NEWSFLASH: Life can sometimes be difficult! And, for most of us, there are many things we learned through experience that we wish we'd understood when we were younger.
So Reddit user AnonsLions recently asked a very important question: "What’s something you had to learn the ‘hard way’ and now want to share with others so they don’t have to?" These responses MIGHT just save you some future grief:
1. "People can change, but only if they want to and put in the work to do so — not if they say they will and keep doing the same thing. Listen to actions, not just words."
2. "You cannot convince someone to be with you if they don't want to be. Cut your losses and move on."
3. "If you are a teenager and someone much older shows romantic interest in you, it's not because you're 'cool' and 'so mature for your age.' It's because they're a creep with a lot of issues."
"People their age wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole, and neither should you."
4. "If you feel like you have to watch every little thing you say because a friend will dump you in a heartbeat just for disagreeing with them, that’s not your friend. That’s a thought police warden. Leave those people behind."
5. "People will treat you the way you let them." "And not the way you treat them."
— CatrionaShadowleaf and AnonsLions
6. "No matter how much you trust someone or what kind of relationship you have with them, you should never lend money to someone unless you're prepared for the possibility you may never get it back."
7. "Don't get into credit card debt. Not even a little."
8. "Never, ever take your health for granted. Exercise, eat your veggies, sleep enough, learn to manage stress."
"Stress can really ruin your health. If you don't have time to take care of yourself, that's all the more reason to. Make time, no matter what. Work is always there to do, but your health may not always be there. And what will you do if your health runs out and you can't work anymore? Better to take the time now rather than have no choice later."
9. "You are the only common denominator in your own repeated problems."
10. "No matter how much you love your significant other, you need to have a life and identity outside of them."
11. "Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die."
12. "No matter how nice you are to others, some people just won’t like you. It has nothing to do with you, it says everything about them."
"It can stem from insecurity, jealousy, or just two personalities that don’t mesh, etc. Don’t beat yourself up over it."
13. "Take care of your teeth."
"When I was young, and my parents had a dental plan, I went every 6 months for cleanings and checkups. Never had a cavity. I moved out on my own at 18 and made barely enough to scrape by, and I didn't have the money to go to the dentist and no dental plan with my minimum wage jobs. I didn't go to the dentist for something like 15 years. I'm 38 years old now and I've had a couple abscessed teeth, one requiring IV antibiotics, 7 extractions, 5 or 6 fillings. I still have another 4 surgical extractions required and multiple fillings before I am fixed up, and I'll need to get false teeth because as of right now I can't chew on one side of my mouth due to so many missing teeth. Trust me. Tooth pain is the fucking worst. You don't want to ever be in my situation. It sucks. Take care of your teeth."
14. "Don’t avoid doing something important because you think it will take too long. The time will pass anyway."
15. "Do not shower with contact lenses in. Do not swim with contact lenses in. Do not wear your contact lenses while sleeping."
"I got an infection, from showering with my contacts lenses in, that resulted in a microbe eating away at my eye for five days. It was incredibly painful! I had to put antibiotics in every half-hour (including overnight). After the infection cleared, I was left with a tiny scar on one of my eyes, which has permanently blurred the vision in that eye. The doctors said I got really lucky, because others who have had similar infections to mine ended up blind in that eye. Don't be one of them! Be careful with your lenses.
16. "If your best friends hate your significant other, hear them out. Don't ignore them and let it affect your friendship, because chances are they have good reasons."
17. "Wear sunscreen. On your face, every day, every time you leave the house, no matter the season or weather, no matter how old you are or if you are only going to be out 'from the house to the car.' Make it a habit. Seriously. Wear sunscreen."
18. "Learn how to say no to people, set boundaries, and prioritize yourself."
"It's good to help others, but if you can't say no sometimes, you'll ruin your mental energy and your sense of self-worth."
Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity.