People Are Revealing The "Simple" Common Things That Are Actually Way More Harder To Deal With Than They Seem
At one point or another, we have all decided to do something that we thought would be a breeze to do, only to realize it was, well, the total opposite. For example, if you've ever agreed to go on a long car trip somewhere, it may seem like a fun and easy way to get there, but once you've been sitting in the car for several hours all you want to do is get the hell out of your seat and to your destination.
Recently, I came upon a Reddit thread in which user Responsible-Moose849 was curious about just that when they asked: "What do most people think that is simple to deal with but is actually not?"
The thread got over 3K responses. Below, are the top, best, and most-often repeated comments:
1."Moving to a new place. It sounds exciting, but the logistics, loneliness, and adjustment period can be very challenging."
"This is so true! All the excitement and focus on getting there, and then once you're finally there there's this huge feeling of 'What now?' and 'OMG, why did we do this?' 😂"
2."Working in retail. Customers seem to think it's the easiest thing in the world."
3."Managing personal finances often seems simple but can be surprisingly complex."
"Sticking to a budget. It is a simple concept in theory, and yes, poor planning and poor money management definitely exist for a lot of people. But 'live within your means' used to mean 'do without multiple vacations a year and cut down on frivolous spending.' Now, there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem. People nowadays are not going broke trying to buy brand new nice, shiny cars or winter in the Bahamas; they’re just trying to scrape by in an economy where wages have not caught up to the cost of living.
Plus, in the US, a chronic medical condition or one unexpected hospital stay can ruin you financially for years. So, budgeting and financial planning, both relatively simple concepts on paper, become much more complex in practice when your very basic necessities exceed your income, and you keep hearing, 'Well, just spend less.'"
4."Navigating adult friendships. You'd think staying in touch would just be a matter of sending a text or two, but finding that balance between connection and respecting each other's hectic life is practically an art form. And let's not even get started on the intricacies of group dynamics when everyone's trying to make it to the same dinner plans after months of 'we should totally hang out' texts."
5."Honestly, just working 40 hours a week and trying to be fully present for your family. I'm married, and I have no idea how single parents are doing hanging in there. Big props to single parents!"
"My mom is and always has been a single parent. She also worked a lot in state and had to fly to work once a week. From a child’s perspective, I see you trying! Keep up your hard work. It is not unnoticed!"
6."Getting a new job."
"Nothing has taken a mental toll on me more than having to apply for job after job and getting rejected over and over again, even when I'm qualified. It's soul-crushing."
7."Half the clients who attempt to hire me as their attorney tell me their case is' a piece of cake' and a 'slam dunk' that should be so 'easy and quick.' Oh, and they don't think they should have to pay for my services."
"I have a sister who thought her divorce was a very simple one. She then proceeded to tell the lawyer how they should do their job in handling it. Then, she couldn't understand why she had to go to several attorneys who refused to take her case to court. She thought it would be such a simple thing if they would only do what she said."
8."People assume that forgiving someone is easy, but dealing with the emotional impact and truly letting go of resentment is a complex process."
9."Looking after your grandchild for a full day. You love them to death, but you're a good 25–30 years removed from watching after another human being, and it can wipe you out. It seems easy: Just watch a movie or two and take a nap. Nope. It can be like hanging out with a speed freak with no off button."
10."Managing mental health, a lot of people think it's just about being positive, but it's way more complex and requires real effort and support.""
"It seems so simple until suddenly you get anxious, depressed, or stressed out. Or you don't even realize how bad it's gotten until you hear yourself saying something that you ordinarily don't say."
11."Getting a puppy!"
"I have three in my house. NEVER AGAIN. I'll only ever get one, again. Puppy crap is annoying, and I have scratches on my arms and legs from them."
12."Pursuing a passion sounds simple, yet balancing it with practical responsibilities, overcoming self-doubt, and maintaining motivation can be very complicated."
13."Leaving abusive people. It's not just getting out a door, it's far more than that."
"This is the most correct answer here. It takes an average of seven attempts to leave an abusive partner. Abusive partners isolate their victims from their support systems and financially, emotionally, and physically control them into not leaving. Not to mention the credible threats of what will happen if they try to leave."
14."People often think sticking to a diet is simple, but it's actually really tough."
15."Real estate transactions involve so much that can change in an instant, so many documents that require knowing how to navigate and correctly complete, and a lot of unknowns and what-ifs. It's interesting to watch all these buyers play realtor for the first time."
16."Breaking up with people, whether S.O. or friends, is hard, but other people think it's simple. No."
17."A lot of people take their state tests in high school (or middle school) and just think, It's a bunch of questions, heh. The process to put those questions on a test takes about 30 months (almost two and a half years) and involves hundreds of people. Items are written, then reviewed, edited, art created, reviewed again, reviewed by the state, reviewed by the state committee, edited, field-tested, score confirmed, data reviewed, and THEN it's ready to be used on a test."
18."Canceling a membership or subscription."
"They make it hard on purpose to make you give up. Kinda like a method of torture."
19."Cutting off toxic people. However, it's worth the headache for the long-term end result 🫶."
20."Apologizing might seem easy, but genuinely recognizing one's mistakes, feeling remorse, and making amends can be quite difficult."
21.And lastly, "Keeping plants alive: Water, sunlight, sounds easy, but somehow I ended up with a graveyard of botanic victims."
"And every time you google plant care suggestions, it's either getting too much light or not enough, too much water or not enough, it's in a draft or doesn't have enough airflow..."—markmcn87
You can read the original thread on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
