The universe hates us equally. (I hope.) Even the people who see the glass half-full have bad days. But sometimes it's easy to forget that. Our own problems seem the biggest. So what do you say we give ourselves a healthy reminder?
Those who have been around our website for long enough might remember that Bored Panda has a soft spot for life's unlucky moments. But not to kick someone while they're down, of course. Rather, to gain perspective and reassure ourselves that nobody has conspired against us and it's completely normal to lose it every once in a while.
Continue scrolling to check out who got the wrong end of the stick this time, and fire up our earlier publications to catch up with the series here, here, and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
His Face Says It All
My Dad Left His Window Down In His Truck While He Stepped Away For A Few Minutes And A Feral Cat Got In And Ate All Of His Tacos
As you can see (and know), mistakes happen and things don't work out as they should. But former clinical psychologist and researcher turned writer Alice Boyes, Ph.D., thinks we can learn to roll with the punches.
"Don't expect life to go smoothly," Boyes wrote in Psychology Today. "If we reserve a hotel room, we expect it will be available when we arrive. We expect clean water to come out of the tap. We expect that if we buy a product and it's faulty or not as described, we'll be able to return it. We expect the product we order will be the product that arrives and not some other random item."
"But the more you think of discomfort (of all kinds) as something to be expected periodically, the easier it can be to handle when it arises," she explained. "It's helpful to think of these experiences as universal rather than personalizing them."
Just Trying To Ride A Bike Near A Nesting Magpie
For A Month, I Thought I Lost My Wedding Ring On A Cross Country Road Trip. Finally, I Gave Up Ever Seeing It Again When We Realized It Was Under My Husband's Deodorant
I called gas stations, pawn shops, searched lost and found posts.
Just Bought Our Dream Home Less Than 2 Months Ago. Tonight I Watched It Burn To The Ground In A Massive Wildfire
"We often criticize ourselves that we should be able to handle blips, frustrations, disappointments, sadness, etc., better. You might think, 'Other people wouldn't be rocked by this. Other people would take this in stride.' Self-compassion skills should help a great deal if you're doing this type of criticism," Boyes said.
Also, try to understand what pushes your buttons. It can be really helpful to identify that not every piece of bad news or every inconvenience rattles you greatly, but just specific types.
Got Off The Train At The Wrong Station. Now I'm In The Middle Of Nowhere Without Food, It's Raining, It's Cold, I'm Hungry And Next Train Is In 7 Hours
Many many years ago, when I was studying in England, I went to Nottingham to visit a friend of mine for the weekend. When it was time to return to Coventry, I went to the bus station and they announced the departure for "Covent Green" in London. It was late, I was tired and I misheard. Guess who won a free trip to London! (which was twice the distance from Coventry :/)
Puppy Accidentally Ate A Bee. Everything Turned Out Fine
Here Is My Favorite Picture Of My Grandma. She Was Having A Hard Time With The Mixer
However, don't attempt to predict further bad news. "When unexpected issues come up, don't automatically [assume] they'll be difficult to address," Boyes said. "Don't expect a string of bad luck, e.g., 'bad luck comes in threes.'"
And as cliché as it sounds, problems can be opportunities. So when you end up in one, ask what you can learn from it. "Consider your strengths. Cars might be foreign to me, but in general, getting things done and not getting ripped off are strengths for me," Boyes said. "You can also consider your weaknesses. I'm not great at asking for help because I'm socially anxious. This was an opportunity to overcome that and ask my neighbor for help (although, to be honest, it was my spouse who asked)."
Yes, bad news sucks. But we still have to cope with it.
First Time Trying To Grow Carrots From Seeds. 6 Months Later
Learn From My Mistakes
yes both me and my uncle have done this and had the bruising 😣
Welp. There Goes Her New Bed
That Smile Though
Guess It's Toast For Breakfast Today
A Moose Broke Through A Window And Entered A School In Saskatoon Today
4 Days After Moving To Chicago
My Commute Is 45 Minutes. Just Pulled Up To The Office, Reached For My Bags And
This Flooded Parking Garage, Containing Roughly 150 Cars
Student Handed This In Today
I had to write a letter stating that my oldest son's project will not be in on due date because the day before his little brother assumed that it is an unfinished art project which he can finish on his brother's behalf....
Walked To Work In A Thunderstorm, But My Boss Forgot To Tell Me We All Have Today Off
It's Always A Pleasure To Realize That Your Coworkers Don't Know How To Close A Box Properly. Right When You're Ready To Go Home
Now you kick it on the ground and leave the mess for the one that didn't close it properly.
How Does This Happen?
Just Got Stung By A Wasp And I Have A Job Interview Later Today… Can’t Even Talk Right
6 College Bros And One Brain Cell Between All Of Us
Doordashed Food And In The 5 Minutes It Took Me To Get To The Door, The Neighbor's Cat Ate Through The Box And Stole Some Chicken
Family Vacation To The Grand Canyon. What A View
Are You Kidding Me?
He Picked A Bad Day To Block The Fire Hydrant
Every day is a bad day to block the fire hydrant if you're not an a-hole.
And it shouldn't! You are not supposed to park like asshole
Load More Replies...
I mean, they're literally trying to save lives, and your car is blocking them from doing exactly that.
Load More Replies...
Stuff like this doesn't usually happen where I live, but 2 days ago there was a fire and someone had parked in a no-parking zone. We only have those for safety, not for monetary gain. One of the firetrucks "moved" the car a little and the car owner had the audacity to complain about it, because he "was only parked there a minute to let his wife out of the car" and "there was so much space in the rest of the street for the firetrucks to properly park in". Right pissed me off! If you only let the wife out that means she exited the car and you drove it to the parking space. And if there was all that much parking space why didn't you park there, instead of blocking emergency services. This person deserved the windows smashed and should be made to pay hefty fines for blocking emergency services. This can literally cost lives due to slowing down the firefighters. No mercy!
Yet another entitled jackass who doesn't think rules apply to them. I hope it was expensive.
It irritates the hell out of me when I pull up to work and see people parked in the fire lane to pick up their mobile orders. If I was driving an engine and saw a car there I'd just smash it til I had enough room to park the engine. Stupid people.
Even though the hose could have gone over or behind the car, the car's owner deserves that or worse 😆 Why have mercy with someone who behaves like a jerk? 🤷🏻♀️
Actually, when the hose becomes filled with water, the pressure is quite high, and the hose becomes rigid, with very little room for bending. The shortest/most straight route might indeed be through a car.
Load More Replies...
The Lesson: If you're gonna block a fire hydrant, roll down your windows
There are tons of comments here explaining why they can't do that. Check them out.
Load More Replies...
Fire hoses are not particularly flexible, and do not go around corners very well.
Load More Replies...
There is a reason it's illegal to park there. This moron endangered lives and gets what they deserved
Load More Replies...
I Heard Gunshots Outside Right Before Heading To Work, I Waited About 10 Minutes Before I Went Out To My Car And Found This. Glad I Wasn’t In The Car
My Grandma’s Lunch At Her New Senior Living Residence That’s $3k A Month. Wtf Is This?
Residents can’t go to the dining room to eat because they don’t have enough staff so it’s deliveries only.
I Wore A Mesh Hat On A 30 Mile Hike. Feeling Like Aang Today
So I Had A Sneezing Fit While Driving Yesterday
Well
So Finally After A Year I Was Able To Get A Ps5. My Dog Was Excited Too
I Got Stuck Behind A Draw Bridge Today. And So Did An Ambulance
Both Things Happened To Me Today
This Kid Dropping Pizza
Just Took This Little Guy A Bath 20 Minutes Ago
First Halloween In My New Neighborhood And Didn’t Get A Single Trick Or Treater
the trick or treaters loss cuz they didn't get candy. nice decors btw
Toddler Learned How To Use The Microwave
Apparently Someone Has Been Munching My Donuts And It Was Supposed To Be For My Kids After Work
Owner Used The Wrong Shampoo (It's Hair Dye)
Why would you shampoo so close to the dog's eyes? Why wouldn't you stop the moment you see it's blue dye? That dog is perfectly coloured all over: I suggest this was intentional.
Thanks To Windows, I Never Saw My Card Again
My Back Veranda After The Neighbour Next Door, With Which I Share A Septic System, Flushed Paper Towels Down Their Toilet
Someone Parked Underground With Their Sunroof Open And A Pipe Burst Above Them
Yesterday I Asked A Homeless Man With A Sign "Hungry, Anything Helps" If He Wanted A Freshly Baked, Warm Bagel. Today At The Same Intersection Something Caught My Eye
At the time he was super thankful and nice, and I felt great about it as I drove off.
Most corner-dwelling sign holders are not homeless or desperate. Some of the ones in my city work in teams of two to six people, standing at all points of egress from a freeway or a business. They can make between $2000-$4000 a day from begging.
Woke Up Last Night To A Huge Crashing Sound Only To Find My Only Car Outside Completely Totaled By A Pos Driver. Nobody Else On The Road, 1 Am
Technically they are liable, but you will likely have to sue to get them to pay out. Its likely such a moron does not have insurance.
Some Non-Municipal Company Started Digging Up My And My Neighbor's Lawn With No Disclosure To Put Some Internet Service In, Broke All The Sprinkler Systems
Here in Ohio, US, you call 811 (or www.call811.com) a week or 2 before digging, they will send people out to mark all of underground stuff. Many companies won’t dig unless your yard is marked or that you can prove that they were out & didn’t find anything. And it’s free.
Someone Drilled A Hole In My Gas Tank. They Got Away With Roughly $12 Worth Of Fuel
I Was Stung Twice, Once On My Forehead And Once On The Top Of My Ear
My Dad’s Phone. Left It To Charge Overnight, Woke Up And Saw This
Note: this post originally had 109 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Today I was hopping down the stairs on my right leg because I've hurt my knee on my left leg and I misstepped and sprained my ankle and both legs are stuffed and every step is painful. I also have a multi hour cadets thing that i have to be standing for on the weekend .
I had pretty bad week this year in February. I had covid and heating in my house stopped working. I couldn't fix it, no one else could go to my house, it was -20 °C outside. I had little portable heater, but it wasn't enough.
Hope things are better for you. Currently waiting for insurance adjuster because... well... my heater went out and my portable unit set fire to the electrical socket. Fortunately it's not -20°C! I applaud your stamina, friend. That's a rough temp to endure without heat.
Load More Replies...
I sleepwalk when I’m stressed and ever since the start of covid I wake up at least twice a week outside or crammed in a tight space. ( my neighbor once woke me up when I fell asleep in her garden..)
We had a couple of bad months a year ago when pretty much every single appliance in the house broke… it started with the refrigerator, the same one that’s broken like six times before but unless it breaks three times in the exact same way the warranty doesn’t cover a replacement, just fixes it. This time it broke completely and wasn’t fixable, we ordered a new one but warranty compensation wasn’t working very smoothly so we had to pay out of pocket at first, fortunately they also paid for a rental (which had the same compensation headache), we put it in the garage because it was supposed to be only a month or so. And then it was delayed, and delayed, and delayed, and eventually we got a bigger rental and put it in the house, because apparently the new fridge wasn’t going to come for months. It was on the slow boat from China. And the US didn’t really like China at that point. And that whole clogged ports/Suez Canal/pandemic thing. So we didn’t get a new fridge for about six months.
During which time the toilet broke, we fixed it and it broke again, several printers broke, the other toilet broke, the vacuum broke a few times, the heater broke, I think the water heater broke too, the washing machine started leaking once or twice, and I was placing my bets on the kitchen sink going next. (Of course it’s still holding on while everything else collapses.) Oh, and to top it all off, our septic tank started leaching into our chicken coop. Not fun. But the best part is, it just started up again, and this time it’s not leaking slowly, it’s bubbling up and we think there’s actually a broken pipe underground. Oh, and our grill broke. So I wouldn’t say it’s been a bad day, but fall has not been a good season for our house.
Load More Replies... Today I was hopping down the stairs on my right leg because I've hurt my knee on my left leg and I misstepped and sprained my ankle and both legs are stuffed and every step is painful. I also have a multi hour cadets thing that i have to be standing for on the weekend .
I had pretty bad week this year in February. I had covid and heating in my house stopped working. I couldn't fix it, no one else could go to my house, it was -20 °C outside. I had little portable heater, but it wasn't enough.
Hope things are better for you. Currently waiting for insurance adjuster because... well... my heater went out and my portable unit set fire to the electrical socket. Fortunately it's not -20°C! I applaud your stamina, friend. That's a rough temp to endure without heat.
Load More Replies... I sleepwalk when I’m stressed and ever since the start of covid I wake up at least twice a week outside or crammed in a tight space. ( my neighbor once woke me up when I fell asleep in her garden..)
We had a couple of bad months a year ago when pretty much every single appliance in the house broke… it started with the refrigerator, the same one that’s broken like six times before but unless it breaks three times in the exact same way the warranty doesn’t cover a replacement, just fixes it. This time it broke completely and wasn’t fixable, we ordered a new one but warranty compensation wasn’t working very smoothly so we had to pay out of pocket at first, fortunately they also paid for a rental (which had the same compensation headache), we put it in the garage because it was supposed to be only a month or so. And then it was delayed, and delayed, and delayed, and eventually we got a bigger rental and put it in the house, because apparently the new fridge wasn’t going to come for months. It was on the slow boat from China. And the US didn’t really like China at that point. And that whole clogged ports/Suez Canal/pandemic thing. So we didn’t get a new fridge for about six months.
During which time the toilet broke, we fixed it and it broke again, several printers broke, the other toilet broke, the vacuum broke a few times, the heater broke, I think the water heater broke too, the washing machine started leaking once or twice, and I was placing my bets on the kitchen sink going next. (Of course it’s still holding on while everything else collapses.) Oh, and to top it all off, our septic tank started leaching into our chicken coop. Not fun. But the best part is, it just started up again, and this time it’s not leaking slowly, it’s bubbling up and we think there’s actually a broken pipe underground. Oh, and our grill broke. So I wouldn’t say it’s been a bad day, but fall has not been a good season for our house.
Load More Replies...