
Have you ever been caught in a conversation you didn't want to be in? Or start talking to someone only to realize you want to stop? Perhaps you were talking to a friend when the conversation took a turn for the uncomfortable.
Whatever the case, we've all been in those situations where we want the conversation to stop, but don't want to be rude.
When I was in third grade, I asked if I voted on American Idol that week. I said yes, since everyone seemed to, but of course I didn't know what American Idol was. Being pop culture challenged, I thought it was a ship. Needless to say everyone was confused when I was asked who I voted for and I replied, "What do you mean? I voted for American Idol!"
It didn't take me long to realize something was amiss, and I probably would've very rudely excused myself from the conversation (fueled by my embarrassment) if my teacher hadn't called us to attention at that very moment.
Luckily, the people of Reddit were willing to share their methods to politely end a conversation when Redditor Spritti33asked:
"How does someone politely end a conversation with a person who won't stop talking?"
Extricate Yourself Immediately
"When they draw a breath, politely say:"
""On that note, I must be on my way.""
Then, simply leave."
– Back2Bach
Couldn't Get Him To Shut Up
"Yea I worked with a dude who needed to talk. I just talked to him to be polite and not awkward. And I remember him saying "at least you're not one of those people who are silent all day". In my head I'm like, "FUCK, I wish I could be silent all day but now that you said that it would be even more awkward."
"At some point, I just mentally said f**k it and started giving him one-word replies. I think he got the hint because he started talking to me less. Eventually, he quit after a couple of months so it's all good!"
"But some people just need to talk for whatever reason. I need my freaking silence."
– BlackSecurity
Put It In Writing
"I once worked with a man that managed to say nothing, despite talking nonstop. He would explain an issue to me over the span of 5 min. I would say "OK, so the issue you're having is x?" and he would say "No" then launch into a 5 min monologue about something completely different. One time, after half an hour talking with him I still had no idea what the problem was, so I said "put all the issues in an email so I can put it in the queue" and just left. Never got a coherent email either but at least a rambling incoherent email is easier to walk away from and less time-consuming."
– TechnologyFetish
Put Them (Back) To Work
"If you're in an office building with someone (or any location the person you're talking to has a desk), one trick you can try is walking them back to their desk, say something like "well, I'll let you get back to it!", then turn around and leave."
– RegulusMagnus
Taking Care Of Each Other
"My workplace has someone like this and it’s pretty much become a part of our culture to monitor who is trapped talking to her, for how long they’ve been stuck, and to rescue them after an appropriate amount of time has passed. She doesn’t get it, and probably never will."
– Lady_DreadStar
Talk To The Door
"My husband worked with a woman who would not stop talking. Just wouldn't. So you'd gather your stuff, while she monologued. You'd say goodbye to everyone else, while she monologued. You'd walk to the door as she followed you and shut the door in her face while she monologued. You could hear her still talking to you behind the closed door while you walked away."
– BoozeIsTherapyRight
Take Your Turn
"I learned a trick. Most excessive talkers hate listening. So I simply participate and tell my own stories. After one or two stories they are usually ready to leave themselves to seek their next victim."
– RireBaton
Create A Deadline
"My entire dad's side of the family are the type that never stop talking."
"The key to getting a word in is to just respond to whatever you wanted to add to even if they are still talking. It might feel rude but most people who are like that were raised in environments where that's the norm or in the case of people with disorders like ADHD and Autism, they most likely know they have the tendency and will roll with it."
"Best way I've found to get end a conversation with ramblers is to set a deadline as early as possible in the conversation (ex: I have to leave at 6pm to get to ______ on time). If you do this you can do the "I'm sorry I really have to go" and immediately leave without offending them because you've already set the expectation that you would be leaving at a certain time."
– aflyingcowpie
Music
"This is why I hate taking Lyft/Uber alone, I seem to always get the folks who just want to talk the entire time. My boyfriend tells me to just not engage but when you’re in a car with someone it’s kinda hard not to. The ONE time I just wore headphones the whole time, the driver at the end said “maybe you’ll actually talk next time”"
– sm0gs
"Headphones..."
– bob_marley98
No Need To Feel Bad
"People who are like this expect folks to just walk away from them while they are talking because that’s the only way the conversation ends. It’s not rude to them, it’s normal. So, it’s entirely okay to say, “all right this has been great, see you later,” and then just walk away smiling."
– paulpowell9
Sometimes it's hard to get out of a conversation you never wanted to be in, and sometimes it's equally as hard to keep your temper in check.
However, if you remember some of these tips and tricks, you may be able to successfully get yourself out of an unpleasant or unceremoniously long conversation in the future!
One of the hardest things to do in life is to stick to a budget. No matter how well you plan and how determined you are, you always seem to overspend a little.
Usually, this is a result of certain items being overpriced. Between run-of-the-mill inflation and shortage of goods, and the addition of pandemic-related inflation and shortage of goods, several items have been marked up.
In addition to goods, events and services are costing more as well.
The worst part is a lot of the stuff that is overpriced are actually items that people can't stop buying. People can't stop overspending if they aren't able to stop buying.
Curious about what overpriced items people keep buying, Redditor Sxzym asked:
"What's something that's way too overpriced, but people still keep buying?"
An Awful Business That's Always Needed
"Funerals"
– sparklingshanaya
"Just throw me in the trash."
– snyder005
"I’m thinking about starting a business as a funeral planner. I know it sounds like a stand up bit, but I’m serious."
"It’s not like the average person understands the business, the rules and regulations, and the prices."
"So essentially, you’re making thousands of dollars worth of decisions while you’re an emotional wreck. Plus everyone is trying to squeeze extra money out of you by gaslighting you into thinking you’re a cheapskate that doesn’t care about your dead loved one."
"I go in not knowing the family nor the deceased and I certainly don’t give two sh*ts if a funeral director thinks I’m being cheap."
"The only thing that sucks is I would have to get paid too, so that would kind of ruin the whole point. So part of me just wants to volunteer my efforts."
"I just really hate when people get bent over and put in debt after losing someone. It’s so disgusting."
– Deleted User
Addicting Goods
"Cigarettes"
– Poopikenz
"This one hits home. Everytime my mother buys a pack of ciggies and bitches about the rising costs but absolutely refuses to try the MUCH cheaper alternative which is vaping, the same device she seen me quit cigs on lol."
– ItsAnAvocadooThanks
"I feel this lol"
"I’ve had issues with other addictions in the past and managed to kick the bad ones but haven’t been able to quit smoking."
"At 2 packs a day with the price being between 6-8$, that we will call 7 is about 5k a year and I’m about a decade into this so I’ve depend around 50k on cigarettes in my life."
– GenericUsername19892
Fast Food
"Fast food. Gone are the days of the dollar menu"
– Bending_toast
"F*ckin fast food man, McD’s is expensive as sh*t now a days."
– iaintlyon
"Fast food. I see lines of cars in just about every joint I drive past. Spending who knows how much money on one meal that has no nutrients. I spend the same amount on food that will provide me three meals, with nutrients that will help me through my week."
– HeartPalpitations46
Medical Supplies
"Insulin. It's like they need it to live or something. Lol."
– uwumcuwu
"Inhalers too. So ridiculous it's not like I'm choosing to not breathe"
– adnoh1799
Apple Products
"Not to start a phone war, but i myself think that Apple products in general are way too expensive."
– Lo0tzz
"I might be wrong on this but it seems like every time they come out with a new iPhone all they add is a bit more battery life and a few better camera features when they’ve already had an excellent camera since iPhone X and 11 because that was the whole gimmick of those devices but they keep adding more camera stuff and then slap on a hundred more to the price."
– zRudy_Jimmy
The Essentials Of Eating
"Grubhub/Uber eats/door dash, etc"
– MonkeyDDeclan
"And when you have small children at home, thus making you unable or unwilling (depending on the circumstance) to just run out and pick up the food yourself, you wind up using then FAR more often than you should."
– dkonigs
The Completely Necessary
"Health care."
– dangoins
"Insurance I mean, it's necessary, but still..."
– asianchopsticks__
"Women's hygiene products."
"It should be dirt cheap, if not free."
– Marmite_Badger
Hydration
"Water. Should never have to pay for it."
– mattekus
"Bottled water - obviously only where safe, clean drinking water is available from the tap."
– McStabbityStabStab
"Our tap water at our apartment tastes like dirt so we usually get a 24 pack and go through it in about 2 weeks. We always get the store brand, though. Never name brand."
– captainbuckybarnes
Fulfilling The Food Groups
"pre-sliced fruits and veggies at the store. The markup is insane on those things lol"
– -MACHO-MAN-
"In Tennessee a whole watermelon is $4.99. Also, 1/4 of a watermelon is $4.99."
– usedTP
"I hate myself a little every time I buy pre chopped veggies but damn it if they aren't worth it when my arthritis flares."
– thatspookybitch
Learn A Lot
"College education after associates."
– Cozycouchandtv
"University or college education"
– ThirdSpectator
Sadness
"The American Dream."
– Thundersiege_Tank
"happy endings"
– revpar35
Ouch. That's a harsh reality!
There are so many life lessons we learn way too late.
One of the biggest is that life itself is not as difficult as we chose to make it.
Humans always seem to take the long road.
Maybe that's just life.
Maybe it's meant to be arduous until we learn to think smarter not harder.
Redditor rectangularbearwanted to have a chat about the aspects of life we all wish we could've experienced a little easier.
"What's a life lesson you learned the hard way?"
I have nothing to add. I only know how to make anything and everything hard.
Slow Down
"Don't fall too fast for someone."
liftoffsavage
"That's why it's called falling."
ShoppingOutrageous87
Too Much
"High expectations are prone to leading to disappointment. This applies to all things, but personally, I find that it applies to people the most."
Artistic_Bug630
"I messed up with this big time. Talked me ex fiancé up like she was an angel straight for heaven. Turned out to be the Devil wearing Prada. Had to walk into church by myself looking straight busted when everyone found out my 'angel' dumped me."
RealTalk1250
The Smile
"Go to the dentist. Teeth don't heal, they only get worse."
Present-Skill-4114
"I know a guy who can’t understand why he can’t get a girlfriend. All of his teeth are rotted and discolored except one. Idk about anyone else, but to me that’s worse than just having no teeth at all. Idk if he realizes how much worse bad teeth can make you look."
Shadowweavers
Bad Blood
"Just because someone is family doesn't mean they will not screw you over."
Great-Panic-9504
"I too am among some of the many who have learned this the hard way. Foolish me experienced this time and time again before I finally realized that I have friends who have made better family than any of the blood related members of my life."
Mystrrrscat2901
"I really hate the 'Family is everything' mentality some people espouse, as if the accident of blood relation excuses or entitles someone to abusive, manipulative behavior."
Dahhhkness
Single is Happy
"Don’t settle, and if you get the vibe someone is settling for you, end it. Loneliness isn’t half as bad when compared to heartbreak."
TheStinkBoy
"Regretting that single Tinder swipe after dating a paranoid for 11 months now, scared as hell for what could go wrong if I dump her."
bright-son
Love is one of the most difficult things ever. Why so?
Seriously?!
"That when my Uncle says 'I won't bail you out of jail' what he actually means is 'I won't bail you out of jail.' Who'd have thought."
blaze980
You got You!
"Nobody is gonna watch out for you, like you."
1980pzx
"I saw something the other day written by another foster parent that said 'I became the kind of person I wish would've saved me when I was a kid.' Punched me right in the feels because it's absolutely true, for me anyway."
MissSassifras1977
The Heat
"Don't set yourself on fire to keep other people warm."
realistic_b**tard
"Woah. This is all I've needed. I will never be the same. I will never think the same. I swear my life will only get better from here on. Such a simple sentence. Didn't think a reddit comment had the capacity to change my life so much. Obviously you haven't invented the phrase, but thank you for your comment."
fairycxt
Keep Trying
"Don't give up on something without even trying. Even if you are convinced you will fail. In life, no one will do it for you, you have to do it yourself."
Automatic-Cat-7777
"Yes. And don’t gauge your potential on your self-confidence. Even if you feel there’s no way you can do something, and even if you fail miserably on your first try, keep trying. You’d be amazed at how many people who got good at something but started out as the worst at it."
vanityislobotomy
Say Bye
"Trust your gut when friends do bad things. It’s ok to leave relationships."
Myrtle_The_Tortoise
Life doesn't have to be so hard. Why do we make it so?
Some people are daredevils, and laugh in the face of danger.
As a result, they'll willingly partake in dangerous activities like bungee jumping and skydiving, or will go scuba diving with sharks without a second thought.
Others though, proceed through life with extreme caution, and wouldn't be caught dead partaking in any of the above.
However, these same people might not realize that they might have once put themselves in extreme danger without even realizing it.
As some things which appear to be completely harmless and risk free, might actually be far more dangerous than they might seem.
Redditorcltdawg08 was curious to learn what things are deceptively dangerous, leading them to ask:
"What is a lot more dangerous than most people think?"
No harm in hitting the snooze button, right?
"Playing the 'well, my alarm turned off, but I just wanna rest my eyes for a bit' game."- IIITysonIII
Don't be fooled by their "chinny, chin, chins"...
"Pigs."
"They look slow and fat."
"Saw a guy nearly get killed by a pig."- theycallmelilsnowy
Always try to get those 40 winks...
"Sleep deprivation."
"It slowly kills over time."- CyndaWott
Don't underestimate the importance of a helmet.
"Being knocked out."
"In movies, the hero hits someone on the head, or the hero is hit on the head, and they're out for hours."
"In reality, if you are knocked unconscious for more than a few seconds, you'll be inundated with traumatic brain injuries."
"Even a mild brain injuries can drastically change a person's personality, if it doesn't kill them, which is a real possibility."
"TL;DR: Don't get knocked out, and if you do, see a neurologist."
"I speak as someone who has had over 10 concussions."- canucksquatch
Consider calling a professional...
"Garage door springs."- Cvrk2·
Especially without proper supervision
"Factory work."
"I started one like 2 weeks ago and quit after the first week."
"A mistake in a metal fabrication shop could easily cost you your life or serious injury."
"Not for the clumsy type like myself."- StoneySphynx
ALWAYS get a second opinion...
"Reddit advice."- Pro_Banana
Get your body moving!
"Sitting for long periods of time."- Accurate-Bread-7574
Talk to a doctor first.
"Using OTC meds."
"There is a very good reason why these drugs emphasize to not use more than _____ days consecutively without a Doctors orders."
"Some of these drugs can very easily cause long-term damage under the right circumstances, even if you never exceed the daily dose limits."
"I'm a good example."
"I used Aspirin long-term near max dose on a regular basis."
"I'm now in stage 3 kidney failure."
"Don't self-medicate, seek guidance."
"At the least, talk to the pharmacist."
"They offer FREE advice and consultation about all medications, both OTC and Rx, whether your on it presently or looking to ask your Dr about it."- SpacemaniaXu
Don't let appearances deceive you, and always proceed with caution.
A wise and safe way to go through life, even if you prefer to live dangerously.
And particularly before you pet that pig...
Parenting is an arduous, often thankless job.
If it's not something you ever really wanted, or even if it is, you have to be careful.
Toxic parents create toxic people.
And that is born from a lot of unresolved trauma.
RedditorGemJoltik34wanted to spread the word on the ways we can recognize toxic parenting.
"What is a sign of toxic parenting?"
I know I wasn't built for parenting. That's ok. It's just not for me.
Know it All
"Always believing they're right because they're the adult and therefore not letting the child have any say."
rhi_x
Not Bad
"If you feel like you can't be open and honest with them, even over things that are not bad."
keiome
"I can’t remember the last time I was deeply honest about my feelings or things I was struggling with. Somehow they always either 1. find a way to use it against me or 2. they find a way to blame it on things that are unrelated when in the end, it’s usually their crappy way of parenting."
"This is mainly about my mom. But in my dads case, he is emotionally cut off. He doesn’t express himself like ever. My mom is the complete opposite."
tequila-la
Standards
"Being unable to apologize, setting and enforcing standards they themselves don't follow."
19whale96
"When I tell my parents about something I feel like they should apologize my dad listens to me, if he disagrees with what I said he tells me why and if he thinks that my reasoning is correct he says 'you're right, I'm sorry,' my mom yells at me, cries, 'you're talking back, I would've never done that to my mother.' Guess who I have a better relationship with."
Confident-Thanks-143
Feelings
"When they constantly invalidate your feelings."
Hot_Comfortable_6373
"This one in a huge way… my feelings were never validated. Every time I cried it was 'stop the crocodile tears, you’re just looking for attention.' Every time I was mad 'you don’t have real reasons to be upset.' Hell, even when I was physically hurt it’d usually be something like 'rub some dirt on it.'"
Garden_Circus
Lessons
"Never actually teaching your kids anything, just criticizing, 'I told you so' and 'because I said so.'"
eveningspliff
"This was my life just about every day until I moved out. My parents expected me to know things and got pissed when I did something wrong."
playingitloud
People should be required to take parenting classes. Seriously...
Mental Space
"Parents not understanding kids have bad days too. They may not have a bad day like an adult would, but to their little minds they can get just as overwhelmed as we can mentally."
minimomma1989
Learning Bad
"Not being allowed to make mistakes and constantly being shouted at for them."
sami2503
"My significant other has legit PTSD from not meeting his parents standards and being yelled at and screamed for it. Apparently if he didn't clean to their standards they would trash the room and make him start all over again instead of just getting the parts he missed."
YoHeadAsplode
I Feel It
"Treating kids like they aren't supposed to have emotions."
Bee0099
"Damn... felt this one. My mom was this way and reacted with anger anytime I tried to talk to her about my feelings, whether it be something she did to me that traumatized me or just something that upset me during the day."
"Then had an ex who did the exact same thing (not relevant to parenting but yeah). So the treatment I received from my mom and ex made me put up a wall around my emotions. Completely ruined my recent marriage. Just hope my son always knows he can talk about his feelings around me."
leebron-jahamez69
Expectations
"The 'I guess I’m just a bad parent' line."
HoneyOaksTree
"Or 'Well, I wasn't perfect,' or 'I don't think I ever claimed to be perfect,' or 'I know I was not a perfect parent,' always with the implication that the only reason their offspring have a problem with them is due to their expectations of perfection, and therefore, the problem is with the child and their unrealistic expectations."
LeisurelyLoner
Just say it!
"Never apologizing. Own up to your mistakes!"
bellum1
"Seriously. Like my mom will give a somewhat apology, it'll be along the lines of 'I was in the right, but maybe I shouldn't have blown up and overreacted like I did.' Like sometimes she's right with that but other times she's just trying to only take partial blame."
berrys_a_ghost
Some parents cause far more damage than happiness. And we have proof... It's not a decision to be taken lightly.