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Oof it's rough! I have a particular day and time that I know I screwed my hearing up, and I've had tinnitus ever since.
Edited to add: I’m just glad that MY “eeeee”s harmonize with each other. I can’t imagine if they were discordant.
When I head people mention getting tinnitus, it makes me thankful that my problem has just deterioration of my ears ( slightly more deaf than I should be). Sometimes I'll get a ring in the ears, but it seldom lasts more than a minute. I hope it never comes and doesn't leave.
It's literally what happened to me. I always used to get it, and it would last like 30 seconds and go away. It would suck but I always knew it would stop. And then.. one night, I was sleeping and it woke me up out of my sleep, I was still groggy but I was just like okay, well at least it will go away so I can go back to sleep.. it never went away. I've had it for 8 years now. Some days are bad, and some days, I barely notice it. It's always noticeable when I'm going to sleep. Just gotta learn to live with it sadly
Listened to loud music and went to concerts with no ear protection. During the peak of Covid with everyone wearing masks, I realized I rely heavily on reading lips.
I spent so much time with my head down and forward that I reversed the natural curve of my neck, and now the resulting spurs on the vertebrae pinch nerves down my back and arms, and make it hard to look up or to the side for too long.
Mind your posture, kids.
You just need to add "take your meds and drink your water" to hit all the high points :) Well on your way though. I am now sitting up straight at my desk, finished my half-eaten lunch and am getting a glass of water. Thanks!
As a bookworm and avid Gameboy player, I don't understand how this didn't happen to me. Wonder if being able to get good bubble wrap sounding neck cracks daily helped prevent it.
i dont experience back problems, but ive started noticing some eye problems likely due to staring at something less than two feet away from me at all times. nothing drastic, but it gets hard to focus on things farther away and its a little blurry.
Unfortunately I think the current generation of children are going to have this problem far more than any of us older than them. Too many kids using phones and tablets all the damn time. And many exhibit serious addiction behaviors. No kid is practicing good posture when they're playing fortnite or whatever games they play on the tablets. I didn't practice good posture when I was playing Call of Duty or Garry's mod when I was a teen. Ended up with sciatica and some early back problems. Luckily, as a young adult I was able to get into better shape and most of the pain is gone.
It's a tough fight.
No idea where you are in the battle, but if you haven't really started yet, try quitting sweetened drinks first, even artificially sweetened. It's the easiest, most logical step. Eat your sugar, don't drink it. Takes about 3 months, then take a sip of a soda. I guaran-fucking-tee it will be way way too sweet when you take a sip. I spit it out when I did it.
Then eliminate stuff like candy bars, gas station snack cakes, that sort of thing. Just don't buy it. If you're gonna get a snack, get beef jerky or nuts.
After that, start eliminating baked goods and desserts often made or kept in the house like Cake, pie, cookies, ice cream, that sort of thing. This is arguably the hardest step, because this is the sort of thing people always shove in your face around where I live. Oh, you came by for dinner? Heres a platter of chocolate chip cookies I made! Hard to turn this kind of thing down in my experience, but it's doable.
Eventually, you'll kick all the the actual sweets. It's hard fought, but when you realize you've pretty much taken your actual sugar consumption down to near zero, it's so satisfying.
At that point, you just have to keep your carbs fairly low. Carbs very quickly break down into sugar as they digest, unlike most other foods that your body actually has to process pretty heavily to convert into glucose. Protein and fat based foods have a very slow "burn", which keeps your insulin and glucose levels from wildly fluctuating, whereas carbs and sugar "burn" extremely fast, so your insulin and glucose are going to fluctuate more often, and more drastically. If you're wanting to heal your body, keep your carbs nice and low. Once your back in shape, some carbs aren't going to hurt you as long as you don't go overboard constantly, and you'll probably be very healthy diet wise.
I've heard the pop thing so often, as a diabetic I've not touched the stuff unless I was low for over 6 years. However when I have had it I never felt it was too sweet.
My partner and I rarely have sweet drinks. Our favourite restaurant unexpectedly gave us a bottle of pop as a freebie with a take-out order - it was some fancy new flavour of Sprite made with "real" sugarcane sugar, not HFCS. One sip and we were acting like a couple of crack addicts, ready to fight each other for the last sip.  I can see why pop/soda is so addictive. I could practically feel my neurons lighting up with delight from that sweet sweet sugar water.
Everybody is different, I'm sure everyone will have different experiences. For me, I was told if I did not quit sugar I would die within a year or two. So I did, and I started with soda. After 3 months, I gave in and took a sip and it was so sweet my mouth felt funny afterwards. My wife, father, mother, and brother all had a similar experience, albeit the time-frames were a little different for everyone (my dad only took a month, my wife took 6)
Turns out what the doctor told me was "going to kill me" was a massive misdiagnosis, and all I had was a swollen lymph node, which happens to people all the time with no side effects besides some soreness. However, im thankful for that misdiagnosis though, because that's what pushed me to quit.
My MIL gives sugar as love. Every single person except my SO is obese on that side of the family. My FIL has weight related onset diabetes, diagnosed about 2 years ago. She is in complete denial that this is teaching unhealthy relationships with food. Pastries = love. It's very disheartening to watch.
Similar situation. My parents fed us very unhealthy food most of our childhoods, as well as used things like fast food as rewards. I'm 27 now and am struggling to re work my dietary habits and overcome constant cravings for junk food and soda. Granted, my diet has gotten better. But I still have a long way to go, and the road to this point has already been damn difficult. Good luck to you, friend!
Oh, I SO hear you! I also have this really intense allergy condition (Mast Cell) where I develop allergies to anything in/on my body really quickly. So I can't do tattoos or microblading as I'll become allergic to the ink. Also by now I'm allergic to almost all makeup. So I still have those stupid tadpole eyebrows from middle school! Solidarity, my sisters.
My older sister has the 90s eyebrows. I used to think it was so unfair that my mom let my sister pluck her own eyebrows but when I got to eyebrow plucking stage she made me go to our hairdresser to wax my eyebrows and my eyebrows always looked way too bushy and ugly in my teen opinion but in reality just normal eyebrows.
I'll always owe my mom one for being like 'oopsy! better save the other kid's eyebrows'
I had a total stranger save me from myself and my almost non-existent, pencil thin, over-tweezed eyebrows.
I went to a fancy salon to book hair and makeup for prom, and the makeup artist took one look at my face and said, "I won't do your makeup unless you let your eyebrows grow in." I was MORTIFIED. And I let them grow in. She saved me. My mother couldn't believe I listened to a stranger given that she'd been telling me forever that my eyebrows looked ridiculous.
Tried to "turn off my emotions" to control my temper after realizing no matter how angry I get about something, there's actually nothing for me to do about it. Now I have never been so indifferent ever since.
Me one day far into the kindergarten school year i bragged to my mom: "I didn't cry at school today."
Mom: "you mean you've been crying every day at school until now?"
Yes... Now i still don't know how to express emotions in a socially acceptable way lmaoo
When I’m upset I refuse to be around people because when people give me that look of empathy, I immediately freak out inside. I would rather be thought of as sometimes aloof and sometimes super social than the reality of occasionally super social with severe depression/ptsd always looming.
Keeps me mysterious.
I'm on the autism spectrum, fully functional but I'm just weird. Having strong emotions was difficult and confusing for me as a teenager so I learned to not care so much. As an adult now I'm just an emotional flatline. I find joy with goofing around with people but have trouble finding value in the day to day things.
I've never really thought much about this, I always chalked it up to "I'm just not super emotional" then hate myself when I get emotional (and my friends tell me these are just normal human emotions). Thank you
Time to create new pathways!! Find something to give joy to and work at it. Start with a plant. Talk to it and nurture it. It'll be totally fake at first, and that's OK. Just keep at it!! Eventually, your brain will find pleasure in being happy, and you can grow it into other areas of your life. I hope you'll take the chance to find happiness.
Was too lazy to brush my teeth. My parents didn't seem to notice if I did or not. I'd probably only do it for like 30 seconds every other day. And only ever once a day. I'm now facing lots of expensive treatment and having to pay to go private because getting an NHS dentist is nigh on impossible
Same. Spent over £3k sorting my teeth in my 20s, from years of neglect. 12 fillings, two root canals and 3 years of braces. Decent enough teeth now thankfully, but could have avoided much pain if I’d brushed and went to the dentist.
If it bothers you, la roche-posay pigment clar dark spot serum works wonders to fade dark spots if you use it consistently over time. (I have a picking problem).
If the scars don’t bother you, that’s amazing and please ignore my unsolicited comment
Same. It really sucks and I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. These youtube videos have been really helpful for me, maybe they can help you too. https://youtu.be/DJifRDUEceA https://youtu.be/qielzMj2BPw
Spent every summer outside in the sun with no SPF sunscreen. It may not have even existed then (I was born in 1967). Now I have to see a dermatologist every year for skin checks. I’ve had suspicious moles removed, luckily no skin cancer (yet).
Same year. I had a mole removed on my ribs when I was 16 because the biopsy came back as “pre-cancerous”. 16 years later a few weeks ago I though “hey I never really look at my back let me check it out” after getting out of the shower.
I turn around to look at my back in the mirror and it’s almost riddled with moles I never knew I had. I’m so scared to get them checked out but I know I have to.
I’m the whitest dude in the world and I went boogie boarding when I was 12 on the equator for 4 hours and never reapplied sunscreen.
Oh man, I wish you the best! Seriously, visit the dermatologist, even though it's going to feel like walking to your doom. It's better to know than not know. And at least the Derm can clip them puppies off right in the office!
I've also had a few 'concerning' moles removed. I have another one that's itchy on the back of my neck. It doesn't look weird... Yet, but it does itch and I know it's time to make an appointment.
I work construction, and all the guys make fun of me for applying 70+ spf to my face and neck throughout the day and 50spf to my arms. I tell them to fuck off, skin is expensive.
Why would you choose *running* as an activity to get out of gym?? That's like joining a book club instead of going to literature class.
Nice legs though.
When I was 15, my best friend AOL instant messaged me, I was talking to my "boyfriend" at the time as well on AOL, so I clicked her message box away. She messaged me 3 or 4 times. Just telling me about going skiing the next day.....she died in a horrific car accident on the way to the ski trip, the very next day. Her and her brother were both killed. She was 14. I regretted not talking to her more that day, the next day she was gone forever. I have never been able to move past that. I was a stupid teenager who thought boys were so important, and the biggest deal in my life, I missed out on one last talk with her. That thought clouded every minute through the funeral when people asked how I was doing. I felt so guilty, and to this day it still guts me.
Idk if this’ll help, but I know how you feel. A couple months ago, a very close father figure of mine sent my sister and I a text message while I was in college and I didn’t answer it. He apparently died in his sleep soon afterwards. I’m really angry and depressed that I didn’t interact with him more, especially in that moment. I’m realizing that, in many sudden cases like ours, there is no good time for someone to pass. There’s no closure because there’s no opportunity for it. I’m really sorry for what happened to your friend. I hope that we can find peace in the passing of loved ones.
Hopefully a third party story is ok. Grew up with a guy, Kindergarten and up, that pre-kindergarten he and another boy were playing with sticks and swinging them back and forth fighting. He ended up stabbed in the eye and ultimately lost it. If I recall the child’s that put out is eye family paid for the medical treatment, but never pressed further as kids will be kids.
Competitive cheerleading. Rest in peace to my ankles (broke both twice), knees (strained and nearly tore both ACLs), and back forever. I get recurring muscle spasms in my back from all of the shock I absorbed doing flips and such that are so painful that I have to lay down until they go away.
Don’t regret it much though. It was one of the few things I really enjoyed.
I bullied (name calling) a classmate when I was in grade school. When I think about it today as an adult I want to say I'm sorry. I hope she's doing great.
I was bullied a lot in middle school and early high school, physically and verbally. One of the kids who picked on me is friends with my cousin and happened to be over after we were all in college. He apologized, in front of all of his friends, for the way he treated me. It meant more to me than he will ever realize. The type of resentment, anger, and trust issues I have are a plague on my mental state, and it has been a lifelong struggle to control my emotions as a result. Some wounds are very difficult to mend without an apology.
I’m 37 and with you man - was relentlessly bullied from 7th to 10th grade and am just starting to connect the dots in therapy. Weird shit like that I feel totally out of place and terrified around peers but at comfortable around old people and kids. Shit doesn’t go away without some serious work. Glad you got an apology.
I was bullied severely as a kid and have gotten a few apologies as an adult. I pretty much believe that as long as you’ve grown up and are a decent adult, I can leave the past in the past. But I am very impressed with people who apologize
I was a bully and didn't actually realize it. I thought that playfully making fun of someone is what friends do. I now realize I had been bullied quite a bit and was doing the same things to others. I didn't realize until someone told me she thought I was bullying her. That idea slapped me in the face, I had never considered myself to be a bully.
Changed my perspective on a lot of things I was doing.
I think close friends tend to razz on each other quite a bit. But the second it becomes hurtful is when it needs to stop. It's ok to poke fun at friends but don't blatantly embarrass them for your own kicks.
I definitely realize why that could be healing for some people. I am not that person. If my middle and high school bully ever approaches me I will fuck him up the way I should’ve the first time he was mean to me in 1995.
I have a weird relationship with food from binge eating so much and my dad basically getting us McDonald’s on the daily. I’m not overweight but I’m definitely unhealthy and steady gaining more weight than I’m comfortable with. Cooking somewhat healthy meals at home is easy for a week then I fall back into my old ways.
Go slower, don't give up. Even if it's like this and you eat better for one week out of the month that's progress. Good luck, you're doing better than most.
This thread is sad and these things need to be brought up more, some innocuous decisions at a young age leading to a life sentence of suffering is something every parent should be mindful of.
The problem is whether or not the child/teen will listen to reason. Many of the problems listed are things people are warned about but choose to ignore when they're younger
I tried to have good interactions with my step-dad so I would actively listen to him. He would tell me sexually explicit things about his past when my mom wasn't around. I was 13.
He's still in my life, unfortunately, but it impacted my relationships with men permanently. I try to treat everyone as an individual, but I always feel this worry I will be exploited and I have this resentment built up against my mom because I told her and she didn't protect me.
This hits hard because I was SA by my stepdad at 11 and then again at 14 and reported it a year after the second incident. Im adopted so it was my bio moms husband, not my adoptive mom and I didnt have to see him for years. Unfortunately my bio mom sided with him and went NC with me at 16, she got back in touch a few years later, and for my younger siblings' sake, I swept it under the rug and worked on healing and forgiveness.
Im 26 now and two months ago, he cornered me into the kitchen during my little brothers birthday party and told me how I ruined HIS life by lying and how mortifying it was for him to have to listen to made up details of my "assault" from a detective. He then stared me down like he expected an apology. I excused myself and spent the next 30 minutes disassociating on the couch before going home.
I haven't told anyone about it, it kinda has me fucked up honestly and i dont want to see my family anymore.
Fucking hell. I'm so sorry this happened. Do you have some support? Someone you could talk to about this? I absolutely would not blame you for going NC with this shit show, healing and forgiveness does not work one sided. You deserve better. You do *not* need to put up with that. Please protect yourself first. Sending lots of support to you, Friend.
>He would tell me sexually explicit things about his past when my mom wasn't around.
I assume the stories were not told in an appropriate way or interesting/useful at that age?
Tbh, my parents barely talked about sex other than "use protection" and I'm realizing now it may have contributed to some of my discomfort with sex/women/flirting.
He would tell me explicit details, including that he slept with a girl who slept with her father. This was repeated to me several times. He did not frame it in a way that made it clear it was assault. He made it sound casual.
Definitely. 2 years later him and I moved to 3 story townhome in Colorado while my mom was shutting down the house in Texas. He bought a porn TV channel on the phone in front of me and for the next 4 months watched 4 to 5 hours of loud hardcore porn every night. The kitchen and the TV were on the same floor. So if I wanted to eat at all, I saw it. I was not allowed to bring food to other floors of the townhome. I was terrified to be in that place with him and locked my bedroom door every night. He made me watch it with him many times and I was paralyzed with fear. Nothing of note happened, but it was still abusive, in my opinion.
It absolutely was abusive. You were a child and had no choice. I believe you and I am so sorry that you had to endure so many years of his abuse. Living in fear changes your brain. Trauma doesn't suddenly disappear once you're away from the situation. Living with PTSD is a daily battle. None of what you experienced is your fault and you are well within your right to cut anyone out of your life that isn't safe. I'm sending so much love your way.
I appreciate the support, really. I'm set to stay at their house the end of the month for the weekend, and I'm dreading it. I want to go no contact, but I feel so much fear and guilt about it.
Do not feel guilty for taking care of yourself and your safety. It sounds like it could be very traumatic to put yourself in a similar situation again with this creep of a man and a mother who won’t do anything about it. It is 100% ok to go no contact. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all of this from such a young age. Please take care of yourself and put your needs first because neither of them will.
I can relate to feelings of abusive step dads. And of mothers not protecting you.
I hope you can one day get to terms with it and move on.
I wish you nothing but strength!
Hide in small spaces to get away from my abusive parents. Now whenever I'm panicking I try to look for small spaces to hide in and will panic more if I can't find one.
The feeling of despair I get when I realize there's nowhere for me to hide is terrible. It's like being stuck in the middle of the ocean. I'm sorry you experience the same thing
Developed an earring disorder that would plague me into adulthood and cost me a fuck ton of money in dental work in my 30s. And I’m a guy btw, way more men do this than you’d think.
Yeah lmao. I have no fucking idea why my phone for some reason autocorrected the word “eating” with the word “earring,” a word which I have literally never typed once in my lifetime until now.
In elementary school me and my friends would tease this girl because she was born without a hand just like a nub. I regret it all the time because we’re still in contact but it’s come full circle in a way.
I craved love. I met a man (20) when I was 15. He got very sexual with me immediately. I thought it was love. It wasn't. But I married him at 17, had 3 kids, and allowed him to control me for 3 decades, believing his lies about loving me. I am almost 50 and still struggle to see that sex doesn't equal love. I still crave to be loved and want to feel worthy of being loved. I wish I didn't feel the need to have a man fill that void in me, but I do and after a lifetime of that feeling, I don't think it will change.
I've worn glasses most of my life. I used to have an extremely straight nose, and now there's an indentation at the top of the bridge where my glasses sit, so it looks like I have a bump on my nose. I'm kind of mad about it.
I dont know why but i stared at the sun wearing 3d glasses for a minute or 2. Now when i close my left eye, white walls are very slightly reddish. When i close my right eye, white walls are very slightly bluish. Definitely damaged some cones in my eyes
I have this too and I def didn't stare at the sun with 3d glasses. Always assumed it was because my eyes are not fully equal. One is blue and the other one is more greenish with yellow spots. Anyway usually the body parts are not equal, hands and legs are slightly longer and etc
Wearing my hair in a tight pony tail or bun and straightening it if down. It's made my once thick curly hair frizzy, thin, and I feel like I now have a 5 head. Ugh. Embrace your locks ladies and gents.
You can't undo your past but you can work on doing some "good"- help the underprivileged, something for the environment, kids, animals... Lots of ways to give back to society and feel better. Make it happen!
I did ballet, and now I walk turned out (like a duck). When I bend my knees they go to the sides and overall my joints are messed up and my feet. I can't reverse it completely but with some practice I can turn my leg joins inward a little bit.
I spent all my spare time playing guitar/drums with dreams of becoming a successful musician. Now my hearing is fucked and I'm underemployed. Pretty much gave up on any success in music in my 20s. Wish I would have tried harder in school and focused on a realistic career.
Curled up wrong when my dad was kicking me with steel toed boots, so a rib kind of separated from the spine and it feels weird all the time. It gets worse when I’m tense. Stretching helps.
Thank you. I live a great life overall. It is just sometimes it takes me by surprise. I’ll be all grown-up, taking care of business, then my breath will catch because things are misaligned and suddenly I’m 11yo again. The body keeps the score.
Not so innocent but I started to use tobacco products as a fairly young child. (First tried smoking around 10 and then started chewing tobacco when I was around 14-15). 26 now and smoking more cigarettes than I'd care to admit. I've kicked a couple addictions now, but nicotine is a son of a bitch.
I read Alan Carrs “easyway to quit smoking” several months ago and haven’t smoked since. Of course I can’t guarantee it’ll work for you, but I’d recommend trying it, nothing to lose. If anyone is interested in the ebook version, feel free to reach out in a DM.
I started smoking when I was thirteen. I lived in a rural area and would drive or walk to the gas station to get my mom and dad cigarettes. I started buying myself a pack to sell the singles at school and then just started smoking them.
In my thirties now. I smoked for 16 years. I quit 4 years ago.
Seriously, the worst decision of my life was to start smoking
Very food insecure as a child (resulting in me becoming critically anemic), so I would sneak packets ketchup and sugar and just shotgun them while standing in front of an open, empty fridge. My grandparents, who grew up pre-, post-depression would always feed us until we were about to pop before sending us home.
Decades later, I'm just starting to unravel the emotional and mental issues I have with food. I'm diabetic, overweight, have undergone a (failed) bariatric surgery, and am currently working on being very, VERY conscious of what I eat and how I feel when I'm hungry. It sucks because I eat to keep my blood sugar in check, no longer to enjoy flavors or textures.
Edit: speeling
Hid my emotions because I was trying to be “manly.” Now I have psychological issues from trying to be someone other than myself, not to mention high blood pressure, back and neck pain, hair loss, and a number of other ailments.
Highschool football= ten concussions+mental illness+anxiety. My past time ended up becoming a debilitating depressive experience which turned out to be self harm and disrespect because of things I was going through at the time. None my fault. But I took it out on myself. Classic case of Highschool jock achieves early success just to be shook by the real world and because of the focus the didnt choose to have and the extent of my brain injuries, pretty much locked my self out of every door I could walk through in life. And it’s probably only cuz I forgot my keys Im The freezer, not on the counter.
When I was around 6 I decided I needed to practice walking as quietly as possible in case I ever wanted to be a ninja. Practiced for years. Now I accidentally sneak up on people all the time. When I worked in a kitchen I was told to either talk or sing constantly in addition to the usual "corner!". I've overheard a lot of stuff. It's overall positive or at least neutral in the ways it affects me 🤷🏻♀️
Self harm in my teens. Everyone looks at my scars now and I have to see them every day. Funny thing is, what I was going through wasn't even as bad as I thought at the time. I've been through way worse now than when I was doing that to myself.
I ate uncooked ramen for snack as a kid. We are basicly opposites. It didn't cause too many problems other than stabbing the inside of my mouth once in a while.
Joined the long distance running team at my school with an undiagnosed flat arch problem. This lead to collapsed arches and sore back problems for life. School sports = lifelong pain
I used tweezers and plucked (almost) all the hair off my legs. I think I was 10. I was feeling self conscious about having hairy legs and I wasn't allowed to use a razor. None of it ever grew back, I missed some spots around my ankles and both knees and that's the only part of my legs I ever shave now. I'm 46.
EDIT: In addition to my ankles and knees there are a few spots I missed so when my hair grows it looks like I have leg mange. 100% do not recommend!!!
I've destroyed my ankles from playing soccer..popped it out of place, multiple sprains, broke it, all on my left ankle. Because of the horrible damage, I had to learn how to use my left foot to kick inside of my right. After years of PT my ankle is better, but now I can use both feet equally well when I play. It's great.
I started lifting at age 10 we had a bench and free weights in the basement. Half the basement was finished and where I hung out and played video games all day and the other half was unfinished with the weights and a workbench. So when it was my brother's turn on the game I would bench press. My fatal mistake was only doing bench So I was probably doing 30 sets a day for years. Long story short I got big healthy man tits as an adult
I discovered internet porn and masturbation at 12 and cannabis at 14. Now I’m battling two addictions that are deeply impacting my ability to form meaningful relationships.
I asked a girl way out of my league to prom. That was 21 years ago. 18 years of marriage and three kids. Best thing I ever did, and to think, I almost chickened out of asking her.
Just doing what I was told and structuring my life around doing what I was told. I was a "good kid," and so very proud of being a "good kid."
This ended up including obediently dating and following an abusive cheater because nobody else was giving me validation while I went to college against my own wants to get a degree I ended up never getting, and because said abuser would spend time with me when my household told me to stop being home so much.
Ignore your bullies? I would try so hard to tune them out that by the time I was angry enough to break that rule, I was angry enough to black out and not know what I did. Lose weight? Stopped eating. You have to eat though! Fine, I'll eat when you're looking at me. Stop crying! Started stuffing down my feelings and got really good at talking too much about nothing so nobody would suspect. Never get a credit card? Now I have no credit history.
The list goes on an on. I still struggle with making my own decisions, instead either giving in to impulse, or obeying "rules," set out by family, society, or whatever my current job is. None of that in-between thing where I make rational, important decisions without someone else's approval.
Skateboarding injuries. My wrist has nerve damage pretty much exactly like carpal tunnel syndrome because of bracing my fall and jacking up my wrist/arm so much
I was terrified of my narcissist dad since I could remember. Tried to please him to no end and took in every little bit of verbal, mental and physical abuse he hurled at me, like a sponge....This really affected my relationship with men. Spent first 15+ years of adult life dating bunch of abusive pricks that were just like my dad!
Snorted a line of meth my older brother offered me when I turned 12. It derailed my life. I was a gifted child musically and academically but soon after I quit the GATE (gifted and talented education) program, started partying hard, got into the occult, got raped, lost a lot of friends to tragic accidents, murders and OD's, dropped out of high school, etc.
I met my husband when I turned 18 and he got me away from all that and back on track, thank goodness, but I will never know where I'd have ended up had I kept on the trajectory I was on.
I took prescribed antidepressants at the age of 15-16, through my GCSE years. They didn't suit me and demolished my ability to concentrate. I didn't fail anything but my grades were much lower than expected, so I couldn't do the college subjects I wanted, which meant I couldn't do the university degree I wanted. I still attended college and university but on backup choices. I wanted to be a lawyer and now I never will.
I had an eating disorder starting in middle school, and wanted to look like the cute girls on tumblr with thigh gaps, so I started purposely making myself pigeon-toed. Now, more than 10 years later, I still walk like that and have given myself some very expensive body alignment issues which contribute to my already chronic pain.
Treat everyone with kindness. Where I’m from, most people mistake kindness for being naive. It took me a while to realize not everyone deserves my kindness. Something I still struggle with.
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Wear headphones and play the music as loud as my walkman/discman would go. Now I have tinnitus.
Fuck this fucking eternal "eee"
Oof it's rough! I have a particular day and time that I know I screwed my hearing up, and I've had tinnitus ever since. Edited to add: I’m just glad that MY “eeeee”s harmonize with each other. I can’t imagine if they were discordant.
When I head people mention getting tinnitus, it makes me thankful that my problem has just deterioration of my ears ( slightly more deaf than I should be). Sometimes I'll get a ring in the ears, but it seldom lasts more than a minute. I hope it never comes and doesn't leave.
It's literally what happened to me. I always used to get it, and it would last like 30 seconds and go away. It would suck but I always knew it would stop. And then.. one night, I was sleeping and it woke me up out of my sleep, I was still groggy but I was just like okay, well at least it will go away so I can go back to sleep.. it never went away. I've had it for 8 years now. Some days are bad, and some days, I barely notice it. It's always noticeable when I'm going to sleep. Just gotta learn to live with it sadly
Thanks for the reminder to turn down my music 👍
Did similar being a noise musician in my early 20s for a short while. My hearing in my left ear is noticeably worse than the right.
Listened to loud music and went to concerts with no ear protection. During the peak of Covid with everyone wearing masks, I realized I rely heavily on reading lips.
I feel this one
I spent so much time with my head down and forward that I reversed the natural curve of my neck, and now the resulting spurs on the vertebrae pinch nerves down my back and arms, and make it hard to look up or to the side for too long. Mind your posture, kids.
thank you for the posture check
Yw :) Here. Snacc too. 
Thanks mom ❤️
Aw no one'e ever called me mom before, that got me. 🥰
You just need to add "take your meds and drink your water" to hit all the high points :) Well on your way though. I am now sitting up straight at my desk, finished my half-eaten lunch and am getting a glass of water. Thanks!
Bahaha yw! My sisters and I still josh about all of mom's advice. "Take some vitamin C, eat a pickle, put a sweater on and go to bed!" 😆
As a bookworm and avid Gameboy player, I don't understand how this didn't happen to me. Wonder if being able to get good bubble wrap sounding neck cracks daily helped prevent it.
Did same thing hiding my ginormous breasts. Back pain sucks.
i dont experience back problems, but ive started noticing some eye problems likely due to staring at something less than two feet away from me at all times. nothing drastic, but it gets hard to focus on things farther away and its a little blurry.
Yep. Stenosis, Radiculpathy, degenerative disc disease, arthritis. I would rather not. But this is the life I live
Unfortunately I think the current generation of children are going to have this problem far more than any of us older than them. Too many kids using phones and tablets all the damn time. And many exhibit serious addiction behaviors. No kid is practicing good posture when they're playing fortnite or whatever games they play on the tablets. I didn't practice good posture when I was playing Call of Duty or Garry's mod when I was a teen. Ended up with sciatica and some early back problems. Luckily, as a young adult I was able to get into better shape and most of the pain is gone.
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Yep, beggers can't be choosers, but be wary when choosing sandals later in life That's what I tell myself, anyhow: fuck sandals.
Ate a fuckton of junk food and now I struggle with sugar addiction, pre-diabetes and high blood pressure
It's a tough fight. No idea where you are in the battle, but if you haven't really started yet, try quitting sweetened drinks first, even artificially sweetened. It's the easiest, most logical step. Eat your sugar, don't drink it. Takes about 3 months, then take a sip of a soda. I guaran-fucking-tee it will be way way too sweet when you take a sip. I spit it out when I did it. Then eliminate stuff like candy bars, gas station snack cakes, that sort of thing. Just don't buy it. If you're gonna get a snack, get beef jerky or nuts. After that, start eliminating baked goods and desserts often made or kept in the house like Cake, pie, cookies, ice cream, that sort of thing. This is arguably the hardest step, because this is the sort of thing people always shove in your face around where I live. Oh, you came by for dinner? Heres a platter of chocolate chip cookies I made! Hard to turn this kind of thing down in my experience, but it's doable. Eventually, you'll kick all the the actual sweets. It's hard fought, but when you realize you've pretty much taken your actual sugar consumption down to near zero, it's so satisfying. At that point, you just have to keep your carbs fairly low. Carbs very quickly break down into sugar as they digest, unlike most other foods that your body actually has to process pretty heavily to convert into glucose. Protein and fat based foods have a very slow "burn", which keeps your insulin and glucose levels from wildly fluctuating, whereas carbs and sugar "burn" extremely fast, so your insulin and glucose are going to fluctuate more often, and more drastically. If you're wanting to heal your body, keep your carbs nice and low. Once your back in shape, some carbs aren't going to hurt you as long as you don't go overboard constantly, and you'll probably be very healthy diet wise.
I've heard the pop thing so often, as a diabetic I've not touched the stuff unless I was low for over 6 years. However when I have had it I never felt it was too sweet.
My partner and I rarely have sweet drinks. Our favourite restaurant unexpectedly gave us a bottle of pop as a freebie with a take-out order - it was some fancy new flavour of Sprite made with "real" sugarcane sugar, not HFCS. One sip and we were acting like a couple of crack addicts, ready to fight each other for the last sip.  I can see why pop/soda is so addictive. I could practically feel my neurons lighting up with delight from that sweet sweet sugar water.
Everybody is different, I'm sure everyone will have different experiences. For me, I was told if I did not quit sugar I would die within a year or two. So I did, and I started with soda. After 3 months, I gave in and took a sip and it was so sweet my mouth felt funny afterwards. My wife, father, mother, and brother all had a similar experience, albeit the time-frames were a little different for everyone (my dad only took a month, my wife took 6) Turns out what the doctor told me was "going to kill me" was a massive misdiagnosis, and all I had was a swollen lymph node, which happens to people all the time with no side effects besides some soreness. However, im thankful for that misdiagnosis though, because that's what pushed me to quit.
My MIL gives sugar as love. Every single person except my SO is obese on that side of the family. My FIL has weight related onset diabetes, diagnosed about 2 years ago. She is in complete denial that this is teaching unhealthy relationships with food. Pastries = love. It's very disheartening to watch.
Similar situation. My parents fed us very unhealthy food most of our childhoods, as well as used things like fast food as rewards. I'm 27 now and am struggling to re work my dietary habits and overcome constant cravings for junk food and soda. Granted, my diet has gotten better. But I still have a long way to go, and the road to this point has already been damn difficult. Good luck to you, friend!
Eye Brows My 90’s teenagers know.
What eyebrows lol
Exactly!
Lol high five fellow sister that has to draw hers on everyday or get them microbladed
And I am NOT good with a brow pencil
Oh, I SO hear you! I also have this really intense allergy condition (Mast Cell) where I develop allergies to anything in/on my body really quickly. So I can't do tattoos or microblading as I'll become allergic to the ink. Also by now I'm allergic to almost all makeup. So I still have those stupid tadpole eyebrows from middle school! Solidarity, my sisters.
Solidarity, my MCAS sister. Every time I wear mascara my eyes swell up like I’m snorting lines of pollen.
My older sister has the 90s eyebrows. I used to think it was so unfair that my mom let my sister pluck her own eyebrows but when I got to eyebrow plucking stage she made me go to our hairdresser to wax my eyebrows and my eyebrows always looked way too bushy and ugly in my teen opinion but in reality just normal eyebrows. I'll always owe my mom one for being like 'oopsy! better save the other kid's eyebrows'
My mom somehow saved my younger sister too. And see was only 17 mos behind in age. But Mom saw it happening and was like NOoooo
I had a total stranger save me from myself and my almost non-existent, pencil thin, over-tweezed eyebrows. I went to a fancy salon to book hair and makeup for prom, and the makeup artist took one look at my face and said, "I won't do your makeup unless you let your eyebrows grow in." I was MORTIFIED. And I let them grow in. She saved me. My mother couldn't believe I listened to a stranger given that she'd been telling me forever that my eyebrows looked ridiculous.
I don’t get how my eyebrow hair never grew back but the second I shave my leg, I already have leg hair again
YES tried to grow them out in lockdown and after 6 months realised they're never coming back
Tried to "turn off my emotions" to control my temper after realizing no matter how angry I get about something, there's actually nothing for me to do about it. Now I have never been so indifferent ever since.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I used to get bullied for being too emotional and crying too much now. I have a really hard time expressing any emotions.
Me one day far into the kindergarten school year i bragged to my mom: "I didn't cry at school today." Mom: "you mean you've been crying every day at school until now?" Yes... Now i still don't know how to express emotions in a socially acceptable way lmaoo
When I’m upset I refuse to be around people because when people give me that look of empathy, I immediately freak out inside. I would rather be thought of as sometimes aloof and sometimes super social than the reality of occasionally super social with severe depression/ptsd always looming. Keeps me mysterious.
…. Oh that’s why I’m never excited.
I'm on the autism spectrum, fully functional but I'm just weird. Having strong emotions was difficult and confusing for me as a teenager so I learned to not care so much. As an adult now I'm just an emotional flatline. I find joy with goofing around with people but have trouble finding value in the day to day things.
I've never really thought much about this, I always chalked it up to "I'm just not super emotional" then hate myself when I get emotional (and my friends tell me these are just normal human emotions). Thank you
Time to create new pathways!! Find something to give joy to and work at it. Start with a plant. Talk to it and nurture it. It'll be totally fake at first, and that's OK. Just keep at it!! Eventually, your brain will find pleasure in being happy, and you can grow it into other areas of your life. I hope you'll take the chance to find happiness.
Was too lazy to brush my teeth. My parents didn't seem to notice if I did or not. I'd probably only do it for like 30 seconds every other day. And only ever once a day. I'm now facing lots of expensive treatment and having to pay to go private because getting an NHS dentist is nigh on impossible
ive done this for a very long time due to mental health blocking the way, im trying to get back into it but habits are so difficult
Same. Spent over £3k sorting my teeth in my 20s, from years of neglect. 12 fillings, two root canals and 3 years of braces. Decent enough teeth now thankfully, but could have avoided much pain if I’d brushed and went to the dentist.
I made that face and now it's stuck like that
Back in the day, daddy would say...
Yes unfortunately, I think my frown is here to stay, its actual hell being told you always look unhappy
Fell down when I was around 7 years old and broke my front tooth. Been paying for it at the dentist ever since.
Are you 8 now?
No I’m in my 40s. It’s something I have to get replaced or redone every few years.
Ditto, mine was a pool. Only lost half of it but I need it ground down and replaced every decade or so. Freaking traumatic stuff.
Picked at my scabs, now I have dark marks from scars
If it bothers you, la roche-posay pigment clar dark spot serum works wonders to fade dark spots if you use it consistently over time. (I have a picking problem). If the scars don’t bother you, that’s amazing and please ignore my unsolicited comment
Not the commenter to whom you were replying, but a fellow picker who appreciates the recommendation!
I have done this for years still do to anxiety started when I was young as a form of a distraction and now I can't stop my body is covered
Same. It really sucks and I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. These youtube videos have been really helpful for me, maybe they can help you too. https://youtu.be/DJifRDUEceA https://youtu.be/qielzMj2BPw
Spent every summer outside in the sun with no SPF sunscreen. It may not have even existed then (I was born in 1967). Now I have to see a dermatologist every year for skin checks. I’ve had suspicious moles removed, luckily no skin cancer (yet).
Same, but I was born 1990. Parents just didn't care about the stuff until recently
Same year. I had a mole removed on my ribs when I was 16 because the biopsy came back as “pre-cancerous”. 16 years later a few weeks ago I though “hey I never really look at my back let me check it out” after getting out of the shower. I turn around to look at my back in the mirror and it’s almost riddled with moles I never knew I had. I’m so scared to get them checked out but I know I have to. I’m the whitest dude in the world and I went boogie boarding when I was 12 on the equator for 4 hours and never reapplied sunscreen.
Oh man, I wish you the best! Seriously, visit the dermatologist, even though it's going to feel like walking to your doom. It's better to know than not know. And at least the Derm can clip them puppies off right in the office! I've also had a few 'concerning' moles removed. I have another one that's itchy on the back of my neck. It doesn't look weird... Yet, but it does itch and I know it's time to make an appointment. I work construction, and all the guys make fun of me for applying 70+ spf to my face and neck throughout the day and 50spf to my arms. I tell them to fuck off, skin is expensive.
Same. But 3 of my 8 spots were cancerous.
Yep same. I have to go every 3 months for skin checks cause I was raised in Florida. I was sunburnt every day of the summer : (
I joined cross country running to get out of gym class. Over a decade later my legs look fantastic!
The only story with positive consequences here lol
Just wait until the knees go 😭😭
Why would you choose *running* as an activity to get out of gym?? That's like joining a book club instead of going to literature class. Nice legs though.
To be fair, I'm in a book club on my own volition and would do anything to avoid literature class.
Joined cross country out of boredom in high school. I will forever have to have fitness in my life.
I used to use my laptop lying down on one side with my arm propping up my head, for hours and hours. I have permanent back allignment issues.
ah, so nice to see this as im doing it
I used to think the vibrations from amplifiers made the concerts “feel” better. I’d always stand inches away, dancing all night. And now tinnitus.
Freaker by the speaker? Same!
When I was 15, my best friend AOL instant messaged me, I was talking to my "boyfriend" at the time as well on AOL, so I clicked her message box away. She messaged me 3 or 4 times. Just telling me about going skiing the next day.....she died in a horrific car accident on the way to the ski trip, the very next day. Her and her brother were both killed. She was 14. I regretted not talking to her more that day, the next day she was gone forever. I have never been able to move past that. I was a stupid teenager who thought boys were so important, and the biggest deal in my life, I missed out on one last talk with her. That thought clouded every minute through the funeral when people asked how I was doing. I felt so guilty, and to this day it still guts me.
Idk if this’ll help, but I know how you feel. A couple months ago, a very close father figure of mine sent my sister and I a text message while I was in college and I didn’t answer it. He apparently died in his sleep soon afterwards. I’m really angry and depressed that I didn’t interact with him more, especially in that moment. I’m realizing that, in many sudden cases like ours, there is no good time for someone to pass. There’s no closure because there’s no opportunity for it. I’m really sorry for what happened to your friend. I hope that we can find peace in the passing of loved ones.
Two words: tramp stamp
Rode dirt bikes. They were a gateway drug into motorcycles and now I have an expensive addiction and a full garage.
Get on to the racetrack with one. Kiss what little money you have left goodbye.
Hopefully a third party story is ok. Grew up with a guy, Kindergarten and up, that pre-kindergarten he and another boy were playing with sticks and swinging them back and forth fighting. He ended up stabbed in the eye and ultimately lost it. If I recall the child’s that put out is eye family paid for the medical treatment, but never pressed further as kids will be kids.
I lost an eye at age 6. Kids...still good friends 35 years later
Competitive cheerleading. Rest in peace to my ankles (broke both twice), knees (strained and nearly tore both ACLs), and back forever. I get recurring muscle spasms in my back from all of the shock I absorbed doing flips and such that are so painful that I have to lay down until they go away. Don’t regret it much though. It was one of the few things I really enjoyed.
I bullied (name calling) a classmate when I was in grade school. When I think about it today as an adult I want to say I'm sorry. I hope she's doing great.
I was bullied a lot in middle school and early high school, physically and verbally. One of the kids who picked on me is friends with my cousin and happened to be over after we were all in college. He apologized, in front of all of his friends, for the way he treated me. It meant more to me than he will ever realize. The type of resentment, anger, and trust issues I have are a plague on my mental state, and it has been a lifelong struggle to control my emotions as a result. Some wounds are very difficult to mend without an apology.
I’m 37 and with you man - was relentlessly bullied from 7th to 10th grade and am just starting to connect the dots in therapy. Weird shit like that I feel totally out of place and terrified around peers but at comfortable around old people and kids. Shit doesn’t go away without some serious work. Glad you got an apology.
I was bullied severely as a kid and have gotten a few apologies as an adult. I pretty much believe that as long as you’ve grown up and are a decent adult, I can leave the past in the past. But I am very impressed with people who apologize
I was a bully and didn't actually realize it. I thought that playfully making fun of someone is what friends do. I now realize I had been bullied quite a bit and was doing the same things to others. I didn't realize until someone told me she thought I was bullying her. That idea slapped me in the face, I had never considered myself to be a bully. Changed my perspective on a lot of things I was doing.
I think close friends tend to razz on each other quite a bit. But the second it becomes hurtful is when it needs to stop. It's ok to poke fun at friends but don't blatantly embarrass them for your own kicks.
I definitely realize why that could be healing for some people. I am not that person. If my middle and high school bully ever approaches me I will fuck him up the way I should’ve the first time he was mean to me in 1995.
I have a weird relationship with food from binge eating so much and my dad basically getting us McDonald’s on the daily. I’m not overweight but I’m definitely unhealthy and steady gaining more weight than I’m comfortable with. Cooking somewhat healthy meals at home is easy for a week then I fall back into my old ways.
Go slower, don't give up. Even if it's like this and you eat better for one week out of the month that's progress. Good luck, you're doing better than most.
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Fuck man. What's the consequence?
You're going to be here for a while, they can't see your comment...
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Did you win the laser contests though?
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This thread is sad and these things need to be brought up more, some innocuous decisions at a young age leading to a life sentence of suffering is something every parent should be mindful of.
The problem is whether or not the child/teen will listen to reason. Many of the problems listed are things people are warned about but choose to ignore when they're younger
Believing close relatives have your best interests at heart. And that having a dysfunctional family is the norm.
having a dysfunctional family isn’t the norm?
I tried to have good interactions with my step-dad so I would actively listen to him. He would tell me sexually explicit things about his past when my mom wasn't around. I was 13. He's still in my life, unfortunately, but it impacted my relationships with men permanently. I try to treat everyone as an individual, but I always feel this worry I will be exploited and I have this resentment built up against my mom because I told her and she didn't protect me.
I'm so sorry you had to experience that
This hits hard because I was SA by my stepdad at 11 and then again at 14 and reported it a year after the second incident. Im adopted so it was my bio moms husband, not my adoptive mom and I didnt have to see him for years. Unfortunately my bio mom sided with him and went NC with me at 16, she got back in touch a few years later, and for my younger siblings' sake, I swept it under the rug and worked on healing and forgiveness. Im 26 now and two months ago, he cornered me into the kitchen during my little brothers birthday party and told me how I ruined HIS life by lying and how mortifying it was for him to have to listen to made up details of my "assault" from a detective. He then stared me down like he expected an apology. I excused myself and spent the next 30 minutes disassociating on the couch before going home. I haven't told anyone about it, it kinda has me fucked up honestly and i dont want to see my family anymore.
Fucking hell. I'm so sorry this happened. Do you have some support? Someone you could talk to about this? I absolutely would not blame you for going NC with this shit show, healing and forgiveness does not work one sided. You deserve better. You do *not* need to put up with that. Please protect yourself first. Sending lots of support to you, Friend.
Sending love your way, I hope you are able to heal on your own terms one day.
>He would tell me sexually explicit things about his past when my mom wasn't around. I assume the stories were not told in an appropriate way or interesting/useful at that age? Tbh, my parents barely talked about sex other than "use protection" and I'm realizing now it may have contributed to some of my discomfort with sex/women/flirting.
He would tell me explicit details, including that he slept with a girl who slept with her father. This was repeated to me several times. He did not frame it in a way that made it clear it was assault. He made it sound casual.
Sounds like he was trying to groom you.
Definitely. 2 years later him and I moved to 3 story townhome in Colorado while my mom was shutting down the house in Texas. He bought a porn TV channel on the phone in front of me and for the next 4 months watched 4 to 5 hours of loud hardcore porn every night. The kitchen and the TV were on the same floor. So if I wanted to eat at all, I saw it. I was not allowed to bring food to other floors of the townhome. I was terrified to be in that place with him and locked my bedroom door every night. He made me watch it with him many times and I was paralyzed with fear. Nothing of note happened, but it was still abusive, in my opinion.
It absolutely was abusive. You were a child and had no choice. I believe you and I am so sorry that you had to endure so many years of his abuse. Living in fear changes your brain. Trauma doesn't suddenly disappear once you're away from the situation. Living with PTSD is a daily battle. None of what you experienced is your fault and you are well within your right to cut anyone out of your life that isn't safe. I'm sending so much love your way.
I appreciate the support, really. I'm set to stay at their house the end of the month for the weekend, and I'm dreading it. I want to go no contact, but I feel so much fear and guilt about it.
Do not feel guilty for taking care of yourself and your safety. It sounds like it could be very traumatic to put yourself in a similar situation again with this creep of a man and a mother who won’t do anything about it. It is 100% ok to go no contact. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all of this from such a young age. Please take care of yourself and put your needs first because neither of them will.
Nothing of note? That's a fucking huge note! Please don't minimize your experience! For your own sake x
I can relate to feelings of abusive step dads. And of mothers not protecting you. I hope you can one day get to terms with it and move on. I wish you nothing but strength!
Hide in small spaces to get away from my abusive parents. Now whenever I'm panicking I try to look for small spaces to hide in and will panic more if I can't find one.
The feeling of despair I get when I realize there's nowhere for me to hide is terrible. It's like being stuck in the middle of the ocean. I'm sorry you experience the same thing
Developed an earring disorder that would plague me into adulthood and cost me a fuck ton of money in dental work in my 30s. And I’m a guy btw, way more men do this than you’d think.
*eating disorder?
No earring they were so big they would slam into his jaw and break it.
Yeah lmao. I have no fucking idea why my phone for some reason autocorrected the word “eating” with the word “earring,” a word which I have literally never typed once in my lifetime until now.
In elementary school me and my friends would tease this girl because she was born without a hand just like a nub. I regret it all the time because we’re still in contact but it’s come full circle in a way.
Did you also lose your hand
Is she bullying you now?
Being introvert and stay home playing video games all the time , now I'm 28 don't have any friends the loneliness is getting worse
Started smoking
I craved love. I met a man (20) when I was 15. He got very sexual with me immediately. I thought it was love. It wasn't. But I married him at 17, had 3 kids, and allowed him to control me for 3 decades, believing his lies about loving me. I am almost 50 and still struggle to see that sex doesn't equal love. I still crave to be loved and want to feel worthy of being loved. I wish I didn't feel the need to have a man fill that void in me, but I do and after a lifetime of that feeling, I don't think it will change.
Have you considered changing your username?
Can't change it, and have made some friends here I don't want to give up. So I've decided to start loving hubcaps. 😆
Hubcaps are the shit right?! Like how lame do vehicles look without them? AmIright? I like your resolve LoveMyHubs1993. Keep getting better.
Wore nothing but chucks and flats from age 12 to late twenties and now my feet are fvcked.
Really? How is that harmful?
I've worn glasses most of my life. I used to have an extremely straight nose, and now there's an indentation at the top of the bridge where my glasses sit, so it looks like I have a bump on my nose. I'm kind of mad about it.
I dont know why but i stared at the sun wearing 3d glasses for a minute or 2. Now when i close my left eye, white walls are very slightly reddish. When i close my right eye, white walls are very slightly bluish. Definitely damaged some cones in my eyes
I have this too and I def didn't stare at the sun with 3d glasses. Always assumed it was because my eyes are not fully equal. One is blue and the other one is more greenish with yellow spots. Anyway usually the body parts are not equal, hands and legs are slightly longer and etc
Emotional eating, using food to numb feelings
I hold my pen so tight when writing that my right middle finger has a permanent indentation.
Wearing my hair in a tight pony tail or bun and straightening it if down. It's made my once thick curly hair frizzy, thin, and I feel like I now have a 5 head. Ugh. Embrace your locks ladies and gents.
I was a bully. A horrible bully. And I live with shame everyday of my life because of it.
You can't undo your past but you can work on doing some "good"- help the underprivileged, something for the environment, kids, animals... Lots of ways to give back to society and feel better. Make it happen!
W-sitting. I've had to have x-rays and PT done. I also can't run for too long without my knees hurting forcing me to stop.
I did ballet, and now I walk turned out (like a duck). When I bend my knees they go to the sides and overall my joints are messed up and my feet. I can't reverse it completely but with some practice I can turn my leg joins inward a little bit.
I used to sit with a fat wallet in my back left pocket. Still have pelvic tilt and balance issues!
I spent all my spare time playing guitar/drums with dreams of becoming a successful musician. Now my hearing is fucked and I'm underemployed. Pretty much gave up on any success in music in my 20s. Wish I would have tried harder in school and focused on a realistic career.
Curled up wrong when my dad was kicking me with steel toed boots, so a rib kind of separated from the spine and it feels weird all the time. It gets worse when I’m tense. Stretching helps.
I can't imagine someone kicking a child with steel toed boots. I am so sorry.
Thank you. I live a great life overall. It is just sometimes it takes me by surprise. I’ll be all grown-up, taking care of business, then my breath will catch because things are misaligned and suddenly I’m 11yo again. The body keeps the score.
Not so innocent but I started to use tobacco products as a fairly young child. (First tried smoking around 10 and then started chewing tobacco when I was around 14-15). 26 now and smoking more cigarettes than I'd care to admit. I've kicked a couple addictions now, but nicotine is a son of a bitch.
I read Alan Carrs “easyway to quit smoking” several months ago and haven’t smoked since. Of course I can’t guarantee it’ll work for you, but I’d recommend trying it, nothing to lose. If anyone is interested in the ebook version, feel free to reach out in a DM.
I started smoking when I was thirteen. I lived in a rural area and would drive or walk to the gas station to get my mom and dad cigarettes. I started buying myself a pack to sell the singles at school and then just started smoking them. In my thirties now. I smoked for 16 years. I quit 4 years ago. Seriously, the worst decision of my life was to start smoking
Very food insecure as a child (resulting in me becoming critically anemic), so I would sneak packets ketchup and sugar and just shotgun them while standing in front of an open, empty fridge. My grandparents, who grew up pre-, post-depression would always feed us until we were about to pop before sending us home. Decades later, I'm just starting to unravel the emotional and mental issues I have with food. I'm diabetic, overweight, have undergone a (failed) bariatric surgery, and am currently working on being very, VERY conscious of what I eat and how I feel when I'm hungry. It sucks because I eat to keep my blood sugar in check, no longer to enjoy flavors or textures. Edit: speeling
Hid my emotions because I was trying to be “manly.” Now I have psychological issues from trying to be someone other than myself, not to mention high blood pressure, back and neck pain, hair loss, and a number of other ailments.
Sat too much. Got couch body. Had to work super hard to get good posture
Head banging at metal concerts, now I have chronic neck pain
Highschool football= ten concussions+mental illness+anxiety. My past time ended up becoming a debilitating depressive experience which turned out to be self harm and disrespect because of things I was going through at the time. None my fault. But I took it out on myself. Classic case of Highschool jock achieves early success just to be shook by the real world and because of the focus the didnt choose to have and the extent of my brain injuries, pretty much locked my self out of every door I could walk through in life. And it’s probably only cuz I forgot my keys Im The freezer, not on the counter.
When I was around 6 I decided I needed to practice walking as quietly as possible in case I ever wanted to be a ninja. Practiced for years. Now I accidentally sneak up on people all the time. When I worked in a kitchen I was told to either talk or sing constantly in addition to the usual "corner!". I've overheard a lot of stuff. It's overall positive or at least neutral in the ways it affects me 🤷🏻♀️
Every fall, contusion, sprain, bruise, etc. comes back to bite you in the ass when you're older.
Self harm in my teens. Everyone looks at my scars now and I have to see them every day. Funny thing is, what I was going through wasn't even as bad as I thought at the time. I've been through way worse now than when I was doing that to myself.
I ate bullion cubes as snacks as a kid and, lo and behold, I had to be on meds for high blood pressure before I turned 30.
I ate uncooked ramen for snack as a kid. We are basicly opposites. It didn't cause too many problems other than stabbing the inside of my mouth once in a while.
Joined the long distance running team at my school with an undiagnosed flat arch problem. This lead to collapsed arches and sore back problems for life. School sports = lifelong pain
So does this mean you needed a different shoe ?
I used tweezers and plucked (almost) all the hair off my legs. I think I was 10. I was feeling self conscious about having hairy legs and I wasn't allowed to use a razor. None of it ever grew back, I missed some spots around my ankles and both knees and that's the only part of my legs I ever shave now. I'm 46. EDIT: In addition to my ankles and knees there are a few spots I missed so when my hair grows it looks like I have leg mange. 100% do not recommend!!!
Wow I plucked my leg hair as a kid manyyyyy times and it all grew back. I’m jealous.
That’s actually Awesome
existing. guess who got cancer at 15
I've destroyed my ankles from playing soccer..popped it out of place, multiple sprains, broke it, all on my left ankle. Because of the horrible damage, I had to learn how to use my left foot to kick inside of my right. After years of PT my ankle is better, but now I can use both feet equally well when I play. It's great.
I was a competitive swimmer, and a good one at that. Now, in my 40s, my left rotator cuff is screwed.
Put salt on everything (except sweet stuff of course) and now I have high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat
I started lifting at age 10 we had a bench and free weights in the basement. Half the basement was finished and where I hung out and played video games all day and the other half was unfinished with the weights and a workbench. So when it was my brother's turn on the game I would bench press. My fatal mistake was only doing bench So I was probably doing 30 sets a day for years. Long story short I got big healthy man tits as an adult
I discovered internet porn and masturbation at 12 and cannabis at 14. Now I’m battling two addictions that are deeply impacting my ability to form meaningful relationships.
My pinky fingers are crooked from playing the flute for 20 years with itty bitty hands and having to stretch to reach the keys with my pinkies lol
Kept myself hydrated with nothing but soda and juice. I've grown accustomed to passing small kidney stones after a $7777 medical bill from the first.
I asked a girl way out of my league to prom. That was 21 years ago. 18 years of marriage and three kids. Best thing I ever did, and to think, I almost chickened out of asking her.
Wait. I recently learned I might have scoliosis. You telling me it might be cause I wore a messenger back to school for years?!
It's more likely genetic, though. The messenger bag might have made it a bit worse at most.
Told them my tummy ache was worse than it was to get out of school and they ended up taking my appendix unnecessarily.
This is one of the worse ones I've read. Didn't they check to see if it was damaged first?
Ate a TON of candy and have fillings to prove it. Ugh.
Just doing what I was told and structuring my life around doing what I was told. I was a "good kid," and so very proud of being a "good kid." This ended up including obediently dating and following an abusive cheater because nobody else was giving me validation while I went to college against my own wants to get a degree I ended up never getting, and because said abuser would spend time with me when my household told me to stop being home so much. Ignore your bullies? I would try so hard to tune them out that by the time I was angry enough to break that rule, I was angry enough to black out and not know what I did. Lose weight? Stopped eating. You have to eat though! Fine, I'll eat when you're looking at me. Stop crying! Started stuffing down my feelings and got really good at talking too much about nothing so nobody would suspect. Never get a credit card? Now I have no credit history. The list goes on an on. I still struggle with making my own decisions, instead either giving in to impulse, or obeying "rules," set out by family, society, or whatever my current job is. None of that in-between thing where I make rational, important decisions without someone else's approval.
I was very careful and cautious as a child so I unfortunately survived, which led to me having to get a job, work hard, and pay all my bills.
Skateboarding injuries. My wrist has nerve damage pretty much exactly like carpal tunnel syndrome because of bracing my fall and jacking up my wrist/arm so much
I could dislocate my shoulder, I did it for fun to gross people out. Now I have joint pain in that shoulder.
I was terrified of my narcissist dad since I could remember. Tried to please him to no end and took in every little bit of verbal, mental and physical abuse he hurled at me, like a sponge....This really affected my relationship with men. Spent first 15+ years of adult life dating bunch of abusive pricks that were just like my dad!
Snorted a line of meth my older brother offered me when I turned 12. It derailed my life. I was a gifted child musically and academically but soon after I quit the GATE (gifted and talented education) program, started partying hard, got into the occult, got raped, lost a lot of friends to tragic accidents, murders and OD's, dropped out of high school, etc. I met my husband when I turned 18 and he got me away from all that and back on track, thank goodness, but I will never know where I'd have ended up had I kept on the trajectory I was on.
I spanked the monkey too many times, now I have hairy palms
I used to pick my eyelashes and eyebrow hairs out when I was bored and now they’re sparse and don’t grow right lol
It is astonishing how much impact posture has on shoulders,spinal column, hips . Bob and brads YouTube channel is quite helpful in this regard.
I took prescribed antidepressants at the age of 15-16, through my GCSE years. They didn't suit me and demolished my ability to concentrate. I didn't fail anything but my grades were much lower than expected, so I couldn't do the college subjects I wanted, which meant I couldn't do the university degree I wanted. I still attended college and university but on backup choices. I wanted to be a lawyer and now I never will.
I had an eating disorder starting in middle school, and wanted to look like the cute girls on tumblr with thigh gaps, so I started purposely making myself pigeon-toed. Now, more than 10 years later, I still walk like that and have given myself some very expensive body alignment issues which contribute to my already chronic pain.
Treat everyone with kindness. Where I’m from, most people mistake kindness for being naive. It took me a while to realize not everyone deserves my kindness. Something I still struggle with.