(Don’t) mess around and find out. Life is chock-full of important lessons that we have to learn, both large and small. It’s usually best to save your time, energy, health, and nerves by learning from the blunders your friends, family, and peers have made. However, there will inevitably be moments where you massively mess up yourself.
Well, some of the members of the r/AskReddit community wanted to pass on their wisdom to others. In a viral online thread, they spilled the tea about the times they messed around with something, only to find out that their actions had very negative consequences. Scroll down for their top life advice and safety concerns.

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#1

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Just because you climbed up something doesn't mean you can climb down.

alphajager , Annie Spratt / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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#2

HR, Human Resources. I'll never trust them again.

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#3

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Do not attach two very active dogs to the handle of a Razor scooter because you want to see if they'd be good sled dogs. .

MissusNilesCrane , Vincent van Zalinge / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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Research shows that fear and anxiety reduce our likelihood of taking risks. However, the exact strength of this relationship is in question. One meta-analytic review from 2020 noticed that scientific studies with clinically anxious samples showed greater risk aversion on average. Furthermore, studies using tangible rewards also showed greater effects of fear on risk aversion. Aside from those, fear seems to have a small to moderate average effect on the willingness to take risks.

Inc. magazine points out that risks can help us grow stronger and become better by challenging us. However, these risks should be calculated, not reckless ones. First, you should try to evaluate the actual risk you’re facing and consider how you’d handle things if they didn’t go as planned. You should also take whatever steps you can to increase your chances of success.
#4

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Driving through standing water. Just because the car in front of you makes it through doesn’t mean you will.

Pjolondon87 , Dibakar Roy / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#5

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Don't work full time and go to school full time.

I was like meh. I can do whatever I put my mind to. It broke my brain. I repressed my stress but my brain and body didn't care. Started waking up in middle night with panic attacks thinking I was dying. Got agoraphobia. Places like airports and malls I would get vertigo. Dizzy and lightheaded and feel like I was floating which would trigger what is wrong with me panic attack. Rinse repeat.

I went to dr and he was like you are doing way too much. Stop doing that. And he was right.

So you actually can do too much. And even if you can brute force it, your brain and body will eventually rebel against you.

sleepybeek , Vasilis Caravitis / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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#6

Motorcycles.

It does not matter how good of a driver you are, there are other cars on the road and some of those cars are driven by idiots.

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As with most things in life, there’s a balance to be found when it comes to your personal safety. On the one hand, your survival is paramount. You want to make sure that you’re as healthy and capable as you can be in order to get the most out of life. In short, you don’t want to be reckless.

On the other hand, you don’t want to go overboard with safety concerns to the point that you’re constantly anxious, hiding in your metaphorical comfort zone, scared to take the opportunities that life keeps throwing at you.
#7

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Hiking alone in Iceland being a confident hiker. Paraphrasing: the most dangerous hiker is a confident hiker.
I got lost, didnt pack enough food and got caught on the side of a mountain. 20 people had to rescue me. Never again.

alexvonhumboldt , Matt Hardy / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#8

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Regular check ups and screenings. Get the damn colonoscopy on schedule, get the skin check yearly. Get your prostate exam or pap smear. If you smoked or are high risk get scans for lung cancer regularly. Talk to your doctor, find out what you should get and when and follow the schedule. I have lung cancer, one of the 20% of people with lung cancer that never smoked, and the difference between the outcomes from stage 1 to stage 4 is literally life and death. Do not wait for symptoms, do not put off getting that weird mole checked.

wwaxwork , Mathurin NAPOLY / matnapo / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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#9

Don’t fry bacon when you’re naked.

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Many of us know the basics of staying safe and healthy. Look both ways before crossing the street. Know what to do in case of a fire. Don’t eat food that smells like it’s gone off. Don’t interact with random wild animals that might have God only knows what illnesses. Don’t speed when you’re behind the wheel of a car. Exercise, eat well, get plenty of sleep, have an active social life, and avoid nicotine, alcohol, and chronic stress. The list goes on and on.

The fact of the matter is that there’s only so much we can do to prevent getting hurt. We can prepare to avoid the most common risks. However, we can’t see the future. We can’t predict random accidents that might end up with us getting hurt. But this shouldn’t be a reason to lock yourself away from the world. If anything, it’s a reminder to take care of yourself while also trying to live life to the fullest. With courage and conviction.
#10

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions First responder here. Garage door springs. Let a pro fix them.

lonelygoat357 , Luis Yanez / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#11

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Not wearing hearing-protection when necessary. Tinnitus sucks.

catnapper9811 , Mikhail Nilov / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#12

Alcohol, 22 years drunk, 18 months sober.

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What are the hardest life lessons you’ve learned due to sheer bad luck, dear Pandas? What advice would you give everyone to help keep them safe(r) every day?

Feel free to share your opinions and experiences in the comments at the bottom of this post.
#13

Considering coworkers true friends lmao.... whenever money or power is involved, human beings are two-faced.

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#14

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Customs officers. They have no sense of humor, don't ask me how I know.

cantstopthehorse , Amin / wikipedia (not the actual photo) Report

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#15

Texting and driving. I was around 27, driving out of my neighborhood around 3pm and remembered I forgot to text a friend about an assignment for grad school. I looked down and within 5-10 seconds, ran up onto the sidewalk. I was so mortified that I could have killed someone, kids, a woman with a stroller, etc. Never did it again.

It’s been a few years and I still think about that stupid choice that could have ended horribly.

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#16

USE your right to remain silent. Don’t be an idiot and yap.

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#17

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions I was in the ocean with my then wife. We'd gotten out to the sand bar, and were just chilling... she was on a beach raft sunning and I was just gently pushing us around. I had my back to the shore, and I saw something go by. it was sofa-sized, and it went by pretty fast. I had this immediate understanding of what was going on... I'm standing in chest deep water in prime shark attack territory. I said, "Hey, let's go in," and started pushing towards shore. it went by between us and the shore. then there were two of them. then three. we still had to cross the ditch, and I was realizing that we really might not make it.


but it turned out to be dolphins, not sharks.


I'm quite a bit more cautious in the ocean now.

gogozrx , Airam Dato-on / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#18

Private student loans. No Ivy is worth it. Take the spot that offers you the most funding. Undergrad, grad and professional.

The interest should be illegal and the terms are insane.

For some, even death doesn’t release you from the obligation. Permanent disability? They don’t care.

Just don’t do it….

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#19

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions It's a lot easier to get lost in the woods than you think. I wandered away from our campsite a little tipsy because I love looking for mushrooms. I kept going in just a little further until one time when I looked back I couldn't see my wife and friend back at the site. A few big steps to the left to reorient myself, wait... maybe a few steps over in this direction… Oh s**t.     

I yelled for help but the sound doesn't carry. The sun was just setting when I went in but it gets dark a lot faster in the thick of the forest. I panicked. I ran. I cursed at myself. I yelled for help over and over. I tried to stay calm but also decided to keep moving because it was getting dark and cold and I knew I was in very deep s**t if I didn't get out before nightfall. I spent about an hour and a half totally lost, the longest 90 minutes of my life. Finally, I heard a truck rumbling in the distance and sprinted towards it. I almost cried when I saw the clearing and popped out on a gravel road 3 km west of our campsite. Looking at a map after, had I gone any other direction it was just forest with no end in sight. My wife and friend said they went in to the forest yelling my name, of course I was probably too far at that point and heard nothing. I don't know what would've happened if that truck hadn't been going for a late evening drive along the service road. I thought I was going to die.

No_Sandwich5766 , T I M E L O R D / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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#20

Pitbulls.

My family has always had and loved dogs. Thought the breed was fine and just got a bad rep.

My dad brought a puppy home, we had her for 6 years. Loved her, house trained, no behavior issues, we thought.

Came home one day and she had killed our old boxer, who had been with her everyday that we had her and also was so old she had no teeth, and was chewing on her severed leg like a chicken bone.

Never again. And it makes me want to puke when people have their children crawling around with these dogs.

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#21

Overwork and exhaustion can be a potential killer.
When I was in my late teens I spent a few years working 80-100 hours per week. I found out that at a certain point, your body just... stops.
I woke up in a hospital bed and it took me 6 months before I started to feel semi-normal again.

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#22

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Pedestrian safety. Was hit by a car crossing the street. After cpr onsite and coma in hospital had to learn to walk and talk all over again. I triple check both ways. Even when I have the right of way.

Xebou , Vinta Supply Co. | NYC / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#23

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Road rage, I was chased by a guy threatening me to shoot me, that was the last time I yelled at somebody while driving.

Inevitable_Rabbit_67 , Vova Kras / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#24

Shared housing with people you've just met. I did it out of necessity for many years, now that I have my own place I finally feel free.

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#25

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Chainsaws.
I don’t even like the sound anymore.

I had an accident with one and cut up my leg.

LooksBleeker , Lincoln Holley / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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#26

26 People Who Behaved Stupidly And Quickly Faced The Consequences Of Their Own Actions Sleep deprivation.
Damn near died in a car accident (round 1), then went mildly psychotic and paranoid (round 2).

Just dumb. There are better paths to adrenaline-fueled euphoria.

SamDBeane , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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