Join the Fun!

ZZGooch , Anna Shvets/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I grew up with some fairly questionable dental care that was free through my dad’s tribal healthcare. I had a lot of dental problems, likely stemming from my mom giving me apple juice in a baby bottle as well as enamel that never developed correctly.

During the annual dentist trip my older brother and sister never had cavities, but I always had 4-5 or more. So the visits were pretty hellacious. I would complain about the procedures and how badly they hurt (I was 6ish) but my family were “hard a*s” and “tough love” people. So my complaints were dismissed as whining and worse, told that I deserved it for not brushing my teeth better.

So, I stopped complaining. 27 years later while going through my 5th root canal I was shaking and tense and sweating. The dentist kept asking if I was ok, like they always did. I said “ya I’m fine” like I always said.

This time though, the dentist stopped the procedure, pulled his mask off and said “are you experiencing any pain? You seem like you are.” I said “of course I am, it’s a root canal, these always hurt terribly, but I’ll be ok, let’s just push through it.”

He said “You shouldn’t feel anything at all. Only some pressure, but ZERO pain. Root canals shouldn’t hurt.” Then he numbed me more, started again and kept numbing me until I felt NOTHING.

5 minutes in he stopped again because I was crying and he asked if it still hurt. I said “no, not all” and smiled crookedly through my completely numb face.

I thought dental procedures were supposed to hurt. I was 33 when a dentist finally realized I was suffering but self-reporting I was fine. There was always more numbing they could have done. I suffered for 3 decades because I was told to stop complaining as a 6yo.

If you feel pain, any pain at all, tell your dentist. Zero pain is normal. Advocate for yourself. Also, don’t tell young children to stop complaining about pain, because they might listen and you cause them to hurt for a lifetime.

160points

POST

DC 6 days ago

Root canal stuff is vastly better if you apply a little Valium. Like, whatever makes you fall asleep. My last one, I slept through entirely, employing 30 mg (I'm sort of unsnensitive, this sounds like a pretty high dose, but it doesn't affect me that much - a subway ride home and about 1 km walk, I got done afterwards), and not having any memories about it makes it the least sucking dental procedure I ever had. Root tip, that was even, which are the next attempt after root canal hasn't worked out as expected, hoped far, aimed at. Root tip removal #1 was the thirdmost painful thing I ever did (number one is teeth, too, but I'll spare you this time - much worste, much stupider....), it was 2010, I was 27, and cried from sheer pain the first time since primary school.

12points

Velghast , Egor Kamelev/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I didn't know people can't smell ants, bugs, and other scents. First time I walked into a friend's apartment I said "whoa dude you got an ant problem!" He was like oh s**t where is the ants? I'm like idk man but I smell em. He looked at me like I was the dumbest f****r he's ever seen and just told me that's impossible. Sure enough in his pantry, a little line of those f*****s pillaging a bag of rice into a vent via conga line.

On that day I learned not everyone can smell ants.

Edit: apparently I have a superpower. If any entomologist wants to reach out I would love to work with you. Insects are amazing. I always had a very strong connection with bees I had one riding around with me the other day in the car I stopped traffic because it wouldn't leave me alone I had to pick it up and leave it outside my car on some foliage. Bugs are friends, do not kill.

138points

POST

Ece Cenker 6 days ago

" ...a little line of those f*****s pillaging a bag of rice into a vent via conga line." LOL!!

63points

gameryamen , POI */Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Out of the many interesting responses in this thread, one particularly caught our eye. Redditor u/Velghast shared his unusual ability to smell insects, which intrigued us so much that Bored Panda reached out to him to learn more about his ‘superpower.’

“I didn’t realize I was smelling insects at first,” he explained. “As a kid, I thought it was just part of the outdoor smell. Then I started noticing that ant mounds smelled different, and so did the areas where ants traveled. It was like a burning citrus scent in the air.”

Growing up, he assumed everyone could smell these odors. “Since we didn’t have ants in our home, I just thought it was a normal part of life. But one day, while in my friend’s kitchen, he mentioned he couldn’t smell anything unusual. That’s when I realized maybe this wasn’t something everyone could detect.”

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) When I'm in a room with other people, part of my brain is paying attention to *every* conversation my ears can pick up, all at once. Specifically, it's paying attention to the emotional temper of each conversation, in case someone suddenly starts having a bad time.

Turns out most of you just listen to one conversation at a time. My way is actually a consequence of growing up around an explosive parent, deep down I don't want anything to happen that will lead to an angry person yelling at us. This also explains why I have a hard time in groups bigger than 10 or so, there tends to be too many voices having different conversations, and I get overwhelmed processing it all. If I can't keep up, I feel vulnerable and exposed, and things cycle downward from there.

126points

POST

Huddo's sister 6 days ago

I often listen to two conversations at once, sometime while actually speaking. It drives my stepdad crazy because he thinks I'm not listening and am being rude. I also think it overstimulates him hearing so many voices.

26points

lwolf1952 5 days ago

I'm always amazed when I see three or four women all talking at the same time and they are all hearing each other. It's like aliens communicating on a different level.😊

2points

Queeqec 6 days ago

Autistic me always hears everything in a room. All the conversations, clicking of the heaters, the fan in the corner, every step taken, the radio in the neighboring room, etc I can't control it and it is exhausting.

10points

SolitaryIntrovert 5 days ago

Same here. I had a friend who asked me about it once, I listed everything I could hear at that moment. He was shocked.

6points

The Other Ben 5 days ago

And we CAN'T tune it out!

3points

Matthews 5 days ago

The difference from OP is that I can’t pay attention to what they are saying, but only to the fact that they are saying something. If there are more than 4 people in a group, I’ll definitely get lost, as there will be more than one conversational thread going on. Sometimes, when overwhelmed like this, I go and excuse myself. But if I can’t leave, I tend to shutdown. This happens more frequently than I’d like to recognize it. And while some people are kind and understanding about it, others are really mean when that happens, and suddenly it’s me in the middle of my middle school bullies again.

0points

Hellcaste's Wife 5 days ago

Hyperawareness is sometimes a trait people with Borderline Personality Disorder develop due to childhood abuse (usually the result of an explosive parent)

8points

Bec 6 days ago

I do exactly the same, and also had an explosively violent father. Accidentally crunched a violet crumble too loud while watching Playschool? Pitched at full force at multiple walls by the hair.

5points

Bat cat in a hat 6 days ago

Hope you're in a better place now 💜

4points

Anne Nyheim 5 days ago

I hear every noice, both because I am nevrospicy and because of childhood traumas. It is soooo hardto focus on just the nearest conversation

2points

UncleJohn3000 5 days ago

I listen to all of the conversations around me because I'm nosy.

2points

H R 6 days ago

A trauma response

2points

Matt Richardson 4 days ago

Same. Totally same. Restaurants are terrible.

1point

Matthew Savestheworld 5 days ago

Okay so I hate to break this to you but you may have ADHD. I do too. I also thought that this was just related to my explosie parent but it is not just that. Turns out listening to lots of conversations at once and tracking the emotional temperature of the room entirely is a very common ADHD issue

1point

goldoche 4 days ago

Same here!

0points

Heather Menard 5 days ago

ADHD

1point

emowankinemo 5 days ago

She looks like an old-timey painting

1point

Bret Sander 5 days ago

Hyper vigilance is exhausting.

1point

Makenzie McNeal 5 days ago

This really isn't normal?

1point

goldoche 4 days ago

It's normal for neurodivergent or people with trauma, or both.

0points

FlamingoPanda 5 days ago

I always find conversation with someone where many others are talking hard. Can never fully pay attention because I am always listening out for sounds of danger.

1point

Ashlie Benson 4 days ago

I learn more about myself on these BP threads than I do in therapy. I do this; granted, I always figured it was odd.

0points

Jo Ann Jeffcoat 4 days ago

that is a trauma response

0points

Timbob 4 days ago

That’s because they’re all talking about your hardware !

0points

Erik Hedenskog 5 days ago

Bartender ears, I got em. I love em.

0points

S Mi 5 days ago

Hyper vigilance. I'm sorry you experienced that

0points

brandyy17 5 days ago

im like this but mainly cuz of my anxeity disorder. its social based so im constantly wondering if ppl r judging me or watever. this is usually wen in public. if im at a party where i kno everyone or around family im fine but ill still hear bits of some conversations even if im having my own.

0points

Ilikemybooksshakennotstirred 5 days ago

Yeeeep. I get constantly distracted by things going on around me because I'm tracking like 10 different people and what they're doing at any given time.

0points

Shelly Graham 5 days ago

I do the same thing. Having Hyper awareness is not a marker for BPD! In fact Sensorimotor OCD and Hyper Awareness are subtypes of OCD. OcdIt

0points

Ervin Conn 5 days ago

As I get older and my hearing gets worse this problem goes away. It all starts turning into a beehive drone and I have trouble following any one conversation.

0points

Zaach 5 days ago

This is common in deaf communities - since seeing and signing are unrelated activities (unlike hearing and speaking which overlap) some are able to carry on multiple conversations at a time.

0points

Yomo 5 days ago

Look into Elaine Aron's framewoek of the Highly Sensitive Person.

0points

Lsai Aeon 5 days ago

Same.

0points

Papa 5 days ago

I do good to keep track of one conversation. Forget more than that.

0points

Wonderful_Theme1383 , Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I used to think everyone had a vivid inner monologue narrating their day, but then I found out some people don’t have one at all. It blew my mind when I realized that wasn't common.

118points

POST

Pernille 6 days ago

Not just a monologue, there is also a DJ with a very questionable, but varied, taste in music.

138points

Kater-chan , Creation Hill/Pexels (not he actual photo) Report

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Mirroring other peoples behavior and making a "personality" fitting for them. Results in me being super stressed when I meet new people because I don't know how to behave. Social contact also costs a lot of energy. Turns out people don't think of that and just kinda go as themselves. However that's supposed to work.

Also genuinely enjoying being alone. I told a friend that I will just lock myself in my flat for a few days to relax and he said that's a "bit extreme". For me it's really nice and relaxing. I need my alone time and don't 'miss' social contact as fast as other people.

115points

POST

Upstaged75 5 days ago

I'm happy being social when I want to be, but I have a battery that only holds a certain amount of charge. Once it's drained I need to be alone so I can recharge. I'm very rarely lonely even though I'm alone most of the time. And I'm not shy or awkward either - it's called an Ambivert.

14points

MsFlippy , Polina Zimmerman/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

The citrusy scent that u/Velghast noticed ants giving off is actually a natural defense mechanism. According to Clint Penick, an assistant professor of entomology and plant pathology at Auburn University, ants release this odor to make themselves unappealing to predators.

For u/Velghast, however, the ‘citronella’ scent, as entomologists call it, has a surprising appeal. “It almost burns your nose,” he said, “but to me, it’s quite nice—kind of like gasoline.”

Interestingly, not all ant species produce odors strong enough for humans to detect. Some can only be smelled when crushed or if present in large colonies, but u/Velghast’s nose seems unusually sensitive.

Other bugs, u/Velghast describes, have their own signature scents. For example, some insects carry a dingy, earthy smell, while others have a deep, musty aroma. Roaches, he added, are the exception—they give off a faint almond-like scent, almost reminiscent of grass.

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Not trusting your parents and being very careful not to share any details of your personal life because they'll use it against you. I thought everyone did it.

109points

POST

Robby Sale 5 days ago

Not only this but also behaving and experiencing emotion as determined by those close enough to know you. This is all part of dysfunctional behavior that can mess people up for life.

13points

PixieQuirks , JESHOOTS.com/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I didn't realize that people didn't memorize movies to keep from being bored. When I was a kid, we lived pretty far from my grandparents, so that was a long trip in the car. So I learned that I could break up the time by "re watching" a movie as we drove. So I was praised for being able to sit still, but I was reciting Aladdin or Land Before Time in my head the whole time.

I still do this to some extent. The last time I was able to drive down to Florida, I looked at the trip time and thought, "Oh! That's not too bad! That's two Hamiltons and a Lion King!"

I didn't realize that other people didn't memorize scripts down to the actor's inflections until I took an acting course and monologues and cold reads came really easy to me. It turns out most people remember certain lines that they like or remember a funny scene is coming up.
I felt like the biggest dork when I explained it.

94points

POST

Westerly 6 days ago

This sounds really cool, and will absolutely be an advantage for acting etc!

42points

throwaway271999 , Umut Sarıalan/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) It took me until i was in my early 20s to realize that straight women actually do have romantic feelings for their male partners and i’m actually just a lesbian.

94points

POST

TribbleThinking 6 days ago

ROFL. Congratulations on finding out, though. 😄

37points

hepzibah59 , Kelly/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Since posting his reply and receiving so much attention on Reddit, u/Velghast has reached out to professionals and done some research to understand why he can detect insect scents so clearly.

“I talked to my GP about it, and her response was pretty funny. She said, ‘Sir, you’ve been smoking for 15 years—I’m surprised you can smell your own flatulence or a baked cookie at this point,’” he shared with us.

“She mentioned that while she’s not an ENT, it’s possible I have a genetic sensitivity to certain pheromones. After doing some research, I found that I might actually be picking up on insect pheromones—something humans are technically capable of, though ours are usually scentless. Insects, however, use a different chemical mixture.”

Later, he saw an ENT and decided to get a second opinion. “During my next wellness exam, I asked him if my theory could be possible. His response was pretty entertaining. He said, ‘Your throat’s fine, but stop picking your nose and shoving Q-tips so far into your ears. I don’t watch Animal Planet, so if this is some kind of Doctor Dolittle gift, awesome. I don’t know—go work for Terminix, maybe it’s your calling.’”

“Gotta love the doctors of Baltimore City.”

#10

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I thought that being unhappy was normal, that people were just faking being happy. Then I was diagnosed with depression, got medication and it literally changed my life.

89points

POST

T'Mar of Vulcan 5 days ago

Same thing with me. Thought it was normal for 90% of interactions to trigger butterflies, racing heart, etc. Turns out I had really hectic anxiety and depression. Also changed with medication. Now I can talk to people and be sociable. It's fantastic.

21points

Radioactivejellomold , cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#11

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I used to hear a full symphony in my head when I lay down at night. Most of the time it's mellow with beautiful violins, oboes, French horns... It slowly builds and can be quite moving. It's never songs I've heard or know. I have zero musical talent so in my head it all stays.

I say "used to" because once I developed tinnitus the ringing has taken place of the music. Pretty c****y trade off.

88points

POST

Bat cat in a hat 6 days ago

Having tinnitus what I really miss is silence

40points

SomeGarbage292343882 , Dilara/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#12

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) When I was a kid, I'd walk to school. When it was cold, I'd come home and my mom would ask "why are you wheezing?" I'd shrug because I thought it was just what happened to people when it was cold.

Found out several years later that I had exercise induced asthma, and cold weather was my main trigger.

86points

POST

Huddo's sister 6 days ago

My mum didn't believe me at first when I said I think I have asthma because I struggled to breathe after running cross-country. She was a bit surprised when the doctor said I had exercised induced asthma.

30points

Jeramy_Jones , RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#13

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I thought all girls would rather be boys if they had the choice.

Nope. Turns out I was trans. Took me 34 years of my life to realize that.

85points

POST

Debby Keir 6 days ago

From a pretty young age, I wanted to be a boy. Growing up in the 50's meant that as a girl 'you're not allowed to do this, or that' all the time, but boys could. It wasn't till the mid 60's that I realised, actually, I'm happy being a girl, but I'll fight you to the death to be 'allowed' to do what I want.

90points

JournalistShot1501 , MART PRODUCTION/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#14

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Constant counting in my head. Turns out that’s an OCD symptom. Didn’t realize until I was an adult. I count everything. Constantly.

74points

POST

Bill 6 days ago

And when you chew your food. you have to chew at the same amount of time on each side. Yeah, I get that. And when I was younger I had to do things in multiples of three. I turned the light switch off on and off again. Didn't really realize that was OCD behavior until I was an adult either. I still have .....tendencies lol

22points

Hijastronaut , RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#15

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Apologizing constantly, even for things that aren’t my fault. Turns out, not everyone feels the need to say ‘sorry’ all the time.

73points

POST

crazydogmama 5 days ago

Having an abusive parent causes this survival instinct. Especially in girls.

31points

BrigitteSophia , Pixabay/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#16

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) How much I daydream

How much I over analyze every social encounter

How just imagining my sister dying will bring tears

How much I try to mentally prepare for my family members dying.

72points

POST

BarfyCat 5 days ago

Is this... is this not normal? 😟

29points

surk_a_durk , Sara mazin/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#17

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I thought it was normal that certain fabric textures make people feel physically nauseated and violently repulsed when touching them.

No, that’s called autism.

71points

POST

arthbach 5 days ago

It's not just autists who have sensory aversions.

50points

GloomOnTheGrey , Jehvan/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#18

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) The way the lights look at night when you have astigmatism. I saw a photo comparison of normal vision compared to vision with astigmatism, and it genuinely surprised me.

68points

POST

Any 6 days ago

I don't have this and I have astigmatism. Like not even a small bit and I am always confused of how other people see lights with astigmatism because I don't see them like the pictures suggest (without glasses of course) And I am an optician. xD

12points

XinaRoo , Subin/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#19

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Ever since I can remember I got periodic weird sparkly things in my field of vision. Rainbow, jagged, circular-ish thing that gradually got bigger until my head seemed to ‘pass through’ the ring and then it faded. Happened all the time. I would get really cranky, achy and tired afterward. Always happened when my mom would take me shopping for clothes or groceries (she used to get so annoyed when I wanted to leave after 10 minutes at the mall). In my twenties I mentioned it in passing ‘oh hang on I have a sparkly thing. Ugh I hate these because now I’m going to have a headache’. Mom was like ‘wait WHAT?’ Yeah, I have chronic migraine with aura and fluorescent light is a primary trigger.

Edited to add:
WOW I had no idea so many people experienced this! I feel for each and every one of you. When I was younger - maybe into my 20s - they were just a weird annoying inconvenience. Yeah I felt a little c****y afterward, but nothing debilitating. Unfortunately they progressed to being a harbinger of doom. Full migraines with all the awful pain, nausea, light sensitivity, aphasia, brain fog, the works. Besides evil fluorescent light, I’ve identified lack of sleep, too much sleep, dehydration, exercise, stress, and sudden positional changes (standing up too quickly) as triggers. Yay for trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle? 🙄recommendation: find a doctor who will refer you to a good neurologist. I’m working my way through a series of preventative meds that work for awhile until they don’t. But we keep trying! My neurologist said ‘well, you know we’re basically guessing. We just keep guessing until something works’. Good luck out there!

60points

POST

Susie Elle 6 days ago

Ocular migraines suck so bad. I once thought I was having a stroke when I couldn't see anymore, my right side jaw started tingling and my fingers on my right hand went numb one by one. Turns out that can be a migraine too.

31points

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

See Also on Bored Panda

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#20

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) My parents worked full time and left me home alone a lot. They never checked if I had homework or anything like that. So I'd just come home from school, watch TV, play with my dog, whatever, by myself. I literally never did my homework because no one was there to make me. More often than not I was a bit bored and lonely. Most days I would try and find a friend to come hang out. I'd ring (this was in the 90s) every single kid in my class to come over and play. They always said no, they weren't allowed, because they had homework to do and because my parents weren't home. I didn't understand the concept of "not allowed". My parents weren't even there. I could just go anywhere I wanted. Why couldn't they? It wasn't until I was an adult with my own kids that I realized their parents were just a lot more responsible than mine.

AriasK , cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

58points

POST

arthbach 5 days ago

That's an interesting way of saying 'My parents were abusive - they neglected me for years.'

30points

jtaulbee , Tembela Bohle/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#21

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) When I think to myself, I often use “we”. If I’m getting up to get some coffee, I’ll think “let’s go get some coffee.” It’s not a split personality thing… I think I distinguish between the parts of me that does/feels/thinks things and the meta part of me that observes myself.

I saw a Reddit post about this a few years ago, and I realized that a few people do the same thing, but most people think it’s very weird. .

56points

POST

Agata Konador 5 days ago

I do the same and because same reason 😁

21points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

See Also on Bored Panda

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#22

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) It took me awhile to put together that most people notice that they're hungry before it starts to hurt.

mugofsoul , Mizuno K/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

55points

POST

Leoninus Fate 6 days ago

i have this, idk if it's the same for everyone, but my mind is from damaged nerves that stop the impulses of my belly and body telling my brain "Hey you hungry and need to eat!" mine doesn't do that and it confuses me when I start to hurt, I have to have wrote reminders, and alarms to tell me to eat every so often {i have pseudotumor cerebri, "basically a brain tumor without the physical tumor"}

21points

Trickymia , Malachi Cowie/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#23

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Constant existential dread. Turns out not everyone’s brain is a 24/7 horror show.

55points

POST

UncleJohn3000 5 days ago (edited)

Constant existential dread just means you're paying attention. Blessed are the ignorant in their bliss.

27points

Impressive_Big3342 , Victor Freitas/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#24

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) "You know how you mainly look through one eye?"

"What? No!"

"You don't mainly look out one eye?"

"No! I look through both my eyes equally!"

"Oh. I thought everyone had a preferred eye, like being right or left handed?"

"No!"

So turns out my left eye is REALLY bad and I'm not just. . . right-eyed.

53points

POST

Leoninus Fate 6 days ago

Im left eyed..... not my chouse... mainly cause the right one had been blinded since i was 8

11points

rainbowpinkie26 , Korhan Erdol/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#25

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) That some people's minds are just quiet. I thought everyone had an ongoing monolog of their life.

52points

POST

Hellcaste's Wife 5 days ago

Must be nice. I have an internal monologue that, NO JOKE, has a British accent.

18points

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

See Also on Bored Panda

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#26

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Putting on socks before bed. I can not sleep without them, yet apparently other people find it strange!

DarkFrostedEcho , Kaboompics.com/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

51points

POST

ZuriLovesYou 6 days ago

My feet get cold without my socks. I need them in bed.

29points

SageIon666 , Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#27

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) PMDD. Every month I would stay quiet about my symptoms because I genuinely thought every one else experiencing menstruation also got extremely angry, exhausted, hopeless and couldn’t stop thinking about wanting to [unalive] themselves and everyone around them. I missed an insane amount of school and got fired from jobs because I could not function for about two weeks out of every month. I only realized I had an issue after seeing someone describe PMDD online. I now use birth control continuously so no periods or hormonal change for me!

50points

POST

Tamra 5 days ago (edited)

Hormonal changes can be extraordinarily troublesome, and a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

8points

Skyya1982 , Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#28

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I thought it was normal for everything to hurt. Catching a ball would leave my palm feeling raw and bruised for days. Swinging a baseball bat would hurt my shoulder, my elbow, my hip. I had terrible pain in my hands from when I was about 12, and I remember my grandma saying, "Yeah, you've got the arthritis, too." And that was that.

You know the saying, "No pain, no gain"? I thought that everyone playing every sport or doing any form of exercise was playing through the pain, and I thought I was a serious wimp for not being able to stand it and play through it like they did. My whole family would make fun of me for having such a low pain threshold.

Every day, I'd wake up with pain in every region of my body, for one reason or another. Bonked my knee on a coffee table 6 months ago? Yep, it would still hurt. Wore shoes that pinched my pinkie toe the previous year? Yeah, I'd still be limping from the pain, but I would try really hard not to limp because that would bother my hip. All these pains added up but never went away. Ever since I was little. And I thought this was normal.

I'm 42 now. About 6 months ago, I had an epiphany and asked my husband if I complained about pain a lot. His instant answer was, "Yep." I explained that I only ever tell him about the pains that could impact our day, pains that are unbearable, so we might need to change plans to accommodate - which is maybe 10% of the pain I'm experiencing at any given time. We talked it out and realized that my experience of pain is actually very abnormal.

I've spent the last six months going to specialists, learning pain management, starting a vitamin and medication regimen, and making so.much.progress! It is amazing the things I can do now. I have more energy, more stamina, and more mental clarity because I'm not exhausting myself by being in pain 24/7. It's amazing - I bonk my knee, and it hurts for a minute. Then, I actually forget about it. Because it stops hurting. All my life, a simple bonked knee would cause me pain for months on end. Now, I get hurt, and in a short while, it stops hurting. It stops! I swear, pain never used to stop! It's amazing!!!

Side note - all the people who told me I had a low pain threshold while I was experiencing horrific pain every freaking day of my life can seriously just go f**k themselves.

Edit - I forgot to say what was wrong. The doctors are calling it fibromyalgia, which is "a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals.".

50points

POST

Ace 6 days ago

I have FM too, but would love to know how this person is treating it so effectively. For most sufferers it's just a question of taking painkillers, if and when you remember. Yes, I'm often in pain without being aware of it. Right then I just did a body check to find out which bits of me are hurting.

16points

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

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Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

#29

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I learned RECENTLY that working out isn’t supposed to hurt, it’s supposed to make you sore, not in like PAIN pain. Turns out I’m actually disabled and I can’t work out most of my upper body becuase of my spinal curvature. #LiveLaughLordosis.

Shonky_Honker , Kampus Production/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

47points

POST

Leoninus Fate 6 days ago

same, weak brittle bones, spinal fluid leaks and just all around messed up, all that plus being 7'4... i use a wheelchair and cane a lot cause its hard to move around

15points

_jump_yossarian , mali maeder/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#30

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Swimming. I grew up on a lake and was swimming as a baby. I probably spent years of my life in the water. I was shocked when I went to boot camp at Parris Island and half the recruits had never been in a pool, let alone knew how to swim.

46points

POST

Acey 5 days ago

I live in a country that has 98% of it covered in water and I don't know how to swim lol

8points

CoralReefer1999 , Khoa Võ/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#31

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Being able to dissociate on command apparently that’s a symptom of my cptsd but for a long time I thought everyone had the ability to just stop feeling all emotions & make the world seem fake like a video game that’s not the case I found that out at 24 when i finally found a good therapist 😂.

45points

POST

Hellcaste's Wife 5 days ago

I did this for years and one day my therapist told me, "You need to stop dissociating. It's interfering with your marriage and raising your children. I think we're going to get you some DBT for your PTSD." I had no idea that's what I was doing when I packed emotions/thoughts/etc away into neat little boxes never to be opened again. DBT changed my life!

11points

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

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“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

#32

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I thought that everyone stopped eating dinner together as a family as soon as you learned how to eat without making a giant mess and no longer needed to be supervised while you ate your food. For basically my whole life other than the first few years, everyone in my family has ate dinner in separate areas at different times and I thought that the only families that ate dinner together were religious families.

I quickly discovered how wrong I was and how unconventional my family is. My parents are both functioning alcoholics in denial and did the bare minimum to ensure I had food and made it to school but that was about it. Once I finished elementary school and started going to middle school they were never involved in anything in my life and I moved out at the age of 14 which they had no issues with as long as I was still going to school, which I was.

brokenVoices , Engin Akyurt/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

40points

POST

Stephanie Did It 5 days ago

I'm so sorry for you that you were cruelly deprived of a childhood and family life. I hope things have improved for you.

12points

#33

Honestly, when I was little I thought most people were hyper insane evangelical Christians like I was raised. I got out of that world in high school. As a kid I knew SOME people weren’t Christian, but I truly thought it was the norm. Now I see that my upbringing was really extreme and bordered on cult.

ApollyonRising Report

40points

POST

Ace 6 days ago

No borders, you really were in a cult. It's often misused as a term by members of one religion to disparage members of another, more extreme one, but in reality nearly all Deistic religions are cults.

21points

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

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

#34

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) Eviction. I thought it was how people moved.

Thinks_22_Much , LA MM/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

36points

POST

Upstaged75 5 days ago

That's sad. Especially for a kid.

13points

#35

People Confess 35 Things They Did, Believing They Were Normal (They’re Not) I thought everyone could make their eyes vibrate at will. But nope!

Bartok_and_croutons , Pixabay/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

33points

POST

UncleJohn3000 5 days ago

Physiological nystagmus.

10points

Note: this post originally had 51 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.

Kyiv-born, Vilnius-dwelling writer with a suitcase full of curiosity. My Master's in International Communication fuels my love for exploring different stories. Whether I'm putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), you might catch me out and about with my film camera, cycling around, or on a quest for the perfect coffee spot. Occasionally seen trying to find inner peace on the yoga mat.

Read less »

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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What do you think ?

POST

Lady Miss Pie Premium 6 days ago

I have cataplexy in my hands. If I laugh very hard or I just woke up, I cannot use my hands, they don’t work. I can’t make a fist, or use them in anyway way. I thought it was normal until five years ago when I mentioned it to my doctor and she told me what it was—she also never met someone with cataplexy until me! lol

12points

Tiger 5 days ago

How long does it last? That’s very interrsting! I guess no one should tell you jokes while you’re driving or anything 😂

3points

Traveling Lady Railfan 5 days ago

I have an amazingly keen sense of smell for...get this...cat urine. Dried and years old or even fresh by seconds (fresh and old has different smell though). I worked in research and development of enzyme cleaners for pet accidents and had to smell a LOT of cat pee samples. Yup. That's a thing.

5points

Littlemiss 5 days ago

My god is could have a new career. My sense of smell drives me up the wall.

2points

Leroy bruyn 5 days ago

I thought everyone figured stuff out like a computer. Turns out it's just me doing the if/then think to deal with everything in my life.

4points

similarly 5 days ago

I always assumed computer if-then statements were based on how people normally think.

3points

Mia Black 5 days ago

my spine tickles when hot air comes near or when the dentist has to work with the drill - I always have to put my hand behind my back (pressing against the spine) to suppress it because honestly, nobody wants to twitch when the drill is in their mouth! Blow-drying my hair tickles too much, I can't do that. or stand with my back to a heating lamp. But I'm also generally ticklish (I can tickle myself, it tickles when I run my fingers over my own palm or sometimes gently touch the ceiling off my mouth with my tongue..

4points

Anne Nyheim 5 days ago

My spine too!!! Or rather, a little bit right of spine, about kidney position. To me the worst thing is going to the hairdresser, especially if they use the buzzer in my neck. The dentistry has too much trauma for me

1point

similarly 5 days ago

I never realized I had hypochondria until I read up on it. Of course, my doctor says it's all in my head, but that's just what THEY want us to believe! Actually, the first time I read about "Exploding Head Syndrome" it really surprised me. I had NO idea there was a word for that!

3points

Joanne Mendonza-Earle 5 days ago

I have music in my head CONSTANTLY. It's like a radio station. Sometimes I dissociate cause it's so loud. I even think (jokingly of course), 'I can't believe no one else can hear how loud the music is, coming out of my ears.' I never remember a time when I didn't have an earworm of one song or another.

3points

Littlemiss 5 days ago

I hear odd noises, voices, music etc. So it's not just me?

2points

BrunoVI 5 days ago

We used to dig trenches, and cover them up with branches and then tarp and then twigs and leaves, so we'd have an underground fort for when WWIII broke out. Just the kids... on our own... it was on that gray area between play and instinctive survival training that makes parents nervous to witness. But anyone born between 1955 and 1980 was raised to expect nuclear armageddon.

3points

Huddo's sister 5 days ago

Posting comments I realised I relate to a lot, if not most of these. That's probably weird, so many occurring in one person, but I've always managed to 'collect' health problems. I've been on so many different meds over the years, since I was about 14.

2points

Racing Tadpole 5 days ago

Photic sneezing when exposed to sunlight, its amusing.

2points

Noyfb noyfb 5 days ago

I have a friend who gets that sneeze reaction to sunlight. He and his wife were taking their first child, newborn, from the hospital for the first time. When they walked outside into the sunlight, that tiny infant immediately sneezed.

4points

Lisa T 5 days ago

I thought everyone sneezed at the sun. I didn’t realize there was such a thing as an inner monologue, I didn’t realise people could actually see images in their mind - I thought “In your mind’s eye” and “picture this” meant think about something.

2points

pebs 5 days ago

During my childhood/adolescence, I had a horrible sensation when touching newspaper paper, especially with wet hands. Now it has been many years since it happens to me anymore.

2points

5 days ago

I learned at age 18 that it's not normal to always see double, sort of like everything is like a Venn diagram. hahaha oops

1point

POST

Lady Miss Pie Premium 6 days ago

12points

Tiger 5 days ago

How long does it last? That’s very interrsting! I guess no one should tell you jokes while you’re driving or anything 😂

3points

Traveling Lady Railfan 5 days ago

5points

Littlemiss 5 days ago

My god is could have a new career. My sense of smell drives me up the wall.

2points

Leroy bruyn 5 days ago

I thought everyone figured stuff out like a computer. Turns out it's just me doing the if/then think to deal with everything in my life.

4points

similarly 5 days ago

I always assumed computer if-then statements were based on how people normally think.

3points

Mia Black 5 days ago

4points

Anne Nyheim 5 days ago

1point

similarly 5 days ago

3points

Joanne Mendonza-Earle 5 days ago

3points

Littlemiss 5 days ago

I hear odd noises, voices, music etc. So it's not just me?

2points

BrunoVI 5 days ago

3points

Huddo's sister 5 days ago

2points

Racing Tadpole 5 days ago

Photic sneezing when exposed to sunlight, its amusing.

2points

Noyfb noyfb 5 days ago

4points