Whether we believe in affirmations and high-vibrational energies or not, there's something to be said about how thinking positively can improve our mood and certain aspects of our lives.
But try as we might, there's usually at least one negative thing going on that we just can't put a positive spin on.
Curious, Redditor Certain_Standard_854 asked:
"What is something you hate about your life right now?"
Worried Just In Case
"I have a problem with predictive anxiety. I run through a bunch of worst-case scenarios about what will happen if I turn my back on something."
"Lately, life has been validating that anxiety. I turn my back on something for five seconds and it breaks in half or otherwise goes to shit. It’s not helping my blood pressure."
- Sweddy-Bowls
College Life
"College. I went back at 28 and am now 31. The plan is vet school. I hate being around people a decade younger than me all day. They overuse their slang like Tourette’s, giggle at everything, the guys have horrible hygiene and the girls are brats."
"I hate how undergrad feels dragged out and padded with so much unnecessary information, and how half my teachers just read off PowerPoint to us. You can’t take notes by hand anymore because they expect you to have an iPad to quickly fill in the blanks they leave on the slide. So studying is done on a screen from hundreds of sloppy slides and separate files instead of condensed to a few dozen pages in a notebook."
"I drag myself out of bed and drive twenty minutes to campus, walk thirty minutes to class, just to have something read to me that I could have read more efficiently on my own time, at home, in pajamas. I know I will never use organic chemistry or physics or three-fourths of this knowledge in veterinary school, so it all feels a bit like a scam."
"I think people should be allowed to enter vet/med/law school straight out of high school and be taught the necessary information only. And the amount you’re expected to do to be a competitive applicant is just cruel: get hundreds of hours of experience shadowing while trying to juggle STEM classes and get SLEEP. It just feels like I’m being used and abused by the system, but I have a dream and this is what it takes."
- kidkipp
Second-Guessing Themselves
"Always second-guessing myself. Always."
- LindaGlamorous16
"Yes, overthinking everything."
- LisaDesire7
So Many Responsibilities
"The constant noise of responsibilities."
- Betty2395
Feeling Stuck
"I'm not where I want to be professionally and I feel stuck. I'm also surrounded by other people my age who are soaring and doing relevant work to what they studied so that's hard."
- c1m9h97
"I feel the same, but the last bit I came to find everyone is struggling with one thing or another. Thief is the comparison of joy as they say, and not everything is as picture-perfect as it seems outside. Life isn't meant to be taken that way i guess."
- Vemyx
Poor Work-Life Balance
"I'm mentally exhausted from a job that takes about 80% of my time and I can't see people anymore I can't talk to people aside from work I can't see my family I can't have a relationship because I'm just too exhausted."
- FlakyGiraffe6895
Unreciprocated Support
"I’m sick of being everyone’s emotional and physical support human."
"I’m sick of being depressed. I’m sick of being hopeless."
"Honestly, I think it’s just part of life that we’re all dealing with currently."
- Gearwrenchgirl
"Often letting other people 'use' you for their emotional support stems from a feeling that providing others needs is what is making you valuable.I just wanna tell you, I don't know who you are, but you are inherently valuable and that is something no one can deny you."
"You are worth being heard and respected and have the right to request people to do so."
- Alili1996
In Need Of Connections
"I hate being so f**king lonely. I am 35 and have no friends/girlfriend/dependable family. Just a cat."
"Also hate being unemployed and no one giving me a chance. I don't think it's asking for too much."
"I always thought something good would eventually happen for me, I am not a bad person after all. But nah, that isn't a real thing."
- higround66
"I am sure your cat loves you very much, and I want you to know that while it may be like this now, it doesn’t always have to be this way. I too am lonely and I struggle with social anxiety but I have found that finding ways to get out and be in the world can help."
"Sometimes just small talk with a random person you walk by can help. For me sometimes that means going to church, or smoking a cigarette with a stranger. I find that if you can find something you admire about a person and compliment that, it makes for a decent little conversation."
- Round-Praile-258
Health Problems
"Endless dental problems."
- ThomasWilliamson558
"And not enough money or insurance to take care of it."
- RevolutionaryTwist22
Actions And Consequences
"In general I'm pretty happy with where I'm at, I've got just about everything I could want. But, ironically, now that I've finally got my s**t together, 95% of the people I'd actually want to share it all with are either dead or just plain not in my life anymore."
"Some of the latter were my fault, but some I had to cut out for various reasons. Plus, I really don't see the few that are still around all that often. Don't waste 20 years of your life trying to drink yourself to death, kids."
- BrothelWaffles
The Drive Time
"The fact that I'm driving one and a half hours each way to work each day in Houston traffic, working 40 hours at $23 per hour, and can barely make ends meet even though this is the most I've made in more than seven years."
- Minute_Marzipan4597
Too Boring
"I hate feeling stuck in a routine that doesn’t excite me. Like, I know I should be grateful for stability, but it’s hard when every day feels the same, and I’m not sure what’s next or how to change things up."
- SecretAnnika
No End In Sight?
"That no matter how hard I try to improve my life, it ends up getting worse. I literally have nothing to live for. Literally nothing. I’m not needed or wanted."
"Don’t have a job, no friends, no boyfriend, no money, crippled with anxiety and depression to exhaustion, unattractive, sad, no good at anything, pretty much invisible. Still, I try hard for zero results."
"Not looking for a pity party, just stating facts. I’m trying to get over how bad I feel about all of it so it won’t bother me anymore. That’s life, some are good at it and others aren’t meant for it."
- danzigwiththedead
Reminder: It Gets Better!
"Nothing, and I'm proud to be posting that!"
- GoodbyeNarcissists
"What a vibe. I'm happy for you, fam."
- a_snom_who_noms
We've all felt at least a few of these ways, and while they're tough to get through, fortunately most of these are far from permanent.
When you're at the bottom, there's nowhere to go but up.