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“Family Farm Life”: 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem

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What do investment bankers, sports teams, video game designers and tour guides have in common? They're all telling us a story. The whole world is built on stories. If you're not careful, you might get lost in them—swept up in hyperbole, metaphor, and irony. To stay close to reality, Reddit user FastRoyal asked everyone on the platform to share the things people romanticize that are actually incredibly tough. And they did! As thousands of replies flew in, we decided to comb through the discussion and find those that had received the most attention. Here they are.

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#1

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem A self-sustaining family "farm" life. It's practically impossible for a lone family to achieve it.

thatcluelesslad , Sam Carter Report

70points

cerinamroth 2 days ago

We did it, but it was very tough. Helped that my father was a trained agriculturalist, horticulturalist, beekeeper and had started veterinary training.

27points

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#2

Insomnia. Sleep deprivation takes a toll on your health, and no, you won’t be writing poems and drinking coffee at night when having no sleep. You’ll be suffering.

Anitolag Report

69points

CanadianDimes 2 days ago

Yes! People do sometimes ask me if I get anything done. No, I just lie there wanting to sleep but being unable to. Sometimes I have enough energy to fold laundry and put it away. That's it.

25points

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#3

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Birthing and raising a baby.

People will acknowledge that it’s not easy, sure, but it’s so much harder than imagined, especially if you don’t have a good support system.

.

Edit: May I just say I’m glad so many people felt they could relate to each other in this subject and have an open discussion. In our society we tend to forget we are allowed to have multiple complex emotions, even more so when it comes to parents and children, and it’s not as simple as positive vs negative.

Anyone who agrees with this post can still love their children and love being a parent and not want to change things. Hell, you can weirdly hate being a parent but still love and care for your kids. You can also adore kids and never want to be a parent yourself. It’s all valid. Feel how you feel and take everything one baby step at a time. Just try not to take those feelings out on the world 😅.

Embarrassed-Skin2770 , Kateryna Hliznitsova Report

60points

Sandella 2 days ago

I feel this one in my bones, been a tough few years :(

15points

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#4

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Running cute little coffee shop/bookstore. I bet you picture yourself just having a cup of Joe and chatting about Cormac McCarthy with an elderly gentleman in a tweed coat. You’re never gonna be profitable but you won’t realize it until about 2 1/2 years in. Also that guy never showed up, he’s got a Kindle.

AccessPathTexas , Valeriia Karpenko Report

59points

CanadianDimes 2 days ago

I think this about people who want to retire so they can open a B&B as well. Cool so you have to get up early every damn morning to make breakfast for strangers? That does not sound like retirement to me

35points

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#5

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Turning something you love into a business.

Often, instead of "I turned my passion into money!" It's "I turned something I love into work."

I am currently scaling back my photography business because I don't love photography like I used to. It's work now.

LizardPossum , Jamie Street Report

59points

cerinamroth 2 days ago

I absolutely love translating. Unfortunately so do computers now.

16points

Giulia Fortunati 2 days ago

I used to translate TV shows, but now AI is cheaper than me!

7points

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Tabitha 2 days ago

Yes, but computers can only do literal translation that often makes no sense or loses emotion or intent. A human can translate in a way that makes more sense and also conveys the emotions and the writer’s intent. That’s GOOD translation as opposed to literal translation.

4points

UpupaEpops 2 days ago

I was offered €50 for a 74-page legal document needed in 3 days because "google translate is just as good" and they are doing me a favour. 😭

1point

Fat Harry (Oi / You) 1 day ago

Learn Welsh! Google's translations for Welsh are rubbish.

0points

Donna Peluda 1 day ago

Computers can only do so much.

0points

Donna Peluda 1 day ago

That's why I became a giggolo.

4points

FoxEcoLimaIndiaCharlieIndiAlfa 1 day ago

Is your name Deuce? ✌🏼

0points

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MozillaFreeAdblock 2 days ago

I feel this. I love to paint and to make cards or bookmarkers for friends. I used to trade Art Trading Cards internationally and it was fun. Then my husband started to tell me how to monetize my artwork and started strategizing selling it. Something broke inside me and I haven't used my sketchbook for a few years now. His (and my MIL) feel that if it doesn't make money it's not worth doing. It's a struggle to get the groove back.

3points

quentariel 2 days ago

I almost did that with reading. I had a book blog, and at some point I also got free books from the publishers (which was super exciting at first). But slowly blogging was getting more demanding, I needed to be up to date with all the trends and read all the talked about books. Also I somehow ended up being favored by a few publishing companies, and a couple books per season turned into dozens. Everything turned into chore instead of hobby.

2points

ColdSteelRonin 2 days ago

I'm a pretty good amateur photographer. I'm not into the technical aspects of it, just good at capturing the moment before it passes. Get a lot of compliments and when I get asked why don't I do it professionally, my response is generally along the lines of: Why would I want to take something that I enjoy and turn it into a job?

2points

iseefractals 2 days ago

One of the biggest failures of parents and educators over the past 50 or so years is telling kids to "follow your passion" NO. No matter how much you love something, as soon as it's an obligation, it will always just become WORK, due in no small part to the fact that others will exploit your "passion" and "love" of anything involving money, and you will get burned out FAST. Find something that's in demand, that you can reasonably well, and focus on improving that skill. Keep your passions your hobbies.

1point

Captain Grump 1 day ago

I don't know why you got voted down, because I think you're largely right that "follow your passion" is s**t advice for most of us. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's because other people will exploit you, but would agree that even "cool" jobs have way more drudgery and bookkeeping/sales/etc. than people think. Musicians spend 2% of their time on stage or in studio, for example. I think not enough attention is given to finding a vocation where you like the "culture" and the people you work with - I've had jobs that were pretty menial and low paid, yet absolutely loved my co-workers and found great satisfaction and motivation from that. On the flip side, jobs that were more aligned to my skills and passions have sometimes put me into environments where I didn't much like the folks around me. I would choose the former, always.

2points

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Tommy DePaul 19 hours ago

I used to love thrifting. I turned it into an eBay business. Ended up hating it and closed the business. I haven't been thrifting in years.

0points

Stephanie Barr 21 hours ago

"Black Swan" by BTS. I think this is particularly true for creative avocations.

0points

olaff 422 23 hours ago

I used to love to cook, then I became a chef.

0points

FABULOUS1 1 day ago

I love crafting, and had this great idea to have a little booth at the farmers market and an Etsy shop. End of last year I wasnt having fun anymore, and the enjoyment I had when I made things was gone. It didnt allow me to leave my full time job, it just created more working hours for me. I have not touched one craft item this entire year, I miss it, but I feel like I will know when its time to go back to crafting and if it is for business or strictly pleasure.

0points

RS 1 day ago

I chose something I love to be my work, but not the things I love the absolute most. Balance.

0points

Theora Fifty-five Johnson 1 day ago

Why not love just something? Seeking money from everything is not making life better.

0points

Captain Grump 1 day ago

Because there's strong social message telling us that the best life is where one's work is one's passion, and the idea that creativity is best measured through monetization and profit. I don't blame anyone for buying into this, and for some it can work. It's also hard to find a chosen career when there's no template. It used to be if your father was a shoemaker, you'd be a shoemaker. If your mother was a farm wife, so would you be. Now we have the illusion of endless options, and often have to muddle through multiple jobs until we find one we can enjoy - or at least tolerate. The idea of pursuing a hobby/passion sometimes seems like an "obvious" way to choose a path out of multitudes.

1point

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Alexandra Nara 2 days ago (edited)

if you want success doing your hobby,you have to offer what people demand..and they often clinged to something they know for ages..It's not creative to sing easy covers instead of the own composed songs, to design a toilet instead of a fantastic house..but this is where your dream ends..selling usual stuff for fierceless people

0points

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#6

Pulling yourself out of poverty. I assure you that zero poor people can just stop being lazy and be in the middle class in a matter of weeks, let alone years. The number of societal barriers to class mobility are astounding and the people with the most lectures about bootstraps are the ones most incentivized to pretend those barriers don't exist.

flyingdics Report

56points

Bec 2 days ago

Read about this guy who tried to prove he could make it with nothing failed

11points

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#7

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Becoming a small farmer. You work harder than you thought was possible, more of your body hurts than you knew you had, you make less than you ever thought possible, and people still tell you they can get it at Walmart for cheaper.

Some_Girl_2073 , Getty Images Report

55points

Jane No Dough 2 days ago

They can get it at Walmart for less and it's quality is worth what they paid.

10points

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#8

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem I'm not a big fan of the jealousy/over-protective/possessive trend making the rounds as of late. I get the desire to be protected and the logic behind your partner feeling jealous but I honestly can't fathom how normalized it has become. I don't want to feel jealous - I firmly believe that feeling is born from insecurity or a lack of trust.

Eternal_Allure , Wesley Tingey Report

53points

Jane No Dough 2 days ago

Don't even get me started on controlling, manipulative, "jealous" stalkers that supposedly "love" you...

17points

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#9

Being unable to work due to disability. I've fought agoraphobia, being bedbound, losing all my muscles and weight, feeling like there's cement encased around me as I move at all times and all ppl say is "I wish I got to stay home, do nothing and get paid for it" ; "what's your secret to looking so skinny! I'd do anything to be so small!". This is a special kind of torture and the scraps of government funds I receive are not of equal compensation or even enough to survive off.

MurderSheToke Report

51points

Brandi VanSteenwyk 2 days ago

Was not working due to disabilities, both mental and physical, for many years. Only when I pushed myself and accepted a part-time job that my physical abilities could handle, did I see the cloud of mental disability (ie. depression, hopelessness etc.) begin to thin out. Feeling useful and helping others was my best medicine.

11points

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#10

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Living in Japan as a foreigner. There's a certain subset of people that really romanticize Japan and Japanese culture as highly advanced technologically and socially. It's not that Japan is actually particularly a bad place to live. But they still utilize antiquated technology, have dated social mores and brutal work-life "balance", and are quite xenophobic and openly turn away foreigners from many services (even medical care). It's not some anime utopia where everything is perfect. It's quite a challenging place to live for foreigners. It seems Japan welcomes the visitor but does not always welcome the immigrant.

Fun-Assistance-4319 , Su San Lee Report

47points

cerinamroth 2 days ago

Exactly. Loved visiting Japan many times but I know I‘d never want to live there for any extended amount of time. My ‘Japanese mother‘ found that the UK was her happy place: we have tea, after-work drinks and are rarely outwardly rude.

16points

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#11

Owning a restaurant.

Every so often,. someone would talk about "how much fun it would be to run a restaurant."

I used to do restaurant reviews on the side for a small local newspaper. A colleague at my day job told me he and a friend were going to start a restaurant, putting in $75,000 each. They had no food service experience and thought it would be fun.

I took him to a cafe nearby that had excellent food, called the owner over, and asked him if he had any advice for my colleague.

He replied (I swear this happened!)
"Get your 75,000 dollars in cash, say hundred dollar bills. Bring the bills here. I'll give you a plate and a book of matches. Put the bills on the plate and set them on fire "

"WHAT?!!, said my friend.

"It's simple. You'll lose the same amount of money as you would in the long run, but you'll save yourself months and months of pain."

EATING at a restaurant can be relaxing. No other aspect of that business is.

01d_n_p33v3d Report

46points

Jane No Dough 2 days ago

Being a great cook is fun and rewarding. The pleasure it brings to your family, friends, and community can be elating and motivate you to even more creativity in the kitchen or at the grill. Cooking, managing and bookkeeping for strangers you don't have time to see unless they have a complaint is the pits.

9points

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#12

Starting a business. Everyone talks about the freedom and potential money, but the reality is constant stress, long hours, and a ton of financial risk. It’s way harder than the “be your own boss” vibe suggests.

SaffronTwilight09 Report

42points

Nikki van Reenen 2 days ago

Plus work-life balance is much harder. My husband has his own business and he's never truly off-the-clock for very long.

9points

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#13

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem War.

WalledGarden1042 , Alex Shuper Report

41points

Chich 2 days ago

I really think we should take the fat old bastards who start these, put them in an arena and let them bludgeon each other to death.

50points

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#14

Autism and ADHD.

Anxious-Potato284 Report

40points

Dumb teenager 2 days ago

I’m yet to see autism be romanticized. Where I live it’s used as an insult and is virtually synonymous with “r******d”.

13points

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#15

One thing people seriously romanticize is relationships and marriage. We’re flooded with images of “perfect” couples and happy endings, but in reality, maintaining a healthy relationship takes a ton of work, patience, and commitment. It's not just date nights and Instagram-worthy moments, it's dealing with disagreements, supporting each other through rough times, and putting in real effort to grow together, even when things get messy.

Marriage is even more intense; it’s not a magical cure-all for relationship issues, and no amount of romance can replace the hard work required to make it last. There are days when things feel routine or even tough, and you have to keep showing up and choosing each other. People don’t talk enough about that side of it.

RebeccaLovini Report

38points

Mike Loux 1 day ago

And if a marriage is in trouble, for god's sake, do NOT think that having a baby will fix it.

15points

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#16

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Objectively looking at your life and deciding to turn it around. Alot of people think that the hard part is actually just being able to evaluate your life objectively and see what you need to change and it gets easier after that, but the truly hard part is actually processing it and keeping that mindset down the track. A lot of people go through a very unhealthy cycle of being disappointed and depressed with their lives and themselves, genuinely want to change for the better, but end up subconsciously pushing those thoughts out of their brain.

EldritchDartFiend , Luke Porter Report

37points

Nikki van Reenen 2 days ago

Ooh! This hit me hard!

10points

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#17

Authoritarianism: every country that losses their democracy loses the ability to innovate, educate, and tolerate. their people lose all freedom and normalize suffering and poverty in the shadow of survalence and oppression, their sports teams suck and comedians aren't funny.

No-Month7350 Report

36points

Rachel Pelz 2 days ago

Are there actually people who romantise authoritariasm, was my first thought. (WOW, I briefly forgot...). Nobody will argue that living conditions are lijely going to suck for many people. But is that "unexpected hardwork"? I'm afraid that the hardest work will be getting rid of your authoritarian regime. (BTW: anybody wanna bet as to if there's going to be another presidential election in the US in the next, say, 20 years?)

13points

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#18

Revolutions.

Sooooo many people are screaming for one and don’t comprehend at all what they are asking for.

When the government is overthrown, allllllll of those services that the poorest people have are cut off. Every single one. No food stamps, no healthcare, no shelter, nothing.

The first thing that happens in times like that is a whole lot of violence, and the main victims are women and children.

I tried to tell someone this and she replied that as a Black person, “she knows what the stakes are.”

Like if you think things are going to work out for you, you’re not really thinking about consequences.

Yossarian-Bonaparte Report

35points

Fellfromthemoon 2 days ago

I intended to quip about not every revolution comes with an upheaval, as revolution means a leap change, like the industrial revolution. Then I realized what kind of sacrifices arrived with the industrial revolution.

16points

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#19

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Not moving on from a partner. Like "I still love you!" after years of not being together. That's super sad and unhealthy actually :(.

Dramatic_Distance581 , Oleksii Bocharov Report

33points

Tabitha 2 days ago (edited)

Well, there are levels of love. I remember my first love. I didn’t marry him, but a part of me remembers him with the love I felt for him, but he’s just a memory. I don’t obsess over him, and have no idea where he is or even if he’s still alive. But a part of me and my memory will always love him, even though I’ll never do anything about it. I absolutely love my husband. He’s the man I want to spend my life with, and if I outlive him, I will also always love him, even though I might eventually move on and love someone else after mourning him for a good while. Or I might not. I can’t predict how I’ll feel then, because I’ve never been a widow before. Plus, he might outlive me, so the point may be moot. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what fate has in store for my future.

6points

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#20

Life as an artist. It's hard work for little pay. It can be very discouraging and degrading when people talk down about your work. It's frustrating to see people way less talented than you succeed because of luck and/or already having wealthy friends. There are many people more talented than you competing with you for sales/clients. It can be cut throat dealing with galleries, museums and art collectives. And at the end of the day, there's always the thought, "you might just be the next Picasso, but that will only happen after you die, so you won't get to enjoy any of that fame or fortune.".

No-Understanding-912 Report

33points

keyboardtek 2 days ago

Musician here. Creating the music is the easy part. Marketing it costs a ton of money. The people who become instant successes from a Youtube video are like one in a million.

9points

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#21

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Travelling for work.

Edit to add why: Exhausting long flights and airport procedures, living out of a suitcase, and catered meals so you’re limited to what you’re eating and most of it is junk. Every minute of your time is scheduled and you either have to or have an obligation to spend the entire time with your colleagues: definitely from 9-5, but also your lunch break, and usually dinner. Then kick-on drinks are an expectation, and sometimes it’s a group brunch. You’re always in performance mode and often meeting new people daily. You miss your family (including pets!) and have no time to switch off and just be yourself - even worse if time zones mean you can only talk to your family in early mornings and late at night. Can imagine how much it must suck when you have young kids.

My husband travels every few months, usually internationally and for about a week at a time. Way less than some people have to, which I’m thankful for! I recently spent two days at a work conference for the first time, and finally realised he wasn’t lying when he said he usually hated travelling for work. Probably fun if you’re single and genuinely love your work, but not for me thanks.

miss_kimba , Tasha Marie Report

32points

Jane No Dough 2 days ago

The worst part is traveling somewhere you've dreamed of visiting but you're under a strict schedule and don't have the time to see anything but the airport and hotel.

22points

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#22

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem People romanticize "working yourself to the bone" as some badge of honor, like hustling 24/7 is the only path to success. You see it all the time—glorified late nights, sacrificing weekends, constantly grinding. The reality? It’s exhausting and often just leads to burnout, not success.

In the movies, the overworked genius hits a breakthrough and changes the world, but in real life, you're more likely to just end up stressed, sleep-deprived, and missing out on everything else that makes life worth living. Balance isn’t lazy; it’s smart. Real success usually happens when you have the energy and mental space to actually enjoy it.

NotANightOwlwastaken , Carl Heyerdahl Report

32points

Chich 2 days ago

Fortunately I had a wake up. i was putting in a few extra evenings and the odd sat/sun. All unpaid. Then one day i was about 10 minutes late. Got 'spoken to'. Fine. Showed up at start time, left at quitting. Work later? maybe, and only if overtime was authorized. Was much happier.

19points

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#23

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Higher education. It’s not all parties and socializing, it can actually be very lonely and isolating.

Exotic_Height_2108 , Element5 Digital Report

32points

CanadianDimes 2 days ago

I work in HE and it's supposed to be about studying and becoming an expert, not parties and socializing. Not saying you can't do that stuff, only saying that if that's what you think going in, you're in for a rough lesson.

14points

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#24

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem High paying corporate jobs. It's not all 'boss babes' and power suits. Depending on the industry, it's 90 hour weeks and no energy for life. I had the big window corner office, a condo on the 32nd floor on the Vegas strip, car service/laundry service/cleaning service/housekeeper, and a closet full of designer s**t. It was great that I was able to do certain things (like take care of myself and my family), but that job literally sucked the life out of me. After 3 years I was so depressed that I didn't get out of bed for 3 weeks and almost lost my job.

That life is not what people make it out to be.

Sufficient-Berry-827 , Hunters Race Report

31points

Earonn - 1 day ago

I've seen highly paid managers who worked their backside off. I've seen high paid managers who did nothing (which was good because, as the German saying goes, they were as stupid as straw). And I've seen a few who were actually worth their money. Damn, Swedish CEO, why did you have to retire? You deserved it, no question, but we miss you!

2points

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#25

Living off grid in the woods, independent from society. Very few people living in society today could do it.

DieHardAmerican95 Report

30points

Kelly Scott 1 day ago (edited)

I did it for about two years out of necessity, although I didn't live independent from society. I bought an acre of land and then lived on it in an old trailer, saving money. Then came a larger, better, trailer, running water inside, and electricity for light and heat (electricity ROCKS). And then a septic system, now a decent looking yard, and hopefully next year, an electric water heater (right now water gets heated on the stove) and a fence so I can start gardening. Then I'll be saving for my last and best trailer. I'm just lucky I can do this where I live. And that I'm willing to. In every other situation, I'd be priced right out of the housing market.

3points

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#26

Shower sex.

29points

Jane No Dough 2 days ago

...sandy beach sex..back seat car sex...airplane bathroom sex...coat room sex...after dark in the park sex...being chased half naked through the woods by park security...

23points

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#27

The idea of a "dream job". The mindset of "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" is a load of crock. Everything has hard moments.

WasItADog Report

29points

CanadianDimes 2 days ago

I love what I do but it is damn hard work. I'm currently in the toughest month of the year in my industry and everyone on my team is exhausted and frazzled. It happens every year, so it's not a shock, but it's not what I'd call "fun" even though I enjoy my work and am good at it.

6points

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#28

Self love/learning how to love yourself.

Lots of people think it's just going to a restaurant/ the movies by yourself, or "treating yourself".

It can mean recognizing people in your life who are harming you and cutting them off which can be painful. It can mean identifying your own flaws and doing what is necessary to fix/accommodate them (weight loss, mental health stuff, etc). Not all roses and sunshine.

sycamotree Report

29points

Nikki van Reenen 2 days ago

Agreed, sometimes self-love needs to be tough love and you need to recognise what's holding you back / hurting you. Or doing something you don't want to because it'll help you in the long run. It's not all face masks and sipping wine in a bubble bath.

7points

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#29

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Island Living
S**t is hard unless your rich.
Yeah I live in paradise- but I pay like 5.25 for a gallon of gas, my rent for a 1 bedroom is 2200 plus utilities (which are outrageous expensive)- a box of cereal is like 15$ and not for a family size.
My mail gets “lost” in Puerto Rico-a lot.
Power outages are super frequent, and we just got running water back after 2 days without as well.

Crazy-Jellyfish1197 , Keaton Dickinson Report

28points

TribbleThinking 2 days ago

My boss lived in Mexico for a decade, eventually marrying there. When he first moved there, his mail was usually lost. Kindly local friends finally explained things to him. So he had a word with his mailman about his adorable little girl and offered something towards a gift for such a lovely child. His mail arrived quite regularly after that. Apparently all mail couriers in that area had wonderful a little child that people could not resist giving gifts to.

11points

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#30

Living in the city on a budget. It’s all cute rooftop pics until you’re drowning in rent and eating instant noodles every day.

LittleeYasmiinGirl Report

28points

Francois 2 days ago

Friends made it look easy

3points

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#31

Combat. Wish and hope you never have to experience it.

williamvc0331 Report

27points

Noname 2 days ago

"War, huh, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"

11points

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#32

Being an artist. People don't realize that a detailed piece could take weeks to perfection, and think that they can underpay for it because somehow this doesn't count as labor.

The idea of "being an artist" is like we didn't practice, devote our time, have failures, or seek education. Our time isn't valuable because we're "special" or "gifted" and we somehow morally owe the world our gifts.

Everyone romanticizes the artist in their urban bohemian studio with everything they need and never the struggle to find people willing to pay for their work, trying to balance creativity and working on commission.

femjesse Report

24points

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#33

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Van life.

Foundation-Bred , Getty Images Report

23points

MozillaFreeAdblock 2 days ago

If it's by choice then it's "van life". If it's unplanned then it's "being homeless and living in a car".

20points

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#34

Being a professional novelist.

MrCatFace13 Report

23points

Steve Robert 20 hours ago

So you're a professional novelist? Let me see you write something!

0points

#35

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Having twins. So many people tell me they’d love to have twins. The reality is that you’re going to have a high risk pregnancy and have a high chance of giving birth prematurely. Having two newborns is exponentially harder than one newborn, ditto with the sleep deprivation and those newborns are more likely to have issues you don’t get with a term baby. My twins had both colic and reflux and I was so tired I hallucinated. It might look like I had it together pushing two sleeping newborns in their pram but the reality was that I averaged 1 to 2 hours sleep a night and the reason I was out pushing them in the pram was because that was the only way they slept for any decent amount of time. I love my twins but would have preferred they came at least a year apart. .

Lingonberry_Born , Vidar Nordli-Mathisen Report

22points

Zsofia 1 day ago

Thanks for your honesty. I'm a twin mum myself. I also get the same remarks, how much they wanted twins... I learned to answer: 'I hope your dream can come true.' I don't explain it anymore, nobody gets it who doesn't have twins. My kids are 8 now, and it is so-so hard. I don't know how I survived, until 4 years-old it was just working hard. I never had one relaxing moment with one baby... and they were born way too early, way too many issues. The issues are milder now but they effect their school work, and their behaviour. I love them to the moon and back, but getting twins is not ideal: not for the parents, but also not for the children... And for everyone who says: ´oh, you only had to be pregnant once, now you are ready'. Please, don't say that to twin mums, it is real bulls**t and hurtful in so many ways.

3points

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#36

Working in the film industry.

TightLittleBunny Report

22points

#37

Being a musician/artist. The top 0.01% make a ton of money, and the remaining 99.99% make do with scraps.

md_official_account Report

22points

Fellfromthemoon 2 days ago

Musicians, even/mainly succesful ones, also need to travel for work, months in a row. One night, one concert. Next day, another city, long journey on the bus, upon arrival they need to build the stage, soundcheck, some rehearsal, meet and greet, and the next show. Sightseeing? Not much. Contact with the family? Phonecalls. Which timezone are we rn?

6points

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#38

Snow. Its cold up in the mountains. And the ones romanticising, it are those people who don’t have to wake up early in the morning and melt ice so that some people get warm water.
Its brutal to work in the morning when everyone is sound asleep in their blankets .

Appropriate-Cup-7225 Report

22points

Pernille 2 days ago

I hate snow! I can deal with looking at it at the top of the mountains, but that's it. I've ridden my bike through snow, walked through snow, and shovelled snow for many years living in cities in northern Europe, I'll die happy if I never have to deal with snow again.

10points

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#39

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Mental illness or playing an instrument.

MiskyWisky2791 , Levi Meir Clancy Report

20points

Rachel Pelz 2 days ago

Interesting match :)

13points

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#40

Marriage.

Silk_gaze Report

20points

Kindly 2 days ago

Gets easier the longer you do it! 33 years in and I'd very rarely describe it as hard work.

3points

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#41

Living in nyc.

Separate_Trifle_4186 Report

19points

Doe 2 days ago

I'm confident that billionaire's love living in NYC. The rest of us mere mortals are merely, barely surviving.

1point

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#42

International romances where someone moves countries to be with their lover.

subwaywall Report

19points

Johnnynatfan 2 days ago

Relationships are hard work. Add in cultural differences and the one partner trying to navigate a new country and its really hard work. I know from experience.

4points

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#43

Roughing it. Going on controlled camping trips is one thing, but spending any period of time without a guarantee of clean water, a hot meal, or shelter is a real nightmare.

WatchingInSilence Report

18points

MozillaFreeAdblock 2 days ago

Being homeless is a nightmare

11points

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#44

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Moving abroad.

InvestNewcomer , Margo Brodowicz Report

17points

keyboardtek 2 days ago

Many Americans investigating doing this now.

15points

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#45

Making money online via YouTube or Instagram. It's far easier making money in a real normal job.

Play5Pro Report

17points

#46

Being in the Special Forces. Whether it's SAS, SEALs, Green Beret, MarSoc... whatever. The high speed stuff is great for hollywood, but they never publish the fully kitted out operators stalking through the underbrush immediately losing their s**t because they walked through a giant spider web. Yeah I've seen that happen.

Jealous_Annual_3393 Report

16points

keyboardtek 2 days ago

I asked a Marine what psychological techniques were used to create unit cohesiveness. He said shared suffering.

6points

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#47

Being seriously famous.

IthinkIknowwhothatis Report

15points

UncleJohn3000 2 days ago

I had a few years of regional fame and let me tell you, anonymity is priceless and once lost, impossible to regain. I moved.

8points

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#48

Boxing. Mma.

They are striking at your face. That's not fancy.

15points

Iampenny 2 days ago

*Scoffs in Conor McGregor on his Multimillion-Euro yacht*

3points

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#49

Being a doctor. I've had clients that are doctors and they feel like that's all anyone sees when they see them and their job severely gets in the way of a social and family life, depending on the specialty of course.

redsouledheels Report

14points

#50

Growing up poor and on the streets. I get it you persevered through that s**t but dont make it seem like your "for dat street life". want better for yourself.

nrizzo24 Report

14points

Jen Drake 2 days ago (edited)

This is one of the most condescending things I’ve read in a minute. It screams “I’ve never struggled and it shows.” Yuck. 🤢

7points

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#51

Making love on the beach.

13points

Pittsburgh rare 2 days ago

Sandpaper sex

6points

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#52

Writing a novel. People don’t necessarily think it’s easy, but even when you’re on a roll it’s the biggest time suck. It’s not something you can squeeze in before work as a permanent routine. .

Silly_Somewhere1791 Report

13points

#53

Caring for a severely disabled child. My aunt is severely intellectually disabled, 54, and lived with my grandparents until my grandpa died and my grandma was moved to a home with Alzheimer’s- she moved in with us as my dad was her next of kin and it’s been 14 years. She is unable to handle money, book appointments, work, or even cook besides a microwave. She doesn’t remember things at all long term, you can tell her not to do something and you turn around and she’s doing it again. Parents think disabled kids are cute, but the 5 year old severely autistic child with anger issues gets much less cute when he’s 20 and can harm an adult. It’s hard for them to realize that their child, depending on their disability, will never be independent, move out, marry, etc or have the life they imagined. A lot of these parents will take care of them until they die and then the child needs other caretakers after that. It’s a lot of stress on families and relationships as well as finances.

Coffee_In_Nebula Report

13points

Ladedah 2 days ago (edited)

I don't know of anyone who is "romanticizing" this. Im probably going to get down-voted to all hell, but here's my honest truth: I see these kinds of families in the hospital all the time; its apparent that these parents really love their kids... but you can also tell that they're utterly exhausted and essentially in a full-time caregiving job that they will never ever be able to escape. This is ultimately my worst nightmare and a good chunk of why I decided to never have kids; I'm too f*****g selfish with my time to spend more than one day in a row with family or give up 18 years for a healthy child, let alone the rest of my life. Hell, I start to panic if my husband is off work and I dont at least have a few hours to myself each day. I have rather significant ADHD and am high output energy around people (its involuntary and I can't help it), thus need to recharge. I wouldn't have it in me to just have a kid and not give them my all... so, as long as I have control over it, I'm keeping my f*****g free time and sanity.

24points

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#54

Living in Paris.
It’s an absolut nightmare.
Don’t get me wrong because it is beautiful. But the quality of life sucks big time in Paris.

tomawaknawak Report

13points

Pernille 2 days ago

I've lived there, but it was many years ago and I can imagine it hasn't become easier, I would never move there again, but that is just because that when I turned 50 I suddenly changed from being an intellectual city dweller to being a tree hugging country bumpkin, menopause has some strange side effects:)

12points

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#55

Professional sports. Athletes, coaches, staff, even media. It's nights/weekends/holidays. High stress. Hella hard work. High expectations. Many are paid handsomely, many are paid well but for a short duration, many behind the scenes staff are not paid very well.

JonnyHopkins Report

12points

#56

Pulling yourself up your bootstraps. They always say this is the way to go but god dammit, years of 10-12 hour workdays, and a lot of crazy s**t. It's much rougher than you would think. Far more work goes into starting a career for someone who isn't a college graduate than people would think.

Like, you KNOW it's hard work, but until you do it you don't know for real. I've come across so many people who give the bare minimum at work and are surprised when they don't last long at the company. Some people think they're literally entitled to a career/money without the hard work that comes with it.

And yes a lot of achievement is based on chance. But I'm saying what you need to do when you get that chance.

DeusUictoriam Report

11points

Freya the Wanderer 2 days ago

This is rubbish. People who go rags to riches do so because of highly improbable lucky breaks or coincidences.

5points

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College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

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#57

"Family Farm Life": 64 Things That Are A Lot Worse Than They Seem Some people consider ADHD some sort of "super power". It is absolutely not.

wasabinski , Luke Porter Report

10points

Ladedah 2 days ago

WTF? I have never heard anyone call ADHD a super power. Trust me, I'd have remembered something like that. What it really is, is a pain in the a*s. I spend the majority of my time in public just trying to "seem" normal.

19points

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#58

Being single. You spend a lot of time by yourself and are always figuring out who you can invite out to the places you want to go so you don’t need to go alone. There’s no automatic companion.

AlternativeHorror235 Report

10points

BookFanatic 1 day ago

I have no trouble showing up solo, but I absolutely hate the "single supplement fee" that a lot of cruises and tours require. I understand why, but it feels like a tax on single people.

9points

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#59

Being alone, dating yourself/solo dates, & healing. It’s incredibly lonely and tough & so easy to slip into bad thoughts.

Solid-Dot-1589 Report

8points

Pittsburgh rare 2 days ago

Disagree. I like to take myself out for lunch, for a movie or shopping and l enjoy every minute.

11points

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#60

Working in the beauty industry. I am a professional makeup artist, and everyone thinks it's so glamorous and fun. Because you get to look cute, make people feel beautiful and all that.

Yes it is fun, but that is only 10 percent of it all. Its TOUGH, its mentally draining, its EXPENSIVE, it's not an easy career and I wish people would see that instead of thinking its some fun glam job. It's so much more, it's tough, tiring, you get neck, back, wrist problems.... but it is absolutely wonderful if it's your passion. I feel blessed to own my business of 10 years working amazing people and worked with some cool people and did some great gigs. I don't know how those higher up makeup artist do it, ....I can't believe the pressure they face but anyways, thought id share. All jobs in the beauty industry are TOUGH!

Wild_Spell_9736 Report

8points

David 1 day ago

And for the film industry at least it seems like it is a super early job like when I used to get up at 4:30 to milk cows. So many DVD extras out there interviewing actors who have to show up at the makeup trailer at dark o'clock early to spend 3 hours getting their character made up. Which implies the makeup artists have to be there same time / probably earlier to get a few things ready.

0points

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#61

Being in a toxic and overly protective relationship.

Illustrious_Photo484 Report

8points

#62

Working from home.

It's great at first, but it can get lonely very quickly and there are a lot of distractions at home you never think about. Not saying the benefits aren't worth it, but I sometimes wish I could escape from work! Can't do that when it's always around you.

EruditeWriter2 Report

8points

Iampenny 2 days ago

Still loving it after almost 5 years.

8points

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#63

Learned this today;

Don’t become a married farmer w/ kids ✔️.

jasperjerry6 Report

6points

Pandemonium 2 days ago

Don't become a married farmer running a restaurant while having sex on the beach. I'm not falling into THAT trap again.

17points

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#64

Pregnancy
Depression
Eating disorders .

oxford_serpentine Report

3points

Petra Schaap 2 days ago

who romaticizes eating disorders and depressions..

11points

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Shelly Fourer

Hey there! I'm Shelly, a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. When I'm not working, you'll often find me immersed in creativity, whether it's creating animations, 3D and traditional art, writing, or making music.I've been drawing since I was little, and my passion for visual storytelling really took off after I finished a 2-year Film Academy. It ignited my existing spark for bringing stories to life through visuals. Since then, I've been diving deeper into art and tech, always exploring new ways to tell compelling stories.

Hey there! I'm Shelly, a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. When I'm not working, you'll often find me immersed in creativity, whether it's creating animations, 3D and traditional art, writing, or making music.I've been drawing since I was little, and my passion for visual storytelling really took off after I finished a 2-year Film Academy. It ignited my existing spark for bringing stories to life through visuals. Since then, I've been diving deeper into art and tech, always exploring new ways to tell compelling stories.

Rokas Laurinavičius

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

What do you think ?

Chich 2 days ago

Being a firefighter. Every little kid's dream and it is a wonderful job. Most look up to you and you get to ride around in the big red trucks :) But, long weird hours, physically and mentally demanding, higher cancer rates, seeing and dealing with things that make horror movies laughable and which stay with you a long time. Still glad to be one though :)

11points

Iampenny 2 days ago

Shoutout to all firemen and women (and to first responders in general) Keep up the good work

7points

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Rose Stewart 2 days ago

Being an artist with a mental illness. There's this odd cliche that being depressed makes you a better artist, but it kills my creativity and drains my motivation to create.

6points

Rodney McKay 1 day ago

Well, now that everything has been eliminated, what's left?

0points

Chich 2 days ago

Being a firefighter. Every little kid's dream and it is a wonderful job. Most look up to you and you get to ride around in the big red trucks :) But, long weird hours, physically and mentally demanding, higher cancer rates, seeing and dealing with things that make horror movies laughable and which stay with you a long time. Still glad to be one though :)

11points

Iampenny 2 days ago

Shoutout to all firemen and women (and to first responders in general) Keep up the good work

7points

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Rose Stewart 2 days ago

Being an artist with a mental illness. There's this odd cliche that being depressed makes you a better artist, but it kills my creativity and drains my motivation to create.

6points

Rodney McKay 1 day ago

Well, now that everything has been eliminated, what's left?

0points

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