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We’ve all had days that are like concentrated doses of Vitamin 2020. Horrible. Dysfunctional. And full of so many hilarious fails, we wonder if we should have our aura cleansed or visit an exorcist. Darn your sense of humor, Universe!

To perk up your spirits and make you feel better about where you currently are in life, Bored Panda has collected some of the most epic examples of people having worse days than you. Remember to upvote your fave pics and we’d love to hear about the funniest bad days that you’ve personally had, dear Readers. Sharing is great for bonding after all (and we could all use an extra good laugh or two).

Want some proof of how blessed your life is (even if we’re all stuck in the disaster that is 2020)? Have a scroll through our earlier posts about the legendary fails that made people definitely have a bad day right here, here, as well as here.

We wanted to learn more about dealing with mishaps, developing psychological resilience, and the power of humor, so Bored Panda contacted the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Vasia Toxavidi, who is a counselor and an accredited member of the BACP, was kind enough to give us some detailed and in-depth insights. (If any of you dear Readers live in the UK and would like to speak to a counselor or psychotherapist about resilience, mental health, or emotional wellbeing issues, you can find specialists in your area right here.)

#1

Today I Was Extremely Sad And I Thought "I Can't Wait To Go Home And See My Cat, He Will Make Me Happy". Ok Well I Found Out He Was More Depressed Than Me

Today I Was Extremely Sad And I Thought "I Can't Wait To Go Home And See My Cat, He Will Make Me Happy". Ok Well I Found Out He Was More Depressed Than Me

gianlucadelonge Report

#2

Mother-In-Law Just Served Me This Piece Of Cake

Mother-In-Law Just Served Me This Piece Of Cake

SaltyDogBiscuit Report

#3

Some Poor Old Gary Somewhere Was Just Hoping To Declare His Love For Doris Today

Some Poor Old Gary Somewhere Was Just Hoping To Declare His Love For Doris Today

Andy Giurtalis Report

Toxavidi, an accredited member of the BACP, told Bored Panda that even minor problems can throw off our entire day. "Even small mishaps in the morning like throwing our morning coffee on us or even getting a text or an email we don’t like can affect the rest of our day. A typical sentence I’ve heard a lot of people (and sometimes myself) say is, ‘Oh, great start to the day!’ With sarcastic irony, of course. At that point, when we say that, the ‘negative bias’ effect can start," Toxavidi said.

But what exactly is negative bias? Well, according to counselor Toxavidi, it's the notion that negative events tend to affect us psychologically more than positive ones. That's why we can "persuade" ourselves that the rest of our day will turn out to be horrible. Sometimes, we end up creating a self-fulfilling prophecy because we look at the world through lenses triggered by anger, fear, or the expectation that something will go wrong.

#4

So This Just Happened. I Was Pulling A Jacket Over My Head And The Zipper Got Caught On My Eyelid. There's One Person That It Could Happen To... Yes, It Hurt Really Bad

So This Just Happened. I Was Pulling A Jacket Over My Head And The Zipper Got Caught On My Eyelid. There's One Person That It Could Happen To... Yes, It Hurt Really Bad

HolySleetBalls Report

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#5

It Wasn't Thought Through

It Wasn't Thought Through

Ticklemelili Report

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Lucas
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, for starters people can have more than one account and with different banks so assume nothing and don't bray someone's personal circumstances to everyone in the room.

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#6

A Driveway Crew Was Pouring Concrete At A New House Next To A Duck Pond. They Went To Lunch And Came Back To This

A Driveway Crew Was Pouring Concrete At A New House Next To A Duck Pond. They Went To Lunch And Came Back To This

BluestarHUS Report

Toxavidi explained that self-fulfilling prophecies are socio-psychological phenomena where we predict or expect something to come true, so our behavior aligns to fulfill this belief.

"As humans, we create the environment that we think about, so if someone thinks positively, they will see the world more through a positive lens and little mishaps may have a lower effect on them. While someone who is pessimistic and sees the world through a negative lens can be affected more by little misfortunate mishaps," she highlighted the power of positive thinking.

While small mishaps can happen all the time and even every day, how we control our thoughts and what perspective we have on unfortunate events can help us determine how the rest of our day goes. Toxavidi stated that we can control how long we feel negatively after bad events by shifting our view of what occurred.

#7

So I Ordered A Blackhead Remover From Wish And This Is How It Was Packed. I Had To Collect It At The Post Office And It Was The Most Embarrassing Thing Ever

So I Ordered A Blackhead Remover From Wish And This Is How It Was Packed. I Had To Collect It At The Post Office And It Was The Most Embarrassing Thing Ever

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Kakofonyx
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, consider it a “dual purpose” tool. I mean... it does vibrate, right? ;)

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#8

Losing 2 Fingers In A Work-Related Accident On The Day My New Guitar Arrived

Losing 2 Fingers In A Work-Related Accident On The Day My New Guitar Arrived

isaactheantagonist Report

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Kakofonyx
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the bright side, you still have more fingers than you really need to play a guitar!

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"For example, I remember a lady at an event where someone by accident spilled red wine on her silk shirt. I remember the calmness in her. She said, 'It’s okay. I love this shirt but it’s not worth enough to ruin my night.' At that moment, she was able to control her thinking and create an argument for her little mishap that helped her to stop ruminating on how the shirt may have been destroyed," the counselor gave a real-life example of how we too can keep our spirits up throughout the day even when it's raining mishaps.

Bored Panda was also very interested to find out more about psychological resilience. Toxavidi said that psychological resilience is our ability to bounce back after facing adversity.

"Although there has been a debate whether resilience, mental and emotional, is innate or something that can be developed, for me, it’s an innate condition that all humans have but needs to be developed and modeled well for it to come to the surface," she explained. "All humans are wired for survival, so resilience must be an innate trait for everyone for this to happen, but if it’s never developed, then it may not come out as a trait for someone."

#10

I'm Having A Disaster Of A Morning, And Then This Damn Squirrel Stole The Croissant I'd Been Saving To Finally Enjoy When I Got Back Home

I'm Having A Disaster Of A Morning, And Then This Damn Squirrel Stole The Croissant I'd Been Saving To Finally Enjoy When I Got Back Home

lornek Report

#11

My Phone Was Stolen Last Week In London And I Just Got A Notification Saying It Had Been Located

My Phone Was Stolen Last Week In London And I Just Got A Notification Saying It Had Been Located

Lemonslothcake Report

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#12

Looks Like Someone Put Too Much Soap In The Washing Machine

Looks Like Someone Put Too Much Soap In The Washing Machine

iBleeedorange Report

We start developing our resilience in our growing environment. And we use our parents as role models. This can have huge effects on our future development. "For example, a parent who gets panicky over a little mishap or who sees everything through a negative lens passes that behavior to the child. The child will be conditioned to start using that same behavior. However, this can change and a person who has learned not to be resilient can develop the skills of resilience again."

She continued: "Resilience is the skill of adaptation, which for me is another innate skill of humans compared to other animals. Humans can adapt to situations easier. Having counseling or psychotherapy is an example of how resilience can be developed and learned and become a new way of living."

Toxavidi has seen evidence of people developing resilience firsthand in her counseling practice. Patients who had negative views of themselves and the world around them and were unable to stay in relationships or find self-fulfillment learned to develop skills to make them more resilient, confident, and able to tackle adversity better. Naturally, this led to them developing better relationships both with themselves and others.

#13

A 4-Year-Old At My School Just Told Me They Liked My Minion Costume. These Are Just My Clothes

A 4-Year-Old At My School Just Told Me They Liked My Minion Costume. These Are Just My Clothes

bugwump1 Report

#14

Made A Turmeric Face Mask Without Actually Researching It And It Stained My Face. Now I Look Like Bart Simpson

Made A Turmeric Face Mask Without Actually Researching It And It Stained My Face. Now I Look Like Bart Simpson

sophcianciulli Report

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#15

Remember To Close The Dog Flap During A Torrential Rain

Remember To Close The Dog Flap During A Torrential Rain

OryxTheJimmy Report

We at Bored Panda are huge fans of laughter, so we were curious to find out to what extent humor plays a role in our ability to bounce back from mishaps. Toxavidi confirmed that humor can play a "significant role" in this and can be a great resilience strategy.

"In a study in 2013 in Advances in Physiology Education, it’s been shown that humor and laughter can decrease levels of stress hormones such as cortisol and increase the activation of the pleasure hormone, dopamine. Other studies have shown that just smiling without even finding anything funny can make the brain believe that you are happy and decrease stress levels."

#16

Got Stung On The Lip By A Wasp Getting The Ole’ Christmas Tree Out. 2020 Has Been Fun For Sure

Got Stung On The Lip By A Wasp Getting The Ole’ Christmas Tree Out. 2020 Has Been Fun For Sure

Sternicus Report

#17

Came Home Late From Work, Drop My Open Sandwhich In The Parking Lot. Go To Make Pasta, The First Pot Slips And I Pour It All On The Ground

Came Home Late From Work, Drop My Open Sandwhich In The Parking Lot. Go To Make Pasta, The First Pot Slips And I Pour It All On The Ground

Make a second pot and the handle straight up breaks and my pasta goes everywhere. Didn't eat, had a lil cry.

SuitsAndStripes Report

#18

Drove 45 Mins To The Store Thinking I Had My Mask In My Pocket. It Was A Baby Sock

Drove 45 Mins To The Store Thinking I Had My Mask In My Pocket. It Was A Baby Sock

zoltrules Report

She added that humor can help us reframe problems that we would otherwise interpret as "overwhelming and damaging." Not only that. Toxavidi told Bored Panda that humor can loosen you up, energize your thinking, help you take hardships less seriously, and manage disappointment better.

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"Another important key to resilience is to be part of a community and have external support from family, friends and others. As humans, we’re social animals so without having a strong sense of belonging, we cannot thrive or be resilient," she said.

#19

I Think More Than One Drink Was Needed After That Text

I Think More Than One Drink Was Needed After That Text

GeraldinePacheco712 Report

#20

Well, I Think The Image Speaks For Itself

Well, I Think The Image Speaks For Itself

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#21

Put Both On This Morning To Get Wife’s Opinion. Forgot To Change Before I Left And Was At Work All Day Like This

Put Both On This Morning To Get Wife’s Opinion. Forgot To Change Before I Left And Was At Work All Day Like This

feltonpbeaver Report

In an earlier interview, psychotherapist and author Amy Morin explained to Bored Panda that your mindset has a huge impact on how you process events. Whenever we focus on the idea that we’re victims and that everything ‘always’ goes wrong, we can get trapped in a negative, self-perpetuating emotional loop.

Fortunately, there’s a way out of this mental hole that we dig ourselves into. We need a healthy dose of realism instead of focusing just on the negatives (like getting our feet stuck in the bus door, plopping our phones into our bowls of instant noodles, and walking around with spinach between our teeth all friggin’ day long).

“You can train your brain to look for the good in the world and develop the mental strength you need to perform and feel your best,” psychotherapist Morin explained that we can start by taking tiny steps to turn our instinctive negative thoughts into a more realistic, positive framework for reacting to events.

#22

Got Up In The Middle Of The Night To Get A Drink Of Water, And When I Opened The Fridge The Door Fell Off In My Hand

Got Up In The Middle Of The Night To Get A Drink Of Water, And When I Opened The Fridge The Door Fell Off In My Hand

ItsMeMurphYSlaw Report

#23

Wife Got Assigned A Random Tag At The DMV. Didn’t Read It Til She Got Home

Wife Got Assigned A Random Tag At The DMV. Didn’t Read It Til She Got Home

Aderhold22 Report

#24

I Tried To Grow Potatoes, 10 Weeks After I Get This

I Tried To Grow Potatoes, 10 Weeks After I Get This

msoto15 Report

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Nadine
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Last year I grew pumpkins and was so excited to watch them grow! But then they all just withered and rotted. They were still small and doing so well... I don't know what happened!

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Developing your sense of humor and having a more lighthearted perspective on life really are two very powerful weapons in your resilience arsenal. Sure, you might have gotten stuck in the doors of that bus, but if you look around and laugh at yourself instead of shuffling into a corner seat and casting down your eyes to hide your embarrassment, you’ll not only boost your mood, you can also make new friends along the way.

If nothing else, taking yourself less seriously will help keep you upbeat when your day seems worse than ours. And remember, nothing lasts forever. Not the good, not the bad.

#25

Wife And I Visited The Eiffel Tower For Our Honeymoon

Wife And I Visited The Eiffel Tower For Our Honeymoon

theadum Report

#26

I Picked The Ladder Up Forgetting The Paint Was On Top

I Picked The Ladder Up Forgetting The Paint Was On Top

tiger_qween Report

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#27

This Photo My Dad Took Of Me At Machu Picchu

This Photo My Dad Took Of Me At Machu Picchu

Mr_Tom_Yabo Report

#28

See That Tiny Sliver Of Metal In The Gap? Those Are My Car Keys That I Locked In The Groove Of My Trunk

See That Tiny Sliver Of Metal In The Gap? Those Are My Car Keys That I Locked In The Groove Of My Trunk

friendscallmeadolph Report

#29

Would Anyone Care To Guess Which One Is Currently Lining My Mouth?

Would Anyone Care To Guess Which One Is Currently Lining My Mouth?

BADGERSAREUNDERRATED Report

#30

Walked Through A Fly Strip This Morning. Spent An Hour Shampooing Glue And Fly Guts Out Of My Hair

Walked Through A Fly Strip This Morning. Spent An Hour Shampooing Glue And Fly Guts Out Of My Hair

queendank Report

#31

Built My PC No More Than 1 Hour Ago, Very Nice

Built My PC No More Than 1 Hour Ago, Very Nice

RewindUK Report

#32

Cable Guy Drills A Hole In The Side Of House, Into A Closet, Through A Guitar Case, And Right Through A Martin HD-28V

Cable Guy Drills A Hole In The Side Of House, Into A Closet, Through A Guitar Case, And Right Through A Martin HD-28V

kol_kay Report

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Hans
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

See it from the bright side: he owes you more now than you owe him.

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#33

Walking To My First Job This Morning With A Fresh Cup Of Coffee. That’s Not Cream, It’s Crow Poop

Walking To My First Job This Morning With A Fresh Cup Of Coffee. That’s Not Cream, It’s Crow Poop

rilescrane Report

#34

Yearbook Photo From My First Year As A Teacher

Yearbook Photo From My First Year As A Teacher

obiwankepuppy Report

#35

I'm The Only Person In My Entire Office Of 30 People Who Dressed Up Today And I'm In A Full Body Banana Suit

I'm The Only Person In My Entire Office Of 30 People Who Dressed Up Today And I'm In A Full Body Banana Suit

Srob87 Report

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My O My
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But you are a cute banana, maybe the minion guy can be your friend?

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#36

My Pepper Grinder Broke This Morning

My Pepper Grinder Broke This Morning

scoobdrew Report

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#37

Doordash Sent Me This As A Delivery Confirmation Photo

Doordash Sent Me This As A Delivery Confirmation Photo

Jay_Ferg Report

#38

Do Not Recommend

Do Not Recommend

TheBigLetdown Report

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Kirsten Kerkhof
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I lost 16 pounds when I developed a chronic headache that kept me depressed and bedridden for two months (thankfully it's under control now with medication). I was asked by someone what my secret was to my weightloss. It's chronic illness and would not recommend.

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#39

Paint Lid Wasn't Closed Properly By The Store

Paint Lid Wasn't Closed Properly By The Store

liptonbillson Report

#40

Moved The Flour Away From The Kid So He Wouldn't Make A Mess. And I Knocked It Off The Counter With My Elbow

Moved The Flour Away From The Kid So He Wouldn't Make A Mess. And I Knocked It Off The Counter With My Elbow

SubrinaSky Report

#42

When The Perfume You Bought Your Wife For Christmas Ends Up In The Toilet As “Air Freshener”

When The Perfume You Bought Your Wife For Christmas Ends Up In The Toilet As “Air Freshener”

baxterrocky Report

#43

This Guy Bought A Smart Phone Online But Received A Stone

This Guy Bought A Smart Phone Online But Received A Stone

samfisher457 Report

#44

Bought A House In July And They Graciously Left Me A Mini Fridge In The Basement. After Moving All My Beer And Alcohol Downstairs I Discovered It Was, In Fact, A Freezer

Bought A House In July And They Graciously Left Me A Mini Fridge In The Basement. After Moving All My Beer And Alcohol Downstairs I Discovered It Was, In Fact, A Freezer

joeldor Report

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Steve Barnett
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is odd. The door looks similar to a fridge, however the evaporator coils (the two shelves at the top inside) definitely says it's a freezer.

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#45

Dropped My Wedding Ring This Morning

Dropped My Wedding Ring This Morning

jerry_seinfeld1 Report

#46

My Friend Was Supposed To Take The SAT Today

My Friend Was Supposed To Take The SAT Today

Cron-che Report

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Guy MacGregor
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had to google to know what a "SAT" is. According to google, looks like a standardized test for university admissions.

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#47

Mclaren Inside A Dealership Gets Hit By A Loose Truck Wheel

Mclaren Inside A Dealership Gets Hit By A Loose Truck Wheel

reddit Report

#49

With My Remaining 3% Battery On My Phone, I Post This

With My Remaining 3% Battery On My Phone, I Post This

DirePegasus Report

#50

Driving My Wife's New Car (Still On The First Tank Of Gas) When This Happened

Driving My Wife's New Car (Still On The First Tank Of Gas) When This Happened

Jay_from_NuZiland Report