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The ‘Hard To Swallow Pill’ Meme Has People Sharing Difficult Truths, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Popular Ones
The template of the meme consists of two WikiHow stock images: one with someone looking at a bottle of pills with a label that says "Hard to Swallow Pills" and another with the pills already in the person's hand, ready to be ingested.
People download it, slap a text of what they think is a universal truth on the second picture, and upload it back on the Internet, waiting for upvotes. And we often have to give it to them. Quite a few of these memes capture some universal law, most of which we know but don't want to accept. Like, "some of your problems are your own fault, and won't get better until you actively do something about it" or "you can't make someone love you."
Bored Panda has compiled some of the most popular Hard to Swallow Pills, so continue scrolling, check out the memes, and upvote your favorites.
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Clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Mary Lamia, Ph.D., thinks that the notion that one is “in denial” seems to have taken on a life of its own as an agent of many ills and as a catchphrase for people who dismiss the implications of their behavior.
"Although denial is considered to be a defense often used by people with addictive tendencies, its attributions reach beyond those struggling with substances," Lamia pointed out. "Denial is also attributed to people who do not want to acknowledge that bad stuff is occurring in their lives, such as those who are attempting to cope with a tumultuous relationship, a life-threatening illness, obesity, a loss, or anything else that one may attempt to disavow."
Sure, we can deny a fact, deny responsibility, deny the impact of our actions, or even deny what is really going on by hiding from our feelings. But according to Lamia, when we use denial to defend ourselves or cope with what we feel, we contradict the reality of a situation or attempt to adjust to a circumstance by neglecting its impact. However, the extent of someone’s denial may not really be the issue at hand.
"What’s important is not that people recognize their denial, but that they are able to accept what they are feeling that leads to the denial in the first place," Lamia explained. "If someone excessively and habitually uses alcohol to medicate their anxiety, for example, we might emphasize their attempts to dismiss the harm that their use of alcohol will cause, rather than focus on the emotions they feel that motivate their denial. If that person stops drinking, one would hope the emotions that were formerly hidden by denial, which often have to do with shame, would be exposed and accepted by the individual."
Poor people have to work even harder than others, just to get a daily meal and shelter
We not only use denial to hide from any negative emotion, including shame, fear, guilt, or distress but to mute positive emotions as well. "Sometimes feeling positively may be just as threatening as negative feelings. We may want to deny the reality of our emotions, because accepting a reality that is uncomfortable, painful, or incongruous to what we expect means we must also alter our perception of ourselves. Thus, if you are in denial, perhaps you are simply trying to ignore the truth about what you actually feel, rather than about what you are doing or thinking."
But if you want to move forward, you have to swallow the truth.
This applies to both guys and gals. Nobody is as kind as they think themselves are.
I like this one. Re-evaluate your worldview every so often, visit other places, talk to people from other communities, read books, and so on. It's character building too.
I'm all for praying for those in need if that's what you believe in, but send a donation with that prayer.
Here's a fact for you. Praying won't do a thing. It won't bring back murdered people for the families, it won't cure cancer.
Load More Replies...And some pills. For the love of God, however hard or easy to swallow, send some medicines and shots to Africa so children don't die from friggin' pneumonia or malaria.
Michael, not every country in need is in a civil war. And even those that are, usually meds are donated via organizations where it goes straight to use, not to warehouses to be sold
Load More Replies...Praying is fine. It's meditative and it might go along with your beliefs. But JUST praying is NOT fine. You need to be active about helping.
Yeah really! I don't like that it dismisses prayer like that. The people who actually pray obviously think it helps in some way, otherwise they won't even do it. It's replacing a good deed with only prayer that is the fault. Also, if you believe in God then hey, doing a good deed can be the answer to someone else's prayers. Jesus prayed, but He also fed the poor and healed the sick. So if you believe in prayer, be like Jesus, and also give a helping hand.
Load More Replies...Praying is not good wishes. It is asking God to help them in their need, both spiritual and physical.
The Bible agrees: James 2:16 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
The same goes for applauding healthcare workers risking their lives during the pandemic, many of them on low wages. The importance of the work they are doing should be acknowledged and their paychecks should be made better.
I refused to clap for carers. And my doctor and nurse neighbours agreed. I said to my other neighbours that if you have time to clap every week then you have time to vote for a party that won't rob our health system and refuse fair pay for care workers. You can't spend claps in the supermarket.
Load More Replies...Some times prayer is all people can afford. Their prayers are their belief God will work thru others to make it better.
Belief without evidence is called faith and that is harmful. Belief in something where evidence shows you it doesn't work is delusion. Scientific studies show that petitionary prayer has the same outcome as random chance. Prayer does nothing in this real world. What about a christian child born in Africa born into poverty and born with aids. Some of these children are born and they pray, and pray and pray to your god, but your god does nothing and they die an agonizing death of starvation and or disease. This currently happens. If your god was real, I would tell him, "f**k you" right to his face. What do you have to say about this, Eager Girl?
Load More Replies...a prayer never paid my bills, put food on my table, or stopped the abuse I grew up with. Ironically, it was often those "praying" who would passively stand by and do NOTHING while knowing that there was abuse / no food / no money..... As they say ACTIONS speak louder than words.
Three types of people, those who pray and do nothing, those who pray and provide for the needs of others, those who don't do either one.
Load More Replies...Praying is a form of mediation. Just praying in itself is not going to fix the issue, but often praying means taking time out of the day, away from screens to evaluate what's important.
Then better call it meditation. It benefits the person who is meditating but does not include delusionally believing that meditating will benefit anyone else.
Load More Replies...He should talk to the 100s of thousands of Christians working overseas and/or sending their hard earned dollars to help those in need before dispensing typical ideological and uninformed messages like this. Prayer is offered on top of everything they contribute.
YES, Christians do so much more than people know about because we also believe you aren't supposed to show & tell. Do good and keep it to yourself.
Load More Replies...There was a post not long ago about the US fires, and someone saying how worried they are that the flames are now very uncomfortably close to their home, finishing the post with "please send prayers!". As terrible the situation was/is I couldn't help laughing out loud. I mean, I was thinking of sending you a few fire trucks but ok, you prefer prayers, ok then!
Good intentions are nice, but you know what is said about good intentions. Good actions are better.
Spirit has power and you must pray carefully or don't pray at all. Scary, but true.
B******t. The holy poof has no power. Not true at all. If you can prove prayer works, go prove it in a scientific setting with controlled experiments and go win a Nobel Prize.
Load More Replies...Praying doesn't put food on the table or get you a job, action does, focus your prayer on actions instead!
prayer got me a job. and it got me an amazing relationship with the God of Heaven and Earth
Load More Replies...Prayers don't work. Visit a terminal cancer ward. As often as dice, less than 50% of time, Google studies on praying. Some complain their prayers aren't answered...the answer is obviously NO! Wishing for results to drop outta the sky is for dopes...go out, produce & make things happen. YOU!
Also, I doubt that any Gods need any number of people telling them their business.
More correctly, Why Bother? Surely an all-knowing God must already know the result you wish to achieve. "No...I want to hear you BEG!...that's better."
Load More Replies..."praying for you" is just a way for that person to feel good about themselves without actually having to make an effort to help someone.
I do not agree with this at all. I am an atheist but when someone says that they are praying for you, the point isn't that they are PRAYING. The point is that they see you are struggling and can't do anything about it, so they are wishing you the best. I don't believe in any higher powers but I'm damn grateful when someone says they are praying for me because its better than nothing.
What if I told you both actually work? Want some water with that hard pill?
This is so sacreligious. I mean, works are more important, but the only reason I made it through my hallucinations was because 737 people plus 2 churches were praying for me.
I completely disagree with this one. If prayer was the first thing we did before needing help, we likely would not need any help. I hear people say, "All I can do is pray for you." A prayer based on little or no faith as this, is pointless.
Ask the Lord to bless the person you help then actually help them.
For all you *ahem* Christians, it says right in the Bible, "Faith without works is dead." James 2:14-26
I disagree with the statement that ' "Praying" for those in need is useless' That is a sacrilegious statement. Sometimes the only thing a person has to offer another in need is a prayer.
No. It depends on if prayer actually works to help the people. Scientific studies show that petitionary prayer has the same outcome as random chance. Prayer does nothing in this real world. What about a christian child born in Africa born into poverty and born with aids. Some of these children are born and they pray, and pray and pray to your god, but your god does nothing and they die an agonizing death of starvation and or disease. This currently happens. If your god was real, I would tell him, "f**k you" right to his face. What do you have to say about this, Brandi VanSteenwick?
Load More Replies...https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/longawaited-medical-study-questions-the-power-of-prayer.html
Load More Replies...Many scientific studies have shown that petitionary prayer has the same outcome as random chance. Prayer is less than useless, it is detrimental.
This one should not even have to be a thing, but sadly it is.
This is the one thing every teenager (including me) has to understand. Not everyone has to like you, nor do they have to hate you. We just gotta let it be.
Possibly so, but believing that the Earth is flat, or that vaccinations don't work does make you stupid and deserving of ridicule.
The three big things needed in a relationship are trust, compromise and respect. Of course there are more like having each others back, liking the other person etc. Relationships are hard work, you need to make the effort to help it grow.
No but you can tie them up in your basement til stockholm syndrome kicks in.
Note: this post originally had 65 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
One I would add is: choosing to have a baby won't necessarily magically change your life for the better or take away your depression. And even if you do everything right, your child could suck.
Children are not fashion accessories, life accoutrements, or there to fulfill some life's mission. They are children. They are to be loved, taught, protected and guided. They are not there to fulfill your "lost opportunities."
Load More Replies...Hard Pill to Swallow: 95% of diets fail, and yo-yo dieting is actually worse for your health than being overweight.
That's because 'dieting' is the wrong way to lose weight. Sustained, healthy lifestyle change is the only way to do it. You can never 'diet' then stop and hope for lasting results, it's something that you change forever.
Load More Replies...Here's one: For some people, even negative attention is still attention.
Which it why it was such a great decision by the P.M. and the media in New Zeland not to use his name. "New Zealand media put Christchurch gunman in his place with focus on victims" And "after the gunman was sentenced to an unprecedented life in jail without parole, Ardern reiterated her commitment to never speak the terrorist’s name, saying he deserved “a lifetime of complete and utter silence”.". https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/27/new-zealand-media-put-christchurch-gunman-in-his-place-with-focus-on-victims
Load More Replies...SOOOOO many contradictions. Half of these are "you are a victim" and the other half are "suck it up, only you are accountable for you"
Also: 'Your inability to grasp Black Lives Matter is entirely your fault. Everyine has been informed what it means, at this point you're just racist'
Not all of these are true, by any means. I suspect a lot of smartass teens who think they know everything just following a meme format. Don't sweat it.
Load More Replies...some of those are false yet looking smart. And the real "smart" ones doesn't help either. Life is not easy, you know. (real "smart" because it's very smart but rather openminded)
you do not have to trying to prove somehing you do is right, just beacause you do it
How about "Just because you decided to become a teacher or a nurse, you aren't any more special than the next person." Please stop patting yourselves on the back.
Statistically speaking, if you really did tell the truth all the time, occasionally you would have something good to say. Being consistantly negative and insulting the people around you, doesn't mean you're telling the truth. You actually are just being an a*****e.
I've got some too ! 1) Men should receive compliments just as much as women, everyone's pretty 2) (for you pro-gender-role people) "Pretty" can be used to describe everyone and everything, not just women and flowers and sunsets and seas. Men can be pretty too. 3) ALL SEXUALITIES ARE VALID. You don't choose what your favorite color is, or what goes on in your body and brain. You can't choose or control who you love. 4) ABORTION SHOULD BE LEGAL AND AVAILABLE TO EVERY WOMAN. Rape-babies AREN'T THE WOMAN'S FAULT. Stop making it seem that way. Old white men shouldn't care what a woman does with an accidental clump of cells. 5) Women don't dress for men, and men don't dress for women. Some might, but they shouldn't have to if they don't want to. 6) Cancel Culture is immature. Period. Y'all really be ruining someone's life and shooting them into a life of poverty because they couldn't go to college, just because they posted a pic with a Trump flag.
7) Just because someone has different views as you does not automatically mean they are stupid and have a low IQ. Some of the most influential, intelligent people in the US are Trump supporters. This does not mean that they are correct in their decision, obviously. Trump is smart on certain subjects, like business. Not windmills, though, he could use some work with windmills. He DOES know a lot about raping little girls and boys, though, because he has experience in that field.
Load More Replies...Eating less and exercising more is the only certain way to lose weight and keep it off. You don't need a 300 page book or a series of videos, you need a post-it note.
I'm an 'older' lady and some of these just smacked of truth for me! Like, DOH!
This one always starts a hate war: truth is in the eye of the beholder
One I would add is: choosing to have a baby won't necessarily magically change your life for the better or take away your depression. And even if you do everything right, your child could suck.
Children are not fashion accessories, life accoutrements, or there to fulfill some life's mission. They are children. They are to be loved, taught, protected and guided. They are not there to fulfill your "lost opportunities."
Load More Replies...Hard Pill to Swallow: 95% of diets fail, and yo-yo dieting is actually worse for your health than being overweight.
That's because 'dieting' is the wrong way to lose weight. Sustained, healthy lifestyle change is the only way to do it. You can never 'diet' then stop and hope for lasting results, it's something that you change forever.
Load More Replies...Here's one: For some people, even negative attention is still attention.
Which it why it was such a great decision by the P.M. and the media in New Zeland not to use his name. "New Zealand media put Christchurch gunman in his place with focus on victims" And "after the gunman was sentenced to an unprecedented life in jail without parole, Ardern reiterated her commitment to never speak the terrorist’s name, saying he deserved “a lifetime of complete and utter silence”.". https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/27/new-zealand-media-put-christchurch-gunman-in-his-place-with-focus-on-victims
Load More Replies...SOOOOO many contradictions. Half of these are "you are a victim" and the other half are "suck it up, only you are accountable for you"
Also: 'Your inability to grasp Black Lives Matter is entirely your fault. Everyine has been informed what it means, at this point you're just racist'
Not all of these are true, by any means. I suspect a lot of smartass teens who think they know everything just following a meme format. Don't sweat it.
Load More Replies...some of those are false yet looking smart. And the real "smart" ones doesn't help either. Life is not easy, you know. (real "smart" because it's very smart but rather openminded)
you do not have to trying to prove somehing you do is right, just beacause you do it
How about "Just because you decided to become a teacher or a nurse, you aren't any more special than the next person." Please stop patting yourselves on the back.
Statistically speaking, if you really did tell the truth all the time, occasionally you would have something good to say. Being consistantly negative and insulting the people around you, doesn't mean you're telling the truth. You actually are just being an a*****e.
I've got some too ! 1) Men should receive compliments just as much as women, everyone's pretty 2) (for you pro-gender-role people) "Pretty" can be used to describe everyone and everything, not just women and flowers and sunsets and seas. Men can be pretty too. 3) ALL SEXUALITIES ARE VALID. You don't choose what your favorite color is, or what goes on in your body and brain. You can't choose or control who you love. 4) ABORTION SHOULD BE LEGAL AND AVAILABLE TO EVERY WOMAN. Rape-babies AREN'T THE WOMAN'S FAULT. Stop making it seem that way. Old white men shouldn't care what a woman does with an accidental clump of cells. 5) Women don't dress for men, and men don't dress for women. Some might, but they shouldn't have to if they don't want to. 6) Cancel Culture is immature. Period. Y'all really be ruining someone's life and shooting them into a life of poverty because they couldn't go to college, just because they posted a pic with a Trump flag.
7) Just because someone has different views as you does not automatically mean they are stupid and have a low IQ. Some of the most influential, intelligent people in the US are Trump supporters. This does not mean that they are correct in their decision, obviously. Trump is smart on certain subjects, like business. Not windmills, though, he could use some work with windmills. He DOES know a lot about raping little girls and boys, though, because he has experience in that field.
Load More Replies...Eating less and exercising more is the only certain way to lose weight and keep it off. You don't need a 300 page book or a series of videos, you need a post-it note.
I'm an 'older' lady and some of these just smacked of truth for me! Like, DOH!
This one always starts a hate war: truth is in the eye of the beholder