes stay illusive.
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I wanted to give up, I was flustered and spent way too much time trying to get a great grade in a class that just wasn't clicking for me. What did I do? I had to take a step back and reflect on what I would tell a friend in the same shoes. I would tell them they don't need to be perfect, that getting a C+ in one class wasn't going to wreck their whole GPA, and for the love of God drink water too won't just coffee.
Self-care and stealing extra sleep, even just an hour nap, can go a long way to refreshing your drive. The takeaway really was just to show me the same love and support I'd been putting out to those around me. You deserve it, too!
Redditor peachyjams asked:
"What are some tips for a burnt out student?"
The Reddit community gave this user some wonderful tips and tricks to help with student burnout.
Go at your own pace.
“Don't pressure yourself into 4 years. It's OK to take it slower. Balance out your schedule with more enjoyable elective credits if you can, or just take less courses in a semester if possible.”
“Obviously things like financial aid, living costs (if not living at home) and others may play a factor in how many courses you need to take or how quickly you need to complete college, so if you can't take less courses, talk to your advisor or counselor and work with them to carefully plan out each semester so that your coursework is balanced IE: You don't end up accidentally taking Calculus + "Fun," art class that was 1000x more work than you thought it would be in the same semester.”~zachtheperson
“Burnt out doesn't begin to cover it.”
“I feel very qualified to answer this. I have been in college continuously since I was 18, and I'm now 32. I have 2 years to go before finishing my doctorate. I currently have an associate's, bachelor's, and master's. I have also worked the entire time. Burnt out doesn't begin to cover it. Here is how I stay sane:
- Give school as little bandwidth in your life as possible. "Good enough" are the two most beautiful words in the English language. Get Bs on things. Write your assignments and due dates on a master calendar, block off times to get them done, and try to avoid thoughts of school outside of those blocks.
- To increase productivity during your work blocks, use Freedom or something similar. I paid for a lifetime subscription and in one class alone it paid for itself. It just blocks access to your distractions on the phone and computer while you get stuff done.
- Tackle other hobbies in life that you see progress in outside of school. Even if it feels like school will never ever end and you're on a treadmill of misery going nowhere, you can go somewhere in other areas of your life. I'm currently training for a marathon, just started learning cello, I mentor first gen college students, and I'm in a book club. Pick your poison, but try to put away the laptop and push yourself in a non-academic area.
- Your social needs may vary, but try getting together with other people not in your circle of school misery. Join a sports league (yuck for me but maybe not for you). I host regular dinner parties. Volunteer. Now that vaccines are out, make sure you get one then connect with other people.
- DO NOT TAKE A BREAK. When you stop school even for a semester you know what it's like to be happy and not have the weight of misery pulling you down. You won't want to go back. Slog through and just do it.
- Don't reward yourself with damaging things. Don't eat or drink your rewards for school or you will be unhealthy and unhappy when you're done. Reward yourself with something positive instead."
If I had to recommend one book, it would be 'Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle'. Basically, it goes into the science of feeling burned out, why it's bad for you, and how to fix it on a physiological level."
“If you don't want to read the whole thing, if I could distill the most useful information it would be: exercise. The author digs deep into the science (which I love) behind why it works SO DAMN GOOD, but if you hate science and reading, trust me. Go for a run a few times a week, lift weights, dance a lot, just get your heart rate up. Good luck. School sucks."~bicycle_mice
You don’t have to be perfect.
walking dead love GIFGiphy“If you're an A student I would suggest lowering your personal bar. Being constantly burnt out isn't worth the 0.2 difference in your GPA and if you're worried about career prospects there are always comparable fields that aren't quite as competitive.”
“Trying to get an A in every class takes disproportionally more work. If you can get A's and a few more B's while getting to chill every once and a while and not stressing, do that.”~SlightlyOvertuned
Lists are seriously underrated.
If your sensation is of being overwhelmed (i.e. you have an impossible amount of work to do with no end in sight) more than burnt out (you are exhausted and becoming detached from the work), then two tips:
- Realise that it's not infinite. If you stick it out until graduation (and I hope you do!), then many of the problems you're accumulating will be wiped clear. Perhaps your GPA/final grade won't be as good as you want, but remember that whatever you're facing now - this too shall pass. Knowning that there is an inevitable light at the end of the tunnel is useful for me.
- Make a list. If you are the under-organised type, making a list of things to do each morning on a sheet of paper dramatically reduces the stress level that those items cause you. You can implement some fancy to-do software if you prefer but tbh a daily todo is simpler and more effective...”~alexandicity
A book and a blanket? Make it so.
read new york GIFGiphy“When I was a burnt out student I took solace in a comfort zone activity. Something unrelated to my school work that I could dive into for a little while when I needed a break. For me, this was reading the Lord of the Rings.”
“What works for you depends one what's in your comfort zone, but it should be something that you can easily pick up and put down again when it is time to get back to work.”
“To this day, I still read the Lord of the Rings when I get stressed or overworked. In fact, I am reading it now, for the 48th time.”~khendron
Healthy Routines...
“Lots of things you could try! Sleep. 8 hours a day, wake up spontaneously without an alarm and if you feel the need do a 30-90 minute power nap in the afternoon.”
“Meditate daily, 5-30 minutes to start in the morning or whenever you feel comfortable. Limit the consume of caffeine.”
“Plan a healthy diet you can stick to, reducing the amount of junk food first to focus later on the composition of your main meals, snacks and so on. Eat plenty of greens, fruit, nuts and drink mainly water or sugar free drinks.”
“Take cold showers. Those are a huge boost, especially in the morning. Decompress. As someone said, take the days you need to just do nothing during your week. Last but not least, workout! Start small, build the habit and stick to it!“~Tha_Sin
“...it's pretty normal in our over worked society.”
“Burnout is real. It means you have given too much of yourself to something, and you need to recover. While deadlines don't wait, professors often will. “
“You have to communicate with them if you are struggling. If they are worth their pay, they will do their best to accommodate you. It's unhealthy to continue under so much stress. Be kind to yourself.”
“Nearly everyone experiences this at some point in life, and it's pretty normal in our over worked society. Do what you can to clear your mind. Assign yourself a certain number of hours to completely shift gears away from all these responsibilities.”
“Set an alarm if you have to, but give yourself enough time to reach a stage of full body relaxation. You can try walking, meditating, sleeping, whatever your body needs. Just listen to it! There is no shame here. You must care for yourself and keep a balance. Deep breaths, often.”~VaginaWarrior
“Yes to this advice!! Let teachers know ASAP that you are struggling and often they will be able to make accommodations or offer help. Also, looking into counseling services that are offered through the school is definitely worth taking advantage of while that stuff is accessible and free.”~shannonbta
“because a b*tch needs water...”
“My bad day thing is I have to get up, eat (even if it's takeout), put on fresh bedsheets because if I'm having a bad day in bed it might as well be comfortable and smell good, have a shower (even just shoulders down) and go for even a small walk, even if it's to the shop or to get myself that takeout."
“They're not huge things to do but they're very difficult on some days. And I don't always do them all, maybe I just eat and shower, or go for a walk, or just change my bedsheets. But all of them are small tasks that feel like mountains but once I do one or two of them they're so so easy, and I benefit from them all mentally or physically or both."
“And I have a litre bottle of water and cup of tea at my side at all times because a b!tch needs water and there are few things as comforting as a good cup of tea in a warm mug to me."~thisisausername-2021
“I didn't pull a single all-nighter in my 4 years of undergrad.”
- “Don't listen to your fellow classmates who boast about study 60+ hours a week, they're either exaggerating, straight-up lying, or have an incredibly inefficient study method. There will be times where you really need to be studying hard for extended amounts of time (ex. finals week), but for the vast majority of the semester it is completely unnecessary to do that in order to get a good grade.”
- “If you do find that you need excessive study in order to do okay in a course then you need to reach out to your TA(s) and professor. Most universities have free tutoring services, use them.”
- “Seriously just take more breaks and get more sleep. I didn't pull a single all-nighter in my 4 years of undergrad and now that I'm in med school I don't have any need for that either. Without real breaks and sleep your brain's ability to actually store and organize all the information you've studied goes out the window. This is harder to do if you need to work to support yourself but you need to find some semblance of healthy sleeping habits if you want to be able to make it through all 4 years.”
- “Eat real food. Don't just live off of snack foods and coffee, your brain isn't going to work properly if you don't fuel it. It's generally cheaper to buy canned and frozen fruit and veg so if you're on a budget try those aisles. Additionally, most places have some sort of charity or community pantry/soup kitchen, use it if you need to.You don't need to be completely destitute in order to reach out for help from these places, if you are struggling to make ends meet get help from your community. It is not weak, it is not shameful, it's being smart enough to accept that everyone needs help now and then.”
- “I mean it, don't pay attention to classmates and social media influencers who say they spend all their time studying. They almost definitely aren't and if they are they have an unsustainable view towards work/school that will bite them in the butt later on.”~JSD12345
Treat yourself to a mini-vacation.
“If you have any extra money (I know, easier said than done) book the cheapest AirBNB you can find within the area you can get to with the transportation you have available. Go alone or bring a friend, and have a mini-vacation, just for a night or weekend. It's very refreshing to have a change of scenery, even if it's in your same city.”~goshawkgirl
These are some great ideas to help cope with the all to real burnout. Remember to show yourself the grace you give to others because your best is all you can do.
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