Finding a career is not easy.
And many professions are stressful and prone to burnout.
So what do we do?
Apparently, we keep going.
We have to work in order to get money and survive, right?
But some career choices just don't seem to be worth the coin.
The folks on Reddit stepped up to help us avoid certain career paths.
Redditor kk-sahinul wanted to chat about the jobs that make the money not worth it, so they asked:
"What profession do you find unhealthy?"
I worked as a waiter. That's all I say.
Heavy lifting...
construction GIFGiphy"Construction, breathing in all kinds of dust all day, working in weird positions, heavy lifting, loud, dangerous tools and so on."
thatsoneuglybaby
On the Road Again...
"I imagine trucking comes with a lot of problems."
Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
"My grandfather was a trucker his whole life, he started his own business and raised 3 kids off of trucking. It killed him."
"Sleep deprivation, sitting still for 10+ hours at a time, an endless stream of black coffee and later energy drinks to stay alert, eating nothing but fast food and truck stop fare."
"And even when he was 'home,' the phone rang non-stop, usually brokers asking him to run another load from VA to CA."
"And to top it all off, he would be gone for weeks at a time, missing significant chunks of his children’s lives. And all of this, just to enjoy retirement for 2 years before dying of total kidney failure."
ChallengeLate1947
Toxic
"Welding, did that for 15 years. Breathing in toxic fumes all day sneeze into a kleenex and it would be black."
Consistent-Panic-996
"My dad was a welder and after retiring got lung cancer and caught it early, but lost part of a lung. Luckily my husband is a lawyer and has a friend that does personal injury lawyer specializing in asbestos so my dad has been getting settlements from over a dozen companies. The companies were required to put $ in a fund for settlements."
ketomachine
Too Much
"EMT. Those hours are unbelievable."
Jrk16
"Why are 24 hour shifts so common in medicine? There is ample evidence that mental performance declines over even an 8 hour shift, let alone 24hrs. Seems that of all professions this is one where you'd want everyone to be sharp and fresh as much as possible."
Johnny_B_GOODBOI
"And the lack of sleep, the caffeine intake, the trauma, the assaults, the gas station food."
austinh1999
The Fields
couple dancing GIFGiphy"Farmers. My dad was exposed to toxic herbicides/pesticides and his doctors attributed his terminal stomach cancer to his decades of exposure."
username987654321a
"And that doesn’t even get into the insanely dangerous machinery they work with. I’ve read some real horror stories about guys getting caught in equipment and that’s all, folks."
kittyness02
Farmers are necessary. But not fun apparently.
Chronic
Doctor Hospital GIF by LCLGiphy"Healthcare workers, chronic lack of sleep due to understaffing, potentially combative patients, various communicable diseases, sometimes threats from patients/their families."
HollyRoller66
Shaken & Stirred
"Bartending. There are so many alcoholics on both sides of the bar you become friends with. It can be difficult to keep yourself in check."
Mowings1
"I bartended for 10 years. Stopped almost exactly a year ago and while I loved being in that industry, getting out made me realize that drinking almost every day and doing drugs just to keep being able to handle those crazy weekend shifts wasn’t as fun as I justified it to be in my head. LOL."
freakybe
Not Safe
"Bouncer/Security. In my younger days I spent time as a bouncer, bar-back, and concert security. Nothing like having a drunken a** take swings at you for trying to do your job. Or getting blind-sided by a beer bottle to the head, etc. 100% not a long term sustainable role."
Toxikfoxx
Hazards
"Service work. Healthcare & K-12 teaching particularly. Medicine sucks due to inept healthcare & residency. My mother’s a teacher - overworked, underpaid."
Saint2th
"Where I am the schools are filled with lots of environmental hazards that really are unsafe to work around let alone have kids at everyday (mold, asbestos etc) it's unreal."
"People turn a blind eye or say it's not there but I grew up exploring every corner of that big old school... it's there. My mom was a teacher for four decades, got a different rare cancer 2x. The second one killed her. Underpaid is an understatement."
Bureaucrat_hell-loop
All of Us...
"Pretty much any job you don't like doing, which seems to be most for the majority of people. Forcing yourself to get up everyday to go do a job you hate just so you can break even at the end of the month."
chickadeedeedee_
Do what you love. If you can. And perhaps try to avoid some of these whenever possible.
Do you have any jobs to add? Let us know in the comments below.
People Break Down Which Things Everyone Claims Are Healthy But Actually Aren't At All
Between articles on the internet and advertisements on television, there are enough claims about the latest, greatest healthy option to make your head spin.
And of course, many of those are obviously fake. They clearly rely on pseudoscientific claims pedaled purely in service of an overpriced, obscure product.
But beyond those obvious scams, there are some more accepted myths too. These off-base claims of healthiness were the subject of a recent thread on Reddit.
Redditor player11123 asked:
"What is something that people say is healthy but it's not?"
Many people talked about how a few healthy ingredients can't necessarily stand up to a slew of other detractors.
"Naturally" Horrifying
" If it's natural, it's good for you.' I want to scream every time someone says this to me." -- CrunchityFrog
"Give them a nice tall cup of 100% natural, gluten-free, zero fat, no added sugar, non-GMO, activated Central American dart frog poison. Makes a great juice cleanse." -- Symnestra
There's An Apple In There Somewhere
"Many breakfast orientated drinks, while the packaging is green, shows fruit and uses the word 'fresh,' it is filled with sugars and/or calories."
-- DrVagax
Doused In Oil
"Salads in restaurants. Some are worse in calories, sugar and fat than a burger." -- Chola0921
"THIS. I was at an IHOP (surprise surprise) one time and their seemingly innocent spinach salad ended up being worse than the majority of their menu items." -- blukirbi
Others pointed to the dietary fads that, for some reason, still sweep the nation.
Well That's a Relief
"Anything that calls itself a 'cleanse' is bullsh** unless it's claiming to clean the outside of your body."
"Also, you do not have any amounts of poop rotting in your bowels. If you did, you'd have diverticulitis and you'd be going to the doctor or hospital."
-- FatherPyrlig
Purging Something, At Least
"Activated charcoal. You put it in your toothpaste and you're stripping the enamel, you drink it and any supplements or medications are out the window. You only need to ingest charcoal when you are heavily poisoned!!"
"Also, anything that claims to 'purge toxins' or 'clean x organ' is just a laxative."
Puzzling This Is Even An Issue
"URINE THERAPY IS NOT OK"
"And no, collecting your pee in a tupperware, and soaking your foot in it did not cure your infection."
More Issues With Urine
"Cow urine. I'm from India and politicians/leaders have supported campaigns claiming that cow urine can cure diseases, cancer, COVID, and much more."
-- NitroJ7
And some people took the question in a different direction. They identified the "healthy" life behaviors and outlooks that we're spoon-fed from a a young age.
Confrontation Does Not Equal Abuse
"Fighting with your significant other. Obviously having disagreements or occasionally arguing is fine but I've seen so many people who think completely disrespecting their partner during an argument is a normal part of a relationship"
Sprinting to Nowhere
"The grind. Hustling. Getting that bread. It's an unending strive for the impossible. You are wasting your life away on the impossible. Take a step back and realize what you're missing out on."
"You don't need to be rich to sit bad and relax."
-- Gausgovy
So Hard to Accept
"Couples who want a divorce but stay together for the kid, having divorced parents would be so much better for the kid than growing up with parents who always fight/ don't love each other."
So if any of these are a trusty dusty approach to health and well-being for you, maybe it's time to think twice.
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There is a clear reason why the insanely unhealthy--and inhumane--food of McDonald's continues to draw long lines at the drive-thru and entire sports teams on the bus ride home from a game: MARKETING.
The McDonald's brand is synonymous with comfort, consistency, and even family.
Nowhere is that core essence reflected better than in the "Happy Meal."
Introduced in the mid-70s, the "Happy Meal" was conceived as a way to drive business in one of the most effective ways imaginable, by making kids love McDonald's so much that they scream at their parents about it from the back seat of a car.
A complete fast food meal with a little toy thrown in, all served in a fun cardboard box that looks like a little smiling face, the "Happy Meal" has stood the test of time, albeit with some healthier changes in the recent years.
But a recent Reddit thread ran a thought experiment. They imagined a 180: a "Sad Meal." People from far and wide offered interpretations of the very opposite of fun, family, and delicious.
lukeamotion asked, "If McDonald's sold a 'Sad Meal,' what would be in it?"
Some people offered up ideas that still had a foot in the McDonald's universe.
They imagined what shocking preparation faux pas might be at hand, or they modified existing meal choices to be only composed of their very worst elements.
Bad Toys and Worse Food
"Cold fries, an apple pie that's been under the heat lamp so long the filling has dried out, and a warm flat coke. The toy is a used game pass code." -- score_
"Same stuff just the stuff that's been sitting a couple hours under a hot lamp, with a broken Jar Jar Binks toy." -- adanipse
"Nuggets are burnt, fries are cold, unsalted, and the bag is only half-filled. Soda has too much ice and the toy is just a note that says :(" -- Avicii_DrWho
All About the Buns
"Two buns that hold nothing but a fat slop of mayo" -- turquoisepurplepink
"Just the weird middle bun from a Big Mac" -- octupleunderscore
"and the juice from a mc rib lol"
"I'll take one to go. But idk if I want it stale or still frozen, or maybe just untoasted. and a moldy frape for the drink" -- Idabro
Repulsive Imagery
"A large container crammed with french fries and chicken nuggets that are lathered in ketchup."
"It doesn't come with any utensils - you'll have to place the container on the floor, get on your knees and eat it like a dog."
Other entries left the boundaries of the McDonald's food world. They imagined other foods that kids--and even plenty of adults--would hate to receive at a fast food joint.
Brace yourself for healthy boredom and truck stop favorites.
Quinoa Quips
"A container of plain quinoa, and a cup of heavily chlorinated, room temperature water" -- D3vilUkn0w
"'Ever snorted up a big loogie that had some weird hard bits in it? Quinoa is pretty close' -original quinoa marketing campaign" -- loptopandbingo
The Anti-Health Movement
"That's just called salad" -- I_N_C_O_M_I_N_G
"Healthy food. Makes me gag just thinking about it" -- JeffCalledMeSushi
"Liver and onions with prunes for the fruit option." -- greg_reddit
All Enjoyed While Cruising Down the Highway
"A cup of water served at room temperature, fruit slices, onion nuggets, and a mislabeled sauce packet." -- ReadingReddit66
"Natty Ice and a slim jim" -- tmcg6
And then there were the entries that took a broader approach.
These Redditors put the "Sad" in "Sad Meal." But for them, sadness relied on an extensive context surrounding the meal. They developed character sketches and relied on tropes of middle age apathy.
The Decisions That Led There
"Exactly what's in a Happy Meal but you're 36, divorced, and ordered it by accident when you forgot that you don't have the kids this weekend." -- wanderweather
"Hey, what's wrong with someone in their 30s wanting a collectible kid's toy? ;)" -- Some_Random_Android
"I was gunna comment something but yours blows mine out of the water" -- I_Nocebo
Bombshell To Go
"A 23andMe report showing your real dad never loved you." -- wheniwascake
"How does McDonald's know this?" -- strangehitman22
"The fact you're in McDonalds is proof enough." -- wheniwascake
A Litany of Options: It's a Cruel World
"Crippling anxiety accompanied with back pain, with a side of hamburger flavour vodka" -- Screwloose1985
"Mirror" -- PMForDickGraysonPics
"Student Debt" -- jbro145
Earning Your Meal
"The cashier would ask you what happened and caused you to buy it."
"And then gives you a note inside the sad meal box that roasts you about the problem that you told the cashier that caused you to buy it."
-- Arvindjor
We're happy to report that you don't have to worry about receiving anything quite like this the next time you swing by the McDonald's drive-thru.
Perhaps it might make you feel a touch more grateful to have that 1000 calorie beast in a bag.
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Over 70% Of Couples Hide Their Unhealthy Eating Habits From Their Partner
Over half of Americans are cheating on their partners — with food, according to new research.
A poll of 2,000 Americans in relationships found 71% make unhealthy choices behind their partner's back and 55% have hidden food in their home from their partner.
In fact, seven in 10 actually lie to their partner about their unhealthy eating habits.
SWNS
The study, conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Sabra, examined the eating habits and behaviors of 2,000 Americans in relationships and uncovered 64% of Americans say their relationships are not as healthy as they could be.
A staggering 68% say their partner negatively influences their eating habits.
But what would encourage healthy relationships? Fifty-four percent say eating well is one way to improve the health of a relationship.
Another 54% say they believe eating well can contribute to improving the health of their relationships – almost identical to those who think more sex can improve the health of a relationship.
When it comes to eating healthier, though, Americans are turning to others to hold them more accountable.
Nearly half (49%) say they trust their partners the most to make sure they're sticking to their healthier eating goals.
And it works: Three in four respondents say they've successfully influenced their partner to be healthier overall.
Seventy-seven percent say their partner has positively influenced their overall life and well-being.
SWNS
This positive impact has encouraged 62% of respondents to eat healthier while a further 59% have been encouraged to exercise more by their partner.
But it's not just partners they trust to keep them in line when it comes to healthy habits. Thirty-four percent rely on a best friend to hold them accountable for their healthy eating decisions while a further 28% entrust a co-worker to make sure they make healthy eating habits regularly.
Besides eating better and working out more, partners are encouraging one another to save money (54%), love themselves (53%) and have a general positive attitude about life (41%).
But despite all their efforts when it comes to healthy eating, 42% say Valentine's Day is a "cheat day" for them when it comes to food.
Is your relationship as hot as your favorite foods? When asked to compare their relationships with a variety of different foods, Americans' top choices were melted mac and cheese or spaghetti and meatballs.
The top plant-based comparisons were PB&J and creamy hummus and warm pita.
“Valentine's Day is a celebration of romance and relationships, but let's face it, not every relationship is as healthy as it could be," said Jason Levine, Sabra CMO.
“Enjoying foods you feel great about eating with someone you love may be just what you need to smooth things over and swipe right."
TOP 5 ASPECTS OF LIFE THAT PARTNER'S HAVE POSITIVELY IMPACTED
- Eating healthier 62%
- Exercising more 59%
- Accepting myself/loving myself 53%
- Saving money 54%
- Attitude towards life and others 41%
*A version of this story originally appeared on SWNS and was written by Zoya Gervis