Category: life

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Things Romanticized by Society That Are Actually Toxic

There are so many things that are called romantic in books and movies and songs but, when you apply them to real life, are nothing but creepy and/or toxic.

Singer and songwriter Naya Ford took that truth head on during a TikTok video, asking her followers to weigh in on “something that people glamorize that’s actually just extremely toxic.”

@nayaaford

What’s something that glamorized but is ✨toxic✨ #NewYearNewMiO #WordsOfWisdom #toxic #withouttellingme #fyp

♬ original sound – Naya A Ford

She began with “I want a significant other who is rude and mean and not friendly to anybody” because that somehow means they won’t cheat, and her followers really piled on.

Below are 13 great answers!

13. That women can fix broken men.

“The idea that broken men can only be healed through the love and labor of a woman. This perpetuates the idea that men cannot find healing or support from anybody except for women — which means that they don’t seek it from their friends, they don’t seek therapy, they don’t have connections outside of their [female] partner to support them. This obviously puts a huge burden on women to care for men, heal them, rehabilitate them. That same energy is not given to women.

Also, if you want an example, I recommend looking at almost any movie targeted to teenage girls that is about a ‘bad boy’ (the pure, loving ‘good girl’ heals the wounds of the tortured ‘bad boy’ trope).”

12. Couples pranking each other on YouTube.

“YouTube couples who do pranks — they’re so obvious that they’re doing pranks, and they just get more and more extreme with…embarrassing each other on camera.”

11. Drinking wine.

“Wine culture.

Especially mom wine culture. “The reason mommy drinks.” “Mommy juice.”

And look I am guilty of it too. I used to make jokes about it until I realized I actually had a problem.

We’re grown women. It’s not cool to joke about drinking every day. It’s alcoholism.”

10. Heartbreak in general.

“The way that we romanticize getting our heart broken and then forgiving and getting back together with the person who broke our heart. That dumb notion of ‘you always hurt the one you love’…If somebody cheats on you, lies to you, manipulates you, that is called emotional abuse. And there’s this media depiction that all it takes is the right grand gesture and then everything is resolved — it will never happen again, and you should forgive them. I’m not saying redemption isn’t possible because every situation is different, but that’s not romantic — that’s called work.

And if I have to watch one more gosh darn movie where we sympathize with the person who did the abuse, and we look to the person who was abused asking them to forgive them to suit our romantic narrative. … It is not glamorous, it is not romantic; it is abuse, and we need to stop idolizing it.”

9. Being in a relationship.

“By no means am I saying that relationships are toxic, but what I am saying is that society and social media’s obsession with relationships — yeah, that’s not healthy at all. It’s as though everyone is more focused on the cute pictures, the matching outfits, and being able to say you have someone than actually accessing and considering ~who~ you have.

Daniel Sloss said it best…: It’s people out here trying to force things that shouldn’t be forced with one another because they would much rather have somebody than nothing at all. Like…there are really couples out here who don’t need to be together, should NOT be together, but they stay together because their cute couple pics go viral. And the obsession promotes the idea that being single is a flaw. It’s getting weird!”

8. Gender norms.

“Gender norms. Blue is for boys, pink is for girls. Girls show emotion, men do not. Women are feminine, men are masculine.”

7. Professional modeling.

“The modeling industry. I’m surprised to this day, it’s still glorified. It’s such a toxic industry, people get away with so [many] atrocious things in that industry because they have power and control over your work, your body, and so many other things that you renounced when you started your career as a model.

Like, they don’t prepare you to be objectified, s*xualized, and preyed on by predators. Played by people you trust, told that you’re not good enough, [and] expected to be of a standard that you will never attain. Jeopardizing your self-worth and mental health at their expense for them to make money off you. It’s such a problematic industry that we need to stop glamorizing it…

Please don’t…be something you’re not and let people (who don’t care about you) dictate what you should (or shouldn’t) be in this industry. If you start out, do you.”

6. Having children.

“Having kids. No wait. It’s not toxic in its entirety. There are aspect in it that are really toxic hear me out. Having children is glamorized and prioritize over very necessary pieces of actually raising children.

People are not addressing their past traumas, they not addressing their stability, mentally, physically, financially. All of these thing are taking a back seat to an idea bringing children to this world and having a baby shower, and having a gender reveal, Both the children and parents are forced in this reality that they can’t recreate their favorite TV show family.

The life is very real but having children are glamorized and the kids will group with not addressed traumas and repeat the cycle.”

5. A “morning routine.”

“Bloggers who have the perfect morning routines with their kids and they cut up all the little lunch into bento box with the love notes and a shaped apple with an octopus and their house is cleaned and they are dressed.

The moms are dressed their hairs are brushed, they have make up. Where are you going, where are you going and then their kids are in perfect outfits and then they go out of the door like that. No, it doesn’t work that way, that’s toxic, it’s a lie”

4. Dieting.

“Diet culture and the idea that your value and morality is tied to how much you weigh.”

3. Codependency in relationships.

“The idea that you guys need to be obsessed with each other when you’re in a relationship…Apparently we have to text each other every day — all day long — and if we don’t text back within a reasonable amount of time, or we don’t explain why we didn’t text back, then all of a sudden that means we’re not into you anymore. If you’re not texting each other, then you’re probably on FaceTime until your phone dies or on FaceTime until you fall asleep. And some people like to be on FaceTime while they’re asleep, which is kinda weird…

Basically dedicating all your time to your significant other — that’s kind of unhealthy. ‘Cause imagine you dedicated so much time and energy to a relationship that you had nothing else going on in your life. You’re gonna feel so broken if that relationship fails, because you got way too attached.”

2. Having a friend’s back.

“Vouching for your friends no matter what, even when they’ve done something bad.

Like, if my friend cheats on their partner, and they expect me to lie for them if their partner calls me and asks where they are, I’m not lying for you and your [bad] behavior.

If your partner knows me well enough to have my phone number and ask where you are, why would I want to participate in lying to them? Obviously there are worse things, but it’s a no for me.”

1. Beauty standards. Period.

“Any beauty standard.

It’s too much.”

Don’t be fooled, y’all – if it seems toxic, it probably is!

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Is It Bad to Tell a Friend That You Don’t Care if She Likes How You Look?

I like to say that one of the best days of my life was the one when I truly stopped caring what other people think – and while that’s true, I do think that some people’s opinions matter.

If you trust someone and their thoughts on certain matters, then of course, you might care what they think about a certain topic. Everyone else, though, can suck it.

This woman is wondering whether or not she was wrong to tell a friend she didn’t care about her opinion on clothes, though, and the backstory is that her friend and roommate is super into the body positivity movement – to the point where she’s not afraid to police where her friends go to the doctor or buy their clothes.

I (24f) live with 2 other women Claire (23f), and Joan (24f).

Joan spent most of last week helping her boyfriend find and move into a new flat, so we haven’t seen much of her.

Joan is a bigger girl (a UK 22) and is very into the body positivity movement, in particular the health at any size movement but to a dangerous and quite toxic degree (ie she recently complained about discrimination to our GP practice after a nurse told her she couldn’t have the combined pill due to her weight).

One if her major bugbears is when brands only sell straight sizes (6 to 16/18) it is her opinion that if brands don’t sell a larger size range that they should be boycotted, and anyone who buys from them is approving of their size exclusivity.

While that roommate was out of town, OP and her other roommate bought cute sundresses from an “unapproved” retailer – someone who doesn’t sell plus sizes – and planned to wear them for an at-home tea that might lift their spirits.

Earlier this week to cheer ourselves up Claire and I each ordered a dress sundress from House of CB, living in Britain in March that may seem a bit hopeful but they are pretty and a girl can dream of summer!

They arrived Friday night, and Claire and I decided that on Sunday we’d have afternoon tea and wear them (it would also act as a distraction from the fact it was mother’s day and we couldn’t be with our mums). We text Joan to see if she wanted to join but she declined.

Then the third roommate came home, asked about the dresses, and then began shaming the other girls for supporting that retailer.

Joan came home during the tea, and all was fine at first she had a scone and chatted away until she asked about the dresses, we told her they were House of CB and she looked them up, then she said “why the f*ck are you guys supporting somewhere like this?”, we said “what?”, and she started ranting about the sizing (XXS to L+, UK 4/6, to 14/16).

OP told her in no uncertain terms that she didn’t care whether or not the roommate approved of her dress, and that the last thing anyone needed during a pandemic was more people trying to steal their joy.

Which… I definitely agree with.

I told her to calm down, and that the dresses are pretty, she told us that she was appalled at us wearing them, then started ranting.

I stopped her and said that her opinion on clothes sizing does not affect me and should not affect if Claire and I are trying to find some happiness in these times, that we should be allowed to shop wherever we want and that she needs to stop obsessing over it.

The roommate stormed off and declared she wasn’t speaking to the other girls unless they returned the dresses, leaving OP to wonder whether or not she was an a$shole for stating her opinion.

Joan then stormed off to her room, and is still refusing to speak to either of us.

Only texting us once to say “I’m only talking to you if you send those dresses back and apologise”.

Are we the a**holes here?

I know weight and clothing is a sensitive topic, and I know that she has a thing about it, but I don’t see why that should affect what Claire and I are allowed to buy and wear, however I am aware I was a few cocktails in so could have been a bit more sensitive about it myself.

I’m only really questioning it as her reaction is so extreme.

So, was the roommate’s reaction extreme?

Reddit, of course, is weighing in.

This person pointed out that you’re allowed to have your own moral guidelines when shopping, but to try to force them on other people is gross.

Image Credit: Reddit

There was plenty of (warranted) snark to be found.

Image Credit: Reddit

Pretty much everyone said they should keep the dresses (if they like them).

Image Credit: Reddit

It’s almost like she doesn’t want to have any friends.

Image Credit: Reddit

Everyone deserves to feel fabulous in their clothes, no matter the size!

Image Credit: Reddit

This could probably have been handled a bit more delicately, but in the end, she wasn’t wrong.

I hope the friend wises up and realizes that she won’t win anyone to her size by bossing people around – yeesh.

Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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What Lessons Did You Learn Too Late in Life? Here’s What People Said.

We only get one shot at this thing called life.

I’m talking about life. And even though it’s all about learning lessons along the way and growing, all of us have some kind of regrets about things we did or didn’t do when we were younger.

But you can’t let it get you down too much, I guess…

What are some lessons you think you learned too late in life?

Here’s how people responded on AskReddit.

1. Good point.

“To become more comfortable being uncomfortable.

Go toward your fears, don’t run from them, within reason.”

2.  You gotta do it!

“Look after your knees and your teeth.”

3. Truth.

“Sometimes you can do everything right and still fail.

And that is not a weakness; that is life.”

4. Keep it separate.

“Don’t bring things home from work.

I had a bad day at work. Came home and got in an argument with my gf about something…and stopped halfway.

Yes, she really had done something, but the only reason I got so angry about it was because…I had already been angry, from work. Otherwise i might have just let it go.

From then on I learned to separate work from home. I was 28. I felt like this was a lesson I should have learned earlier.”

5. Confront it.

“If you made mistakes, always confront them and the consequences right away.

Waiting doesn’t make it better, it makes it worse.”

6. I like this.

“Happiness is enjoying the things you have, not the things to come.”

7. No one is paying attention.

“People aren’t thinking about you even a fraction of the amount you think they’re thinking about you.

You’re noise in a lifetime of experiences and a busy mind. This is a good thing.

It means you can just get what you need from people and not over think it, safe in the knowledge that they’ll forget you almost immediately.”

8. Use it wisely.

“That the most valuable commodity is time.

Time to play with your kids, time to take that trip you always wanted, time to spend with the people you love.

It’s the only resource we can’t get more of yet we throw it away with excuses and never do anything to change it.

Write that book, go back to school, tell that girl you love her beacuse if you don’t all you’ll have is regrets.”

9. Take care of Number One.

“Be patient and wait. It’s better to be alone than with someone that doesn’t respect you.

No matter how much or good your are to someone, some of them will screw you over.

Always look after yourself first.

Start early with physical hobby and keep fit, you have one body and there is no replay.

If you love someone but they don’t love you.. move on. It will hurt like hell but in the long run, you’ll be happier.

Giving money doesn’t equate to affection, the gratitude will be short lived and you’ll only be an ATM to them in the near future.”

10. Not worth the time.

“Not everyone and every situation is worth your time or energy.

As someone that’s a bit of a “fixer” I often end up wasting my time trying to help people that didn’t deserve it or solve problems that nobody really cares about. It’s hard to know when to just walk away.

The other thing is protect your time it’s more valuable than your money. You can always go make more money you cannot go make more time. Time once lost cannot be regained.”

11. You can get help.

“That there IS hope for you to fix your mental health problems.

I left things for 10 years not knowing there was decent help to be had.

Although to be fair, things have progressed a lot since then”

12. Avoid them.

“Just because you’re blood related to someone, doesn’t mean that you owe them anything.

Toxic people are toxic people and you are not required to give them a single ounce of your attention if they are hurting you.”

13. Yes!

“Never put your education/ job / plans on hold for a boyfriend / girlfriend especially while in college.

Especially when you’re 19…”

What are the lessons you think you learned too late in life?

Talk to us in the comments.

Thanks a lot!

The post What Lessons Did You Learn Too Late in Life? Here’s What People Said. appeared first on UberFacts.

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What Lessons Did You Learn Too Late in Life? Here’s What People Said.

We only get one shot at this thing called life.

I’m talking about life. And even though it’s all about learning lessons along the way and growing, all of us have some kind of regrets about things we did or didn’t do when we were younger.

But you can’t let it get you down too much, I guess…

What are some lessons you think you learned too late in life?

Here’s how people responded on AskReddit.

1. Good point.

“To become more comfortable being uncomfortable.

Go toward your fears, don’t run from them, within reason.”

2.  You gotta do it!

“Look after your knees and your teeth.”

3. Truth.

“Sometimes you can do everything right and still fail.

And that is not a weakness; that is life.”

4. Keep it separate.

“Don’t bring things home from work.

I had a bad day at work. Came home and got in an argument with my gf about something…and stopped halfway.

Yes, she really had done something, but the only reason I got so angry about it was because…I had already been angry, from work. Otherwise i might have just let it go.

From then on I learned to separate work from home. I was 28. I felt like this was a lesson I should have learned earlier.”

5. Confront it.

“If you made mistakes, always confront them and the consequences right away.

Waiting doesn’t make it better, it makes it worse.”

6. I like this.

“Happiness is enjoying the things you have, not the things to come.”

7. No one is paying attention.

“People aren’t thinking about you even a fraction of the amount you think they’re thinking about you.

You’re noise in a lifetime of experiences and a busy mind. This is a good thing.

It means you can just get what you need from people and not over think it, safe in the knowledge that they’ll forget you almost immediately.”

8. Use it wisely.

“That the most valuable commodity is time.

Time to play with your kids, time to take that trip you always wanted, time to spend with the people you love.

It’s the only resource we can’t get more of yet we throw it away with excuses and never do anything to change it.

Write that book, go back to school, tell that girl you love her beacuse if you don’t all you’ll have is regrets.”

9. Take care of Number One.

“Be patient and wait. It’s better to be alone than with someone that doesn’t respect you.

No matter how much or good your are to someone, some of them will screw you over.

Always look after yourself first.

Start early with physical hobby and keep fit, you have one body and there is no replay.

If you love someone but they don’t love you.. move on. It will hurt like hell but in the long run, you’ll be happier.

Giving money doesn’t equate to affection, the gratitude will be short lived and you’ll only be an ATM to them in the near future.”

10. Not worth the time.

“Not everyone and every situation is worth your time or energy.

As someone that’s a bit of a “fixer” I often end up wasting my time trying to help people that didn’t deserve it or solve problems that nobody really cares about. It’s hard to know when to just walk away.

The other thing is protect your time it’s more valuable than your money. You can always go make more money you cannot go make more time. Time once lost cannot be regained.”

11. You can get help.

“That there IS hope for you to fix your mental health problems.

I left things for 10 years not knowing there was decent help to be had.

Although to be fair, things have progressed a lot since then”

12. Avoid them.

“Just because you’re blood related to someone, doesn’t mean that you owe them anything.

Toxic people are toxic people and you are not required to give them a single ounce of your attention if they are hurting you.”

13. Yes!

“Never put your education/ job / plans on hold for a boyfriend / girlfriend especially while in college.

Especially when you’re 19…”

What are the lessons you think you learned too late in life?

Talk to us in the comments.

Thanks a lot!

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A Woman Found a ‘Candyman’ Portal in Her New York Apartment

There are stories on the internet, usually about people who live in apartments, often those apartments exist in NYC, where something totally freaking scary pops up out of nowhere.

Sometimes it’s ghosts, sometimes it’s scarier than that because it’s actually real, but I have no idea what could be freakier than finding a portal in your apartment…and then trying to figure out where it leads.

That’s exactly what happened in this TikTok video series, when a woman feels a draft and discovers it’s coming from behind the bathroom mirror.

Then, things get really weird.

In Part 1 of the series, she lays out how she found the draft, and she shows us that there’s a draft (because it’s blowing her hair), and that she’s figured out it’s coming from the mirror.

@samanthartsoe

seriously never would I have expected to find this… and I documented all of it #mystery #fyp #nyc #secret #foryou #apartment #storytime

♬ Mysterious – Andreas Scherren

In Part 2, we get the reveal of what’s behind the mirror. Because.

There’s a big ol’ hole.

@samanthartsoe

HOW IS THIS IN MY BATHROOM WALL #mystery #nyc #apartment #secret #storytime #fyp

♬ Mysterious – Andreas Scherren

Part 3 was her going into the hole (it was an ordeal) with her friends there bearing witness.

Oh, and she had a hammer. Good thinking.

@samanthartsoe

TRULY a new meaning to a “hole in the wall” #mystery #nyc #apartment #secret #storytime #fyp #foryou

♬ Oh No – Kreepa

She finds like, a whole apartment that’s not being rented and doesn’t have heat.

What it does have are signs that people have been inside of it, maybe hanging out, and a door to the street that’s unlocked.

@samanthartsoe

crawled through a wall for this mystery so enjoy the finale ??‍♀️ #mystery #nyc #apartment #secret #storytime #storytime #fyp #foryou

♬ Mysterious – Andreas Scherren

I CAN’T BELIEVE SHE WENT IN THERE Y’ALL.

Definitely do not try that at home, because anyone could have been in there.

ANYONE.

She’s probably too young to have seen Candyman, because anyone who is old enough to have seen it would have just made a brick wall in that hole and called a couple of priests. Just saying.

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People Discuss Facts That Might Just Save Someone’s Life

It’s a big, scary world out there.

And we can use all the help we can get in the safety department these days. I’m not trying to be dramatic, I’m just stating the facts, folks.

Do you know any facts that could potentially save someone’s life?

These AskReddit users sure do. Let’s see what they had to say.

1. Know the symptoms.

“The symptoms of a heart attack are slightly different for men and women. This is one of the reasons women sometimes get diagnosed too late.

Men: Cold sweat/ nausea; Chest pressure/pain; Shortness of breath; Pain in arm(s), back, neck, jaws, stomach

Women: Fainting/ extreme fatigue; Chest pressure; Shortness of breath; Upper back pressure; Light-headedness/ dizziness; Pain in arm(s), back, neck, jaws, stomach.”

2. Animal attack!

“If you EVER get bit by a wild animal, no matter how it acts…

Get. A. Rabies. Shot.

Rabies becomes a death sentence upon the onset of symptoms.”

3. FYI.

“Do not pick up a person that has fainted, instead lift their feet above heart level and keep at it till they wake up to make the blood flow back in their head to deliver oxygen.”

4. Be specific.

“In an emergency around any other people, be intentional and specific with people. Do not shout into the void “someone call for help!!!”

Make eye contact with someone, make sure they know you are talking to them, tell them what you need: “Sir in the blue shirt. Call an ambulance.” “Ma’am with the green jacket, go ask the barista for a clean towel.” “You with the hockey mask and machete, watch this baby!”

Studies have shown that the assumption that someone else will do something is ingrained within people and often they will not help without specifically being talked to.”

5. Don’t embarrassed.

“A lot of choking deaths are actually due to embarrassment. If you’re choking, fight the urge to save face.

Don’t go to the bathroom to fix it yourself, don’t sit silently and try to spit up the food yourself. Ask for help ASAP.”

6. Never thought of that.

“Mentioned this in another question before, but it’s important: If you hear about an active shooter situation near someone you know, DO NOT CALL THAT PERSON to see if they’re safe or okay.

If that person is in danger, they’re likely trying to hide from the shooter. Their phone going off – even just vibrating – can attract the attention of the shooter and give off their location. So do NOT try to make any attempt to contact them until the situation is completely resolved.

I know it’s absolutely wrenching but it’s much safer to wait.”

7. Just in case…

“If you have no other option than to fight someone with a knife, you will be cut.

Accept this fact, and just make sure those cuts are only on your hands/arms while you do everything you can to gain control of the knife/disarm the attacker or defeat him/her.

Your jacket or shirt is also a very valuable tool if anyone is trying to stab or slash you providing you have time to get it off.

You can hold it in between both hands and use it to effectively parry or trap and wrap up anything from a pocket knife to a machete.”

8. Lost in the desert.

“If you are stranded in the desert do not drink the “water” in a cactus.

It will induce vomiting which will dehydrate and kill you faster.”

9. Out in the cold.

“Cold related tips!:

If you’re ever stuck in the cold, please DON’T DRINK ALCOHOL. It is a very common misconception that doing so will keep you warm because it does make you feel warm, however it will only make you get colder faster.

When alcohol is consumed, it dilates the blood vessels near your skin, bringing more heat to the outside of your body, and this is why people get red and feel warm when they drink alcohol. This, however, will make you lose heat very quickly. Don’t do it.

Use layers, not a single thick layer. Hot air only stays permanently when trapped by multiple layers.

If start to feel hot, don’t take your clothes off! This sometimes happens with deep-onset hypothermia. Don’t go to sleep, and don’t take your clothes off.”

10. Dry drowning.

“If you almost drowned and you have trouble breathing afterwards you should go to the hospital.

You can experience “dry drowning”, where you die hours later due to inhaled fluid in your lungs.”

11. Car safety.

“The headrest on car seats can typically be removed and the little metal bars that connect the seat to the head rest can be used to break the car’s glass windows in the case of being trapped in the car due to an accident or any other situation that results in being trapped.”

12. Out in the woods.

“If you are truly lost in the woods, get ready to spend the night. Find yourself a little sheltered place and improve it the best you can. If you have the means, get a friendly little fire going.

Protect yourself from the elements, and everything is going to look better in the morning. People who stay put get found. People who keep wandering into the night end up freezing to death at the bottom of a ravine with a broken ankle.

If you’re only a little bit lost, turn around and go back the way you came! This sounds super obvious, but getting lost in the woods is a process–you realize you’re off the trail, but you know the car is “right over that hill”.

But when you get to the hilltop, the other side doesn’t look familiar, so you start following the creek down to the river–you know parked upstream by the river. But you’re actually headed up a different fork of the river, and there’s nothing up that canyon but a lot of slippery rocks to die on.

Whereas if you’d have just turned back around, chances are you’d find the trail in no time and be on your way back to the trailhead.

Also, I’d just go ahead and drink out of a creek in any survival situation. (this is very controversial.) But I figure, waterborne illnesses aren’t life threatening in North America (you’re not going to get cholera from a mountain stream), whereas dehydration can cloud your mind and kill you.

And even if you drank giardia (which is pretty unlikely if you’re lost in the woods, since it’s mostly transmitted through human feces), it takes a full week to incubate. Most people are found by then. YMMV.

Source: I was a USFS Wilderness Ranger, and I’ve spent a couple unplanned nights out in the woods, not quite certain where I was. It’s not that bad, really.”

Do you know any facts that could be real lifesavers?

If so, please share them in the comments with us.

We’d love to hear from you!

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What Facts Can Save Lives? Here’s How People Responded.

Now, that’s a real lifesaver!

People like to throw that phrase around from time to time, but they’re usually referring to a new hot sauce or something pretty insignificant.

But today we’re about to some tips that can actually be considered lifesavers.

AskReddit users shared facts that might save lives.

Let’s take a look.

1. Get that checked out.

“If you see someone hit their head and lose consciousness for any period, or shows any confusion (repeating words and phrases is common), they need a hospital visit.

We don’t sleep off concussions now.”

2. Protect your feet.

“When on a plane, have your shoes on for take-off and landing.

Statistically they’re the most dangerous times and you don’t want to be trying to escape in bare feet (think fire, or sliced aluminum).”

3. Trust your gut.

“Trust your instincts in an unusual situation.

If something feels risky, unusual, or dangerous – well, it probably is.

Four billion years of evolution gave us our survival instincts and since they’re usually “run away!” they’re unlikely to make the situation worse.”

4. Don’t do that!

“If you have a grease fire on your stove, do NOT try to put it out with water or move the pan. It can spread the flames even more.

If you can, turn off the heat source. You can put it out by smothering it with a lid, dumping salt or baking soda on it, or use a fire extinguisher if necessary.”

5. Be aware of this.

“If one of your depressed friends suddenly starts acting really happy or peaceful, don’t leave them alone.

When suicidal people have a plan and are about to kill themselves, it can make them feel relieved which can make it look like their depression is getting better.”

6. Tell them everything.

“If you are taken to the hospital and the doctors ask you if you have taken any drugs don’t just think about the illegal stuff also tell them if you’ve had small things like Advil or Tylenol it could save your life.”

7. Yikes.

“If you’ve been stabbed, don’t pull out the knife.

That very knife could mean the difference between life and death.

The knife is blocking the blood from leaking out, preventing you from bleeding out.”

8. Scary stuff.

“If you ever find yourself in a car that has driven into a body of water where your vehicle will sink, roll the windows down immediately and get out asap.

If you leave them up, the pressure of the water outside your car will make opening the doors very difficult and the battery may short out afterwards so the option will go away. Then you’d need to break the windows or push out the windshield, neither of which are easy, especially on limited oxygen.

If the windows are open water can get in, but that equalizes the pressure so you can still open the door easily and get out in time.

You can try to break the window with the headrest, your seatbelt buckle or anything else you might have on hand, but it’s probably a better first choice to just put the window down while the motor is still working.”

9. FYI.

“If your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you may have internal bleeding.

Head straight to the hospital.”

10. Look it over.

“If you’re staying in a hotel room, take a look at the escape route diagram on the back of the door before you go to bed.

Even if it’s just to think “I need to turn left” or “Either way leads to an escape”.”

11. Stay on the line.

“When needing 911 but you can’t speak due to danger or what have you, call and remain silent on the line.

The operator after first answering and repeating their answer a second time will go silent.

They are listening for verbal and background cues. If they hang up thinking it’s a pocket dial don’t despair call back, the system will log it as a call back.

The operator after listening will then go into a non-verbal call. They will ask you to press a button if you have an emergency and cannot speak. Press the key they ask for, go through the call answering using the non-verbal options.

They are all trained to do this and often police will arrive in “silent” dispatch to not endanger you further.

They are coming, stay on the call and keep pressing the keys as applicable.”

12. Get down.

“Crawl out of a burning building, breathing as close as possible to the floor as you move.

Toxic smoke rises while air remains more breathable nearest the floor.”

13. Ugh!

“If you have to eat crickets or similar insects, chew them. DO NOT EAT THEM ALIVE.

They have spines on their legs which can cling to your throat and are very difficult to remove without a decent amount of force (i.e. you cant “shake” your throat like you would your hand to remove them). If they block your wind pipe, youll asphyxiate.

I used to work at a pet store, I’ve had to explain this to quite a few people who wanted to do “Fear Factor” parties or dares or pranks.”

Now we’d like to hear from you.

In the comments, please share your lifesaving facts.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The post What Facts Can Save Lives? Here’s How People Responded. appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Talk About How They Managed to Get Out of Deep States of Depression

I’ve been around many people who have struggled with depression during their lives.

Hell, I’ve had my own bouts with it, too.

And unless you’ve been through it yourself, it’s hard to explain to people what it’s really like. And snapping out it is totally different for everyone.

We hope that these responses will help some people out who are struggling.

Did you ever get out of a deep, dark depression?

These AskReddit users did and they shared their stories.

1. A combination.

“For me it was a combination of things..

Music – learned to play guitar on youtube

Books – found out about stoicism

Myself – I was listening to a Pink Floyd song (echoes) and theres a part where they say “I am you and what I see is me” and I realized that we are all going through something, and if I helped someone else then in return I was helping myself.

Lo and behold, I started to feel better about myself after helping others.”

2. You’re in charge.

“My dog. It forces me to get up and do something.

Feed him, take him outside multiple times a day. If I didn’t have him I would spend all my time off work in bed.”

3. Set your goals.

“Setting a schedule for myself.

Setting VERY small and attainable goals (read 1 page of a book, draw for 10 minutes, do a 5 minute exercise warm up, etc).

Making myself reach out to friends when I’m struggling, and getting proper meds.”

4. Get yourself going.

“Cold showers.

Honestly, I lost my job due to COVID and was going through a bunch of other stuff and would lay in the floor and sleep the day away.

Once I figured why not try it?

Oh man, that woke me up and got me just enough energy to start cleaning the house that id been putting off and that would feed into more motivation. Didn’t cure it completely but it helped get me jump started.”

5. Focus!

“Puzzles.

Jigsaw puzzles have brought me out of some dark pits. Gives me something to hyper focus on.

I don’t need to think about it too much or put effort into it, but I can sit there for hours doing one. It’s helped me feel productive again.”

6. Get things done.

“Cleaning up often helps me.

There’s something about staring at a messy room that always brings me down.

Just getting the dirty dishes clean feels like I accomplished something.”

7. Books and music.

“Books can be a great way to get out of your own head, music was able to somewhat help me.

As I got worse myself I had more and more time with nothing to do and being alone with my thoughts was pulling me deeper into the spiral of depression.”

8. Good tip.

“Try to only use your bed for sleeping.

Even if you spend the whole day on the couch instead, it will help your sleep and its a first step to potentially getting other things done.”

9. Start small.

“Exercise.

“‘Ill do 5 push ups and if I dont feel like more, thats okay.”

Or set a 5 min walk as the target. Keep going if you can.”

10. Take care of yourself.

“Eat and take vitamins.

You likely dont feel like eating anything. But you need to. Getting your daily vitamins can go a long way to healing and get easy to make food so you dont have to cook.

Canned soups were my best friend.”

11. No more alcohol.

“Mine was when my alcoholism was at its worst.

As you can guess, the solution was getting sober. At this point I was just drinking all day every day waiting for death to come on its own.

In the state I was in the only thing that meant anything to me was my mom’s dog, Ginger. I don’t really follow any religion, but I truly believe that Ginger is my guardian angel.

I was watching that sweet girl while mom was on vacation. I think it was day two, 8/11/2017, when I decided I had had enough. I needed to get better by any means, or else I wouldn’t be around to watch Ginger the next time mom took a vacation.

So I texted a friend who I knew was in AA, and gave him full decision making power over my life for the time being. After a 3 day hospital stay, I started going to AA meetings and learning how to exist without alcohol. I don’t go much anymore, but have never felt any threat to my sobriety. I know I am one of the lucky ones to have staying sober be so easy.

If you had asked me on 8/10/2017 (the day before I sought help) what I’d be doing today, I would have told you, “I’m not gonna live to see 2018.” But here I am in 2021, telling my story to anyone who cares to hear it and happier than I’ve ever been.”

12. Hobbies are good.

“Really diving deep into my creative hobbies. I had always dabbled in writing and music. Just jumping in with no real plans or expectations and seeing what happens.

I’ve suffered from panic attacks my entire adult life and depression alongside with it. When they reached their worst point most people gave up on me.

I spent a lot of time after that learning more about music. I’d always played bass but I decided I wanted to be able to make music all on my own. I learned how to make mashups, then I learned how to make remixes, then I started composing originals.

I’d previously written two articles on the SCP wiki and then just sort of stopped. I decided to really expand my submissions and wrote a bunch of new articles. I even rewrote one of my old articles because it was kind of weak.

The funny thing is, that became a good measuring stick for me. I always told myself I was awful at everything, but I was basically compiling evidence I was good at something.

Having songs that get praised by people and added to someone’s personal playlists makes you feel validated.

Looking next to a story and see hundreds of upvotes mattered to me.

I realized that when I was depressed it wasn’t that I didn’t want to do anything, it’s that I kept convincing myself that I couldn’t. That I would fail. That I would just waste my time. That I didn’t even deserve success anyways.

And I was wrong.

I have ideas worth sharing, and I’m going to share them.”

Now we want to hear from you.

How did you get out of a deep depression?

Talk to us in the comments and share your stories. Thanks!

The post People Talk About How They Managed to Get Out of Deep States of Depression appeared first on UberFacts.

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What Changed in Your Life That Made It A Lot Better? People Shared Their Stories.

Let’s get real…

Life is all about change.

Things are constantly in flux and, as the saying goes, the only certainty in life is death and taxes.

But you know and I know that some changes are good and some are bad. And we should all be striving to make more positive ones than negative ones.

People on AskReddit talked about changes in their lives that made everything so much better.

1. Fleeing.

“I got out of Syria.

I’m not safe yet but its a lot better right now.”

2. Congrats!

“The kidney transplant I received on Monday, Feb 15, 2021.”

3. Do your own thing.

“Giving up on trying to cure being a introvert and just being happy.”

4. Don’t care so much.

“I stopped caring so much.

For as long as I remember I’ve felt a burden of responsibility to my parents, my brother, to myself. Throughout my whole life my parents have relied on me to be the voice of reason, to be the one who has sound mind, to be the one good with finances, to give them advice.

It’s not healthy for a kid to be put under that kind of pressure, and it just built and built until they filed for bankruptcy in 2017, and when I burned out at work last year.

I went to therapy for a bit (for the 3rd time lol) after I burned out and realized that I’m putting up such a high bar of responsibility for myself and it makes, and made, my life ridiculously miserable.

I’m still working and going to school, but having a more relaxed attitude and almost forcing myself to procrastinate on my schoolwork has made my life so much more enjoyable.”

5. Cut off.

“Cutting ties with hateful, angry people in my family.

Two years clean of their bullsh*t, but I’m still processing just how much damage they did.

Life is way better without them.”

6. The best!

“Going from working a 9-5 office job to 100% remote. I wish I’d done this years ago.

For years I was convinced I chose the wrong career, and I was getting extreme anxiety, had to pull the car over a couple times going to work because of panic attacks. Lockdown happens a year ago and all my stress disappeared and I realized I love my career, I just HATE office living and commuting.

My biggest fear is the pandemic ending and being forced back into that terrible office culture.”

7. Drop those pounds.

“Losing a significant amount of weight.

My overall health is so much better. I sleep like the dead every night, when before I suffered badly from insomnia. My blood pressure has come down to normal levels. I’m no longer pre-diabetic. I have cut back on the amount of medication I have to take, which obviously means I have money to spend that I didn’t before.

I love exercising, even when I was morbidly obese, I enjoyed walking. Now I enjoy walking and I can walk so much further and faster than I could before. Another thing is the major change in my mental health.

I was in a very dark space, and I realized the other day how much more positive my outlook in life has become.”

8. Game changer.

“Quitting alcohol.

My life has completely changed in only the best ways. I went back to school and earned my degree, found the love of my life and got married, lost a bunch of weight and somehow look like I’ve aged backwards.”

9. Drop the zero.

“Breaking up with my ex and finding someone who was so much better for me. It makes a world of difference.

My mental and physical health improved. It’s pretty incredible how a miserable relationship can drag you down, and how a happy one can change you for the better.”

10. No more weed.

“I quit smoking weed. I’m more productive and organized than ever. My depression is gone, too.

Dreaming is nice. I also enjoy remembering things and never being too high to do anything.”

11. You’re good to go.

“Pretty specific but… I had my bladder removed!

I had been dealing with interstitial cystitis for over 20 years that was progressively getting worse. It got to the point that my bladder only held 100ml and then I’d be in agony. I was bedridden from the pain most of the time and had to use a walking stick in order to move around.

I had my bladder removed, they made a new one out of my bowel, so it sits inside. They made a channel from the (neo) bladder to my belly button called a mitrofanoff, which I now catheterize through to pee. So essentially, I can now pee standing up too!

I’m now mobile, no pain, no walking stick and don’t have to pee every 10-20 minutes. Being able to sleep through the night for the first time in my life (mid 30s now) has been amazing. I can’t wait for the pandemic to end so I can start doing all of the things I couldn’t do before!”

12. Make it count.

“Knowing and reminding myself what I actually want in life.

And continuing to ask myself why and “is that it” to make sure I am living life for something that really matters.”

Now we want to hear from you.

In the comments, tell us what changes made your life better.

Please and thank you!

The post What Changed in Your Life That Made It A Lot Better? People Shared Their Stories. appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Share Inventions So Perfect They Actually Can’t Be Improved Upon

Has the air conditioner ever been improved upon?

Because I gotta say, that has to be one of the best inventions that humans ever came up with.

What would we do without it?

I guess some people aren’t as impressed with it as I am, but I need it during the warm months or I am a very unpleasant person to be around. Hey, I’m just tellin’ the truth here…

AskReddit users talked about inventions so good they can’t be improved upon. Let’s see what they had to say.

1. Now you know.

“The Schrader Valve used to inflate your bicycle tires, car tires, tractor tires, etc.

It was patented in 1893.

It is still used in virtually every tire on the planet. And now you know its name.”

2. You can’t beat it.

“Fire cooking.

We’ve been trying to improve it for almost 2 million years.”

3. It’s perfect.

“The wheel.

What are you going to do?

Make it rounder?”

4. Boom!

“Crocodiles, or “any apex predator that lived through the K-T extinction.

Physically unchanged for a hundred million years, because it’s the perfect killing machine.

A half ton of cold-blooded fury, the bite force of 20,000 Newtons, and stomach acid so strong it can dissolve bones and hoofs.”

5. Nice try, Swiffer.

“Brooms haven’t changed, no matter how hard Swiffer tries.”

6. Won’t be improved upon.

“Scissors are the perfect tool for cutting and shaping material that will likely never be improved upon.”

7. Works every time!

“Hoodies.

Cold? Hoodie.

Underdressed? Hoodie.

No bra? Hoodie.

Hot? Hoodie.

Rainy? Hoodie.

Dead inside? You know it, hoodie.”

8. The good stuff.

“Gaffing tape.

Leaves no reside when ripped up, extremely heat resistant and strong, but expensive as all hell (used for film projects).”

9. Still the same.

“A hair comb.

Even ones found in ancient Egypt and elsewhere are basically the same design.”

10. What an invention!

“Condoms.

Any thinner, they’d break.

Any thicker, and it’s fake.”

11. A real crowdpleaser.

“Madden NFL.

They perfected it 15 years ago so they haven’t made a single change since.”

12. Just like the old days.

“A scythe

I was at my cottage over the weekend and I had to cut some grass. I forgot my lawnmower but I had an old scythe in the garage that I inherited a long time ago. I was just keeping it as a decoration and momento and never thought of actually using it.

I was bored and I had some time so I sharpened the blade and went to work.

I don’t know the first thing about scythes or even how to properly use them … I just started swinging it.

I couldn’t believe it actually cut grass and weeds. The longer I worked, the more detailed I could get with where I swung it.

Two hours later, I had cut the lawn, cut down some tall grass on the edge of the property and had started cutting down some light brush that I thought I needed a brush cutter for.

This scythe must be decades old but it still works better than my lawnmower, edge clipper and brush cutter … all without a motorized engine.”

13. Gotta love it!

“The hammer.

The absolute tool of perfection for rapid transfer of force within a very short amount of time.

There is nothing to improve upon.”

What do you think?

What inventions are so good that they can’t be improved upon?

Tell us what you think in the comments!

The post People Share Inventions So Perfect They Actually Can’t Be Improved Upon appeared first on UberFacts.