Sometimes, a single message can flip your world upside down. Whether it's your grandma who's learning how to use an iPhone or your partner who wants out of the relationship, pretty much everyone can send you something surprising.
The fact that we can't always decipher the sender's tone of voice, level of sarcasm, and severity of the topic also doesn't help.
To remind everyone that we should always expect the unexpected, Bored Panda has put together a number of texts that completely caught their recipients off-guard. And us too!
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According to psychologist Jennice Vilhauer, Ph.D., negative emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration can actually cause your brain's executive network, which is responsible for problem-solving, to constrict and work less effectively. So it's not that easy to maintain your confidence and find a positive outcome when you get into an unexpected situation.
But positive emotions help your brain generate more creative solutions to problems. And even though you can't control the occurrence of unexpected situations, you can control how you respond, Vilhauer said. Ultimately, that can make all the difference in how you feel and how you deal with unforeseen issues.
First, pause before you act. "There is a huge difference between a reaction and a response," Vilhauer highlighted. "A reaction comes from an automatic part of the brain. It is almost like a reflex. Reactions are very quick, especially when we feel threatened in some way. On the other hand, a response is something you consciously choose to do based on a more thoughtful assessment of a situation."
Consider this example. Someone cuts you off in traffic. An automatic reaction might be to get angry and assume the driver is being rude or thoughtless on purpose. This anger can cause you to want to retaliate in some way.
I'm 46 and if I got pregnant I wold totally freak the... Oh wait, I'm a duede.
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I had to read this twice to get it, but man I really got it....poor dad
Lol I'm not sure if I get the supposed underlying joke to this.... I get the whole thing sure but what?
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While it is funny that both are pregnant at the same time, neither one is doomed. And I don't see what Dad has to do with it. Apart from being the Dad of course. Daughter is of age, Mom maybe a bit old... but both may have an abortion if they choose or they may have a perfectly good life with two sweet babies.
Maybe she suggests the baby isn't his? That would make sense... Or he doesn't want another child, he has the right for this I think.
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This happened to a friend of mine. Daughter was 16 and mother 32, (getting first child at 16 seems to run in the family) . So the niece is older then the aunt, by a few weeks.
@Frankenfrog you can join the military at 18. 19 is not "barely grown up."
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I don’t get this. Mom and daughter, both pregnant. Bad ages. And therefore...?
Imagine you just spent the past 20 years working your ass off to raise a kid, and now she's grown and you are all ready to spend the next 20 years doing whatever the f**k you want on the weekends. Now imagine you are told you will be getting not one, but TWO unexpected babies, and you get to spend the next 20 years of your life looking after them instead of how you planned.
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both the nineteen year old daughter and the forty-five year old mother are pregnant. so, in other words, dad's going to be more than a little stressed out
Load More Replies... In retrospect, the mom is saying your DAD is gonna kill us both, meaning I’m sure he’ll be the one mostly financially be the one to do the most, nothing more nothing less
A lot of people overreacting here. My friend and his wife had a baby at 19. She was brought up incredibly well and their family unit is as solid as anyone I know. I also know a few mums who had a kid in their 40s. It's no big thing. I'm sure the mum in this image was being facetious when she said dad was going to kill them. I mean, he'll be shocked... 😂
I get your question Mario. Judging from the comments here US Dads seem to be responsible for their young daughters offspring. Maybe they assume she still lives with her parents. I don't know. I do not see a problem here either. Both may have an abortion if they choose or the Daughter may go live with her Boyfriend.
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So the mom was cheating and the daughter has a boyfrieend
Just concerned on how ready 19 year old is to raise a kid...also I question the decision Mom is making by seemingly deciding she was going to go ahead with having a kid at 45. The rate of birth defects in children born to older mums is no joke. If the kid has a serious defect, like down syndrome, it's not going to be easy for mom or child.
you only get one baby (not a statistical thousand), and it may be disabled whatever age the mom is.. You do not have to abort just because you are in the small acceptable age range people seem to think is "ok". People get babies. People get babies till their menopause. some women get it in their fifites, so they get babies older. doesnt have to concern you. a young mom can have a down syndrome baby either.
Load More Replies... Do these people not know abortion is a thing? No, let's ruin our lives.
I am not sure entirely, but judging from the internet abortions are looked down upon in the US. So, hardly anyone will / can get one. I think they are even illegal in some states.
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guess that's two unplanned pregnancy's. come on people use a condom.
Why not? Give me one good reason that doesn't involve being super judgy of another person.
Load More Replies...But by pausing and taking time to think, you give yourself a window of opportunity to pick a better option. "You might decide that retaliating is not in your best interest or you may realize that the driver wasn’t deliberately trying to be disrespectful, but was simply not paying attention. For most people, practicing deep breathing and counting to 10 can help restrain a reaction long enough to choose a better response," the psychologist explained.
If you are a very visual person you may even imagine yourself aiming a remote control at the situation and pushing the pause button. Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis can also be a great way to increase your ability to pause before acting.
Also, don't assume that the things you don't want are bad. "Most people automatically assume that if something they don’t want happens to them, it's a bad thing that will likely lead to an even worse outcome down the road. If you break up with your partner, you may think it is awful because you will never find anyone better and you will always be alone. If you don’t get a job you sought, you may think no one will ever hire you and you will be stuck living with your parents forever. Thinking this way inevitably makes you feel terrible," Vilhauer said.
The psychologist explained that for most of the things that happen to you, there's no way of knowing whether they will be a bad thing or a good thing—and which one an event turns out to be often has a lot to do with how you respond.
"If you end a relationship, blame yourself, become despondent, and never leave the house, you increase the likelihood of not finding another relationship. However, if you accept that, for whatever reason, it was not the right relationship for you, maintain a positive attitude, believe that a better relationship is coming your way, and then get involved in fun activities, you significantly increase the likelihood of finding another great partner, possibly one who is an even better match."
Plus, unexpected situations can open the door to new events in our lives that we do want. "If you miss your plane, you may end up meeting the love of your life on a different flight. If you lose your job and are forced to move to a new city, you may meet a great new set of friends, or find your dream home. You never know what will come of a situation, so rather than assuming a situation is bad, which only generates lots of unhelpful, negative emotions, practice saying to yourself, 'We shall see.' Then make an effort to look ahead with hope."
Plan for everything to turn out well. Many people hope for the best, but plan for the worst, and the problem with this strategy is that we act on our expectations, yet our actions create our experiences.
"If you want a good outcome, you have to plan for one because that is what leads to the actions that create good experiences," Vilhauer explained. "An unexpected event is one you didn’t plan for, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan to create the best possible outcome from the situation. We all have the ability to shift our attention from an unexpected event that seems like a big problem and focus instead on finding the solution."
The moment you ask yourself what you can do to make something better, you have taken the first step in planning for events to go well. When you see a plan laid out in front of you for how to make something turn out well, your assessment of the situation starts to change. "You regain your sense of control and as a result, you start to feel better."
Lastly, trust in your ability to be OK. "Most people have been through more than one difficult thing in their life. You've probably already been through several significant challenges and quite a few smaller bumps in the road. No one likes them, but most of us survive them," Vilhauer added.
When you are in the middle of a difficult situation, try not to assume it won't work out. Instead, think about the things you have already been through and ask yourself, 'What did I do to get through those events?'
"Knowing your own strength is important for self-confidence. If focusing on your strong qualities doesn’t come naturally, ask someone who knows you well to give you a boost. When you redirect your attention from a problem to the knowledge that you're able to handle it, you will start to feel better," the psychologist concluded.
Frankly, bananas make me happy from time to time so she might have a point.
Bruh, now you just added to my mind another question I never asked.
Me: "Well, excusssssssssssssssssse me princess. At least my personality is not trashy as yours."
Note: this post originally had 66 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
One thing I learned today is not to report a death over text, call instead.
I personally disagree, I would appreciate the privacy of reading a text and having time to feel what I am feeling before I need to communicate with others. But I am an introvert so maybe that's why...
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How could someone not be confused and a bit terrified?
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I just got these text today from my neighbor, whos girlfriends daughter plays with my granddaughter. Screenshot...b9-png.jpg 
I just quit reading. Those were some of the dumbest, not funny things I've ever seen!
One thing I learned today is not to report a death over text, call instead.
I personally disagree, I would appreciate the privacy of reading a text and having time to feel what I am feeling before I need to communicate with others. But I am an introvert so maybe that's why...
Load More Replies... How could someone not be confused and a bit terrified?
Load More Replies... I just got these text today from my neighbor, whos girlfriends daughter plays with my granddaughter. Screenshot...b9-png.jpg
I just quit reading. Those were some of the dumbest, not funny things I've ever seen!
