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32 Things People Were Sure Were Normal Until Someone Said ‘Wait, What?’
According to legend, American athlete Robert Garrett didn't know how heavy the discus would be for the first Olympic Games in 1896, so he trained with a way heavier one, achieving less than mediocre results. Imagine Garrett's surprise when, upon arriving at the Olympics, he realized the real Olympic discus was several times lighter!
Does it need to be said that Garrett became an Olympic champion that day? Probably not. But what's worth mentioning is that many of us live for years with unique body or behavioral features, not even realizing that these traits aren't actually common. So, please welcome to this collection of stories, made for you by Bored Panda!
More info: Reddit
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#1
I thought (and was told) procrastinating assignments was normal since I always did well on them anyway. I found out as an adult that it was severely untreated ADHD 💀.
Earonn - 2 days ago
And after all the years of painfully learning stressful coping mechanisms they tell you that you won't get medication since you "can manage without". So could people who need crutches, but that's different, that's *physical*.
Lady Eowyn 2 days ago
I was diagnosed with autism at age 69. I developed a lot of coping mechanisms. It would have been so much easier to know what was going on.
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Calane E. Vanya 3 hours ago
It wasn't until many years later that I realized that, as a child, I had developed many ways to cope with ADHD on my own. I always wrote my essays on the last possible day. Before that, I couldn't bring myself to write them, but I could definitely stress over them. Only when I realized that I was doing well and didn't need to finish them earlier could I stop blaming myself. These "procrastination days" stopped being such a burden when I started treating them as "idea-making days."
R Dennis 10 hours ago
I did my best work when the assignment was due. I once wrote an entire research paper, that was our semester project, the day it was due. I wrote an "A" paper without notes and someone accidentally unplugged the computer, this was before auto save. Then they thought it was funny and messed it up again when I was retyping it, though not exactly what I had typed before. Finally, I started hitting save after every paragraph. This through off my train of thought and I only received a B+. *My paper was on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. I ran into my teacher some time later and she said my paper put her off beef for six months.
RELATED:
#2
I thought everyone saw those weird lines that come off lights. Turns out it was astigmatism.
Ellinor she/they/elle 2 days ago (edited)
But it makes driving without glasses at night a very dangerous thing. One day I ended up having to ask for help just to cross the road because I didn't had my glasses and couldn't see anything because of all the lights;
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patricia patricia 21 hours ago
Wait, what???? For years, I've been telling everybody lights "k**l" me, especially when driving at night and/or in the rain, and they look at me as if I were on d***s. I wear glasses for miopia but nobody has ever told me about astigmatism. I may need to change doctors and try to find out.
Marie 10 hours ago
Because correcting your myopia seemed enough during exams. I had 12/10 (french scoring system) on both eyes, so better than what's considered normal (10/10), it's only when I started to experience eyestrain on a daily basis that I had a doctor test me for astigmatism, and it was barely noticeable when testing.
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Sue User 1 day ago
I have just stopped driving at night which means I don't get out until weekend due to working (wfh ).
Papa 1 day ago
i will drive at night, but only if it's a route I'm familiar with and it's not raining.
Load More Replies... #3
I can taste the composition/ingredients used in foods, as in which herbs and spices were used specifically to create a sauce or dip. So I can very easily reverse-engineer everything I taste. Also tasting feels like a picture or chart to me, where I can easily identify the "postion" or "colour" of the singular tastes and tell where "gaps" are than require to be filled to enhance the composition of a dish.
I always considered this to be normal or that people could at least make this connection if they learn about it?
Sue User 1 day ago
I can taste the chemicals. There is one that is repeated in premade food. I don't know what it is but I know that taste.
WindySwede 2 days ago
@Karl der Große: Do you have any tips for great food? (Writing here cause I can't respond on your comment)
LaurieAnnaT 1 day ago
If you see colors relating to tastes or words or numbers, check out Synesthesia.
Nikki Sevven 2 days ago
My daughter and I both relate tastes to colors, and can always tell what taste (sweet, salt, acid, etc.) is missing. I thought this was normal too.
A few days ago, a thread appeared in the Casual Conversations community on Reddit, the author of which, the user u/CakeFortune2, asked people: "What's something about yourself that you thought was normal until someone told you it wasn't?" No, you can't say the thread went viral, but the stories told there were truly worth mentioning.
Strange behavioral quirks, the sheer strangeness of which people only realized years and decades later, some unexpected body features and personal traits... Please welcome to this informative, ironic, and sometimes even sad list of just over three dozen personal stories!
#4
I thought it was totally normal for everyone to have alcohol every day until I moved out west and met a circle of people who didn’t care about drinking…I’m sober now and it feels pretty good.
Billo66 1 day ago
You don't realize how pervasive it is until you stop. I watch sitcoms now and think, wow they really drink a lot.
Jp@nda 4 hours ago
Yay, especially the whole mom's who need wine to get through the day trope
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Brandi VanSteenwyk 3 hours ago
It's incredibly difficult, as an adult who was raised in a home where my parents and their friends only imbibed on occasions, to comprehend how the other side -- with everyday alcohol consumption -- exists. Always boggled me.
#5
I thought everyone was supposed to be scared of their dad 🤷♀️.
Magpie 22 hours ago
Thank you. I know that was not directed at me, but it helps. So thank you.
Load More Replies... patricia patricia 21 hours ago
I do hope so, but I doubt it. I'm an adult (over 50) and I'm still scared of mine. I have always been. Not physically scared now (not much...), but psychologically scared of his lack of positive emotions, his judgement, his disapproval of everything I do, think and say. I know I'll never be good enough, and I feel powerless. He doesn't care who he harms. Every week, I go three or four times to help them around the house. The other day in the middle of a conversation, he said he'd k**l my well-behaved but elderly dog if he ever peed in the house... I've stopped taking the dog with me. Could he actually k**l the dog? I doubt it. Could he harm it? Definitely yes. Im so fed up with everything!
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Littlekw81 1 day ago
I thought everyone was supposed to be scared of their mom. I was. My siblings were. My dad definitely was.
Magpie 22 hours ago
My dad was like that. It makes it harder. But sometimes never seeing them again is the sane thing we need to do.
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#6
I was told I was "being a baby" because I would literally gag when I tasted raw tomato - even a little bit. Being in a toxic family, I was convinced this was the case until I actually (accidentally) ate it as an adult.
Turns out I'm *allergic* to raw tomato.
Ellinor she/they/elle 2 days ago
I always thought that lemon/orange/acidic food gave me weird tingles in the throat and made my cheek/nose area slightly warm and sweaty but my mother told me it was normal to feel that. Turns out we're both allergic to acidic food ! (nothing too bad, I can still eat that type of food without putting my life at risk)
Owiella Freddie 3 hours ago
I thought I couldn’t consume vodka for the longest time after I got violently sick after drinking a screwdriver. Turns out I’m allergic to oranges and I’m now able to enjoy a good martini with friends when going out for dinner. Never made the connection prior because I would drink Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice which I recently discovered is not actually made from oranges. The “secret” ingredient is tangerines.
Many of the stories told here are connected to people who had long-standing family traditions that they later, even as adults, actually took for granted. Only later, faced, for example, with others' surprise at this tradition, did they realize that this wasn't actually the case.
Ultimately, there's no universal, unified view of what's right and what's wrong. So, if, for example, entire generations in your family have done something unconventionally, that doesn't mean they all did it wrong. It just means you did it the way that's not generally accepted, and nothing more.
#7
As a kid I thought everyone tasted blood when they ran and that legs falling asleep anytime you sat cross legged was normal. Turns out I had a massive hole between the upper two chambers of my heart. Wasn’t found until I was 18.
Huddo's sister 1 day ago
Wow, that's scary! My feet always get pins and needles or fall asleep when I sit cross-legged for more than 5 minutes, so I am constantly shifting position, but no one has found a reason yet. My doctor thought it might be the start of rheumatoid arthritis, but I've had it since I was a kid and my rheumatoid factor and ultrasound were clear.
Epona 22 hours ago
This is confuses me because I have to wonder why as a kid, the person experiencing these symptoms wouldn't talk to their parents and the parents would, understandably, take the child to a doctor. Did OP never mention these things to their parents? Never mention these things when at the pediatrician? This is going to sound more judgemental than I mean it, but not mentioning those things to a parent or doctor seems pretty passive about ones health.
patricia patricia 20 hours ago
The problem is far too many parents don't listen to their children. They'll tell them to stop lying, or exaggerating or inventing. When something has been always that way and you have been ignored for years, you end up believing they are right. An awful lot of people should have been spayed at puberty.
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#8
I thought everyone replayed conversations in their head for hours after they happened 😅 Turns out not everyone does that.
Rick Murray 2 days ago
But do you replay them for days *before* they happen? And then get annoyed when the other person starts going off script?
Ren Karlej 2 days ago
Yep! It's why I tend to prefer to have 'conversations' in writing so that they can't interrupt me and make me lose my place!
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R Dennis 10 hours ago
I was thinking "Hours? That's not even thinking about it. Days/Weeks is normal. The ones that last years/decades are the ones that bug me."
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#9
Being in physical pain when i heard certain sounds.
Rick Murray 2 days ago (edited)
Depends upon the sound. I once had the misfortune of being dragged to a nightclub in Camberley in the late '90s and I swear I could *feel* the sound blasting right through me. Two minutes of that and I felt physically ill and I was either going to p.oop or scream, or both. [note: I'm an introvert, I like quiet] I noped out of there so fast the people that invited me weren't able to keep up.
Huddo's sister 1 day ago
I refused to wear the rain jacket (spray jacket? IDK we just called it the brand name KEA) that was part of my highschool uniform because I couldn't stand the sound as it rubbed together. I can still hear it in my head now and my ears still hurt. There are many other sounds I have a problem with and they often spoil a good song. I have auditory processing disorder and also get overstimulated because of my fibromyalgia so I just have to live with it :(
Lukas (he/him, it/its) 2 days ago
I hate deep bass noise with certain songs, or when cars drive by and you can't hear the music, just the bass. It hurts my head and I can feel it in my whole body.
Billo66 1 day ago
I'm the opposite. I have tinnitus so the bass actually kind of soothes it, like a massage on my eardrums.
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SchadenFreudian Psychology 22 hours ago
People babbling for a long time about something trivial. Especially if they’re loud and/or have high-pitched voices.
Unicorn 9 hours ago
Nothing wrong with that, but the pain-o-forte (as I call it) is an instrument of t*****e.
Load More Replies...For example, here's a story from personal experience. A friend of mine once told me that in her family, they always cooked sausages by cutting off both ends. Her mom and grandma did the same, as did everyone else in their extended family. She did the same thing herself, and only after moving in with her boyfriend, did her future husband wonder why she did it.
Neither of them could find any logical or, for example, religious reasons for doing so, and my friend discovered that no one else outside their family did it. The couple turned out to be inquisitive folks, so they conducted a thorough historical investigation until they traced her great-grandma, who was still alive at the time.
And so it turned out that the old lady, in her youth, just had one very small saucepan that couldn't fit regular-sized sausages, so she always had to cut off the ends. And then, over time, this simply became a habit, which grew into a family tradition over many decades.
#10
Looking at bright light makes me sneeze, and because both my mother and grandmother are like that I always thought that's just something everybody does. I think I was around 15-16 when I learned that it's actually a genetic disposition that can be inherited from a parent, called Photic sneeze reflex (ACHOO syndrome).
Mel in Georgia 2 days ago
I have this! Although it's inconsistent. But sneezing as I walk out into the sunlight is a common thing with me.
Fellfromthemoon 1 day ago
"...and he sneezed because he looked in the Sun" was in one of my favourite author's work, not even once, and I thought I was the odd one.
DrBronxx 1 day ago
This happens to me when I look at the sun, but not any other bright light as far as I'm aware.
Papa 1 day ago
Same here, and mostly just when I walk outside when it's a bright day.
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Brandi VanSteenwyk 3 hours ago
TIL... That this isn't something everyone does. I do AND I also sneeze at least 2+ times each occurrence. NEVER just one single sneeze. Also noting that I am not one of those people who are able to stifle their sneezes into tiny squeaks. Mine come out like freight trains.
Sarah Tomlins 6 hours ago
I have this...and was today years old when I learned that not everyone does 🤣
Hollie Marie 19 hours ago
Sending this to my boyfriend who thinks Im crazy for needing to look at a light to sneeze
#11
As a kid, I thought everyone at Easter broke the eggs over each other's heads to spread good luck and confetti everywhere. At 14, I was horrified to learn my friends' families were eating the eggs they painted and hid for hours.
Turned out, we're just Mexican. Who knew.
Huddo's sister 1 day ago
I grew up in an area with a lot of Greek families and I think they broke eggs on each other's heads too. My family has very few traditions (I honestly feel like we don't have a 'culture') so we didn't even paint/dye eggs (I think we tried it once) and only had an egg hunt a few times. The only thing we did for Easter was have my grandparents and sometimes other family over for lunch after church, but we did that many Sundays anyway.
OneHappyPuppy 2 hours ago
Lol, nope, greeks don't smash eggs on each other's heads for Easter. And they dye them only red. In more recent years can you find other colors
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#12
Overactive bladder. Apparently, it's not normal to have to go every half hour to an hour and *immediately*! The only time I was ever glad to see a commercial on tv telling me it was not normal and I might want to talk to my dr about a medicine.
Karl der Große 2 days ago
I take diuretics. I think there might be a betting pool in my office as to how long it will be before I scamper down to the toilet.
WindySwede 2 days ago
Do you have any tips for great food? (Writing here cause I can't respond on your comment on the one about being able to taste whats in food) See that post below.
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Apatheist 2 days ago
For a male, this might be a sign of prostate issues, especially if over 50.
Unicorn 1 day ago
Or just a bladder that doesn't stretch to hold more fluid -- but not an "overactive" one.
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 1 day ago
My grandma had this problem as she got older and now my mum has it. I remember my grandma's doctor telling her to stretch and flex her feet if she needed to go but was in a car or something and couldn't get to the toilet immediately, as it distracts the brain a bit.
With unique or simply rare body features, things are fairly simple - people still understand, one way or another, that they have something unusual. As for mental traits, things are much more interesting. How many people have lived their entire lives with the absolute conviction that they're doing everything the only right way?
However, literally everything in our lives can be questioned - it depends on the angle from which we view a given phenomenon. For example, the author of this dedicated post, the teacher Adam Mastroianni, offers this thought experiment regarding career choices for students.
Do you want to be a surgeon? = Do you want to perform the same procedure 15 times a week for the next 35 years? Do you want to be an actor? = Do you want your career to depend on having the right cheekbones? Do you want to be a wedding photographer? = Do you want to spend every Saturday night as the only sober person in a hotel ballroom?
Almost no one will answer "Yes" to the second of these pairs of questions, yet there are countless surgeons, actors, and wedding photographers around the world who proudly pursue their passions and have never questioned the wisdom of their choices. In other words, any oddity depends on the angle from which we look at it.
#13
I wet the bed until I was 14. I had a very traumatic childhood that caused that but I didnt know the cause until I was like 18.
Huddo's sister 1 day ago
My brother wet the bed until he was about 10/11. We did get treatment, medication, that worked and he only had to take it for about a year. Probably connected with his OCD but no one knows for sure.
#14
I have aphantasia, so I can’t see pictures in my mind at all. I thought it was totally normal to think only in words. It still confuses me that most people can actually see images inside their head.
Lost Panda 2 days ago
I'm almost 40, and just realized that I can't see pictures while reading this. Any time in elementary we were told to close our eyes and imagine, I would just sit there thinking about it with nothing but black. Truly thought that was how it was for everyone
Jp@nda 4 hours ago
Interesting , so if I said think about Mickey mouse, you wouldn't see an image of him in your head?
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Jenna Kay 22 hours ago
Mine too! I was shocked when my friend told me they didn't see things in their head ... I was so confused.
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Kenny Kulbiski 21 hours ago
I'm kinda confused on this. I don't see pictures in my head and thought that was normal until a few years ago and read otherwise. Out of curiosity I started asking people if they could see pictures. Not very scientifically because it's kinda awkward to ask a total stranger. Anyway, I haven't met anyone who COULD see pictures. Maybe I'm not in such a minority after all.
#15
I thought it was normal to always put my feet up (in cars, trains, planes, at home on the couch or in the office.) turns out I was just avoiding discomfort from my legs not touching the ground when I sit because im short!!
Turns out taller people can sit without putting their feet up and they're actually comfortable!! 😭.
Mel in Georgia 2 days ago
This is a very uncomfortable situation for me and it seems like everything you sit on nowadays is designed for giants - airline seats, car seats, furniture ... headrests push my head forward, long seats keep my back from touching the back of seats and seat height keeps me from touching the floor. Need cushions for everything!
JB 2 days ago (edited)
Decided to search for “what height is the world designed for?” The AI results start with “Standard Western Design: Most everyday items (kitchen counters, car seats, clothing) are built for people between 5'2" (157cm) and 6'2" (188cm), as this covers a large portion of the population, with specific points like door handles often set for taller individuals (around 6 ft/183cm) for convenience.” Simple logic says that’s utter bōllox. The world is actually built for people averaging around 5’9”, which is deemed not too uncomfortable for the min to max ends of the range. Totally relate to where you are coming from, I’m 5’1”. But I think my good friend has it worse: he’s 6’8” in bare feet.
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Earonn - 2 days ago
Same here. Either I put my feet flat on the floor in the bus and my thighs are at a slope (making bags and books slide down, so I have to hold them up), or I put my knees against the seat in front of me - a 55 year old sitting like a 15 year old. Thing is, I'm not THAT small, I'm 1,65m,not far from the average.
Kelly Scott 1 day ago
My legs are about two inches too short for me to be comfortable sitting in any standard chair. It really s***s.
Lady Eowyn 2 days ago
I'm 4'10". I tend to perch at the edge of chair seats so my feet touch the ground. I keep a footstool under my desk so that I can sit back in my chair and not have my feet just dangle.
Auntriarch 1 day ago
I'm 5' with proportionately short legs. Mr Auntriarch made me a footrest for the office, since none of the available ones, even the extendable ones, were high enough.
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Bored Jellyfish 2 days ago
Being “travel-size” is about the only advantage I can think of from being short. It’s embarrassing to be a grown adult scaling grocery store shelves to get to the items on top.
Load More Replies... Jp@nda 4 hours ago
Can I tell you that I'm secretly jealous of the people that get to dangle their legs. When I actually find a seat I can do that from I dangle away. But I can see how it's an issue all the time
Load More Replies... SchadenFreudian Psychology 22 hours ago
Yes, I hate being short, too. It has had the effect of making me a very fast walker—because I’ve been running to keep up with people all my life.
Huddo's sister 1 day ago
My grandma and mum both had footstools their husbands made for them to use when sitting in the church pews because their feet hurt not touching the ground while sitting for a service. I'm also short, but don't find this a problem, especially in church because I usually wear high heels then anyway.
Little Bit 3 hours ago
I'm only 5' so when I sit back on most chairs my legs dangle. My biggest bugbear is that most things in the grocery store are about half a centimetre out of my reach.
In any case, we're almost certain you've also had interesting moments where you or someone in your near or far circle realized they were unique in one context or another. So why not share these experiences in the comments here - but only after reading all the stories we've cited for you? After all, they're all interesting and worth your time reading.
#16
I told so many people that I liked to "eat so much cheese that my face sweat" before one of them told me there shouldn't be any volume of cheese that does that.
Mel in Georgia 2 days ago
Huh, never knew this was a thing! Cheek sweating when eating cheese, called gustatory sweating, happens because cheese triggers nerves, releasing volatile compounds that activate sweat glands, often due to genetic factors or minor nerve miswiring, though it can sometimes signal underlying issues like diabetic nerve damage (autonomic neuropathy) or inflammation, so see a doctor if it's excessive or new.
#17
Being honest. I wasn't taught to be honest - I just am. I don't think I'm on the spectrum or neurodivergent? I just assume that if someone is asking me a question then they expect the truth? Apparently, it's "impolite" and I'm supposed to say the opposite of what something is.
For instance - if someone screws up and they ask "did I mess up?", I'm supposed to say "youre fine. you're doing great"?
Michael Largey 2 days ago
Edit yourself. Not every thought that pops into your head has to pop out of your mouth.
Rick Murray 2 days ago
Why? If somebody doesn't want to know they're being a twonk, either stop being a twonk or don't ask "am I being a twonk?". It shouldn't be up to somebody else to edit their thoughts because being called on their twonkiness may upset them.
Load More Replies... Ellinor she/they/elle 2 days ago
I am like that too and I have an ADHD diagnosis and I'm in the process of getting an ASD diagnosis. So, you never know.
Ervin Conn 1 day ago
Personally I like honesty best. They should learn to not ask if they do not really want to know. I would imagine they would learn that pretty quickly. If they do not then it is on them. The exception seems to be about looks and matters of taste. No need to be brutal. A mild filter can be applied and still give an honest answer.
UnclePanda 2 days ago
"First day with the new feet?" Directed at me in HS, still using it, still funny.
UnclePanda 2 days ago
I should note that the timing is crucial - you have to casually drop that line in that moment of stillness while all the decent people are still going "Oooh" with concern.
Load More Replies... JB 2 days ago
You could get your point across without the first sentence. Just sayin’
Load More Replies... #18
I thought everyone had music playing in their head 24/7. Learning otherwise was the gateway to my autism diagnosis.
UnclePanda 2 days ago
I go to bed and wake up with the same song, sometimes for days on end. Good god, the Manilow era was an excruciating period.
Mel in Georgia 2 days ago
You know I can't smile without you - I can't smile without you - I can't laugh and I can't sing I'm finding it hard to do anything ... (Sorry - I couldn't resist! This is indeed excruciating!)
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Rick Murray 2 days ago
Ummm... Mine seems to gravitate to "stuff from the 80s". It's nice when I'm doing something mind-numbing at work to (internally) sing along to Belinda Carlisle about a person getting their teeth filled using a jackhammer and no anaesthesia...because I can't remember the words of that song so I just make up whatever fits (and sometimes even rhymes), the weirder the better. 😉
Rick Murray 2 days ago
Though, not so great when you're trying to get to sleep and a song you detest pops into your head. Allow me to mess yours up too: But don't tell my heart, my achy-breaky heart I just don't think he'd understand, and if you tell my heart, my achy-breaky heart, he might blow up and unalive-with-extreme-prejudice this man, ooooh!
Load More Replies... Cathy Jo Baker 2 days ago
if there's too much silence, a song I've recently heard will randomly pop into my head
Elizabeth Lawlis 5 hours ago
Ave Maria has been playing on repeat in my head for the past 2 weeks. It's t*****e.
TheForrestGreene (he/they/it) 1 day ago
currently have the theme to "everybody loves raymond" in my head!
#19
I thought everyone's feet started feeling super uncomfortable right when they were gonna go to sleep. I wanted to bind my feet because my toes felt so uncomfortable. Turns out it was restless leg syndrome.
Lost Panda 2 days ago (edited)
RLS su*cks... Sleeping on my stomach fixes it, but causes extreme neck pain... so I have to choose which one I want to suffer with for the night.
ॐBoyGanesh 1 day ago (edited)
My ♡ goes out to every single one of you with RLS. My mom has had it for the past 40+ years and as someone who has had to witness & care for just how frustrating, painful and downright debilitating this syndrome is, it suuucks that we haven’t developed better treatments/therapies to alleviate or prevent it. I think RLS & tinnitus are two often overlooked things I’d never wish on my worst enemies or evil beings.
Huddo's sister 1 day ago
My restless leg syndrome (thanks fibromyalgia!) has gotten worse since I've been pregnant. It usually starts around 7-8pm and I used to be able to stop it by having a cup of soluble magnesium when it started and lying on my stomach while on the couch. Now it's 2 cups of magnesium and 2 of tonic water (at least) and stretching my legs with exercises. I did find starting on the drinks earlier, before pain starts, helps.
Unicorn 1 day ago
I've read that an iron supplement can help. But I'll try the magnesium.
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Stacy Carroll 21 hours ago
- put a sock on one foot - get lots of water / exercise - take a multivitamin, calcium, and magnesium.
#20
I thought it was normal to say someone smells like "outside" - especially in winter, when their skin has gotten cold.
Elizabeth Lawlis 5 hours ago
My daughter and I both smell sunshine. She hates the smell and I love it.
#21
I have very vivid dreams, some that I remember from years ago. I can also control what I do in my dreams. On the other hand my husband hardly dreams at all! Too bad my memory doesn’t work as well when I’m awake 😅.
Ellinor she/they/elle 2 days ago
Every important locations of my real life and its people end up in a weird "country" in my dreams. I can travel through the "country" alone of with people and time is linear. If I dream about my High-School on Monday but then not until Sunday, people there will say to me "Oh hi, haven't seen you since Monday !". I really enjoy having dreams who work like that, it's always fun ! Also in my dreams my grandmother is still alive, so there is that too.
Rick Murray 2 days ago
Many of mine are connected. Like, I'm in a place and it goes to another place and I'm like "oh, I've been here before" or "so this is how these places are connected". It's like exploring a new town. I don't have much ability to control what happens in dreams (and, note, I am rarely *me*) but my brain will wake me up if it thinks the plot is dumb or wants to pass judgement like "really? second law of thermodynamics means *nothing* to you?". 🤷
Huddo's sister 1 day ago
My dreams are either really odd or really specific. Every so often I can control my dream, but only if I'm at the right stage of sleep. Then there's the sleep paralysis, but now I understand what it is, I can usually bring myself out of it fairly quickly.
Gingersnap In Iowa 1 day ago
When I dream about my mom, she's walking (she was in a wheelchair for her later years). My son, who's 29, is always a little kid 4-6 years old. It's just very odd.
Little Bit 3 hours ago
Ever since i was a small child i have had psychic dreams. I dream about something and then the next day or a few days later the exact same scenario that I dreamt about will happen in real life, even down to what people are wearing and what they're saying. Sometimes it's scary stuff like car crashes and fires, but nobody believes me when something comes on the news and I say it's something I've dreamt about.
Jane Doe-Doe 1 day ago
Everyone dreams, it’s just some people remember their dreams and some people don’t
Charlotte 22 hours ago
I thought I didn't dream because I don't see stuff in my head (as discussed in other posting) . Turns out that "stream if consciousness" dialogue running in my head when I sleep is dreaming (and yes it's a lot like the stream of consciousness dialogue that happens when I am awake!
Load More Replies... #22
All of my fingers can bend backwards at the knuckle. I honestly didn’t even realize that I did it until someone one time freaked out about how I was holding my phone and thought I had broken a finger 😅.
Papa 1 day ago
I've always heard that described as "double-jointed." I have a friend who can bend the joint in his thumb backwards, and he can bend the last joint on his other fingers (the one closest to the fingertip) while leaving the other joint straight.
Magpie 22 hours ago
Hyper-flexibility can come with some other problems, might be worth a check with a doc or physiotherapist.
Jp@nda 4 hours ago
Yup, like frequently rolling your ankles and having knee problems
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#23
I learned recently from Reddit that having the ability to make "the static sound" in your ears (and furthermore if you even think about it, you can make it happen) is not normal for everyone.
Jp@nda 4 hours ago
Yeah.... Definitely cannot "squinch ' my inner ears or anything else for that matter, lol
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Andy Frederick 1 day ago
I'm convinced that everyone can do this if they know how. Just start yawning without yawning. If you have to move any part of your face, you're doing it wrong.
#24
Not being able to stand up straight while being on your period and feeling like you're about to pass out. Parents did not care stage 3 endometriosis thanks a lot.
Multa Nocte 1 day ago
It's some quirk that got into BP's system the past 3 or 4 days. Some comments are hidden but you can respond to them, others are hidden and you can't reply so you have to start another post to reply and it gets confusing. It's been noted repeatedly and people have sent in requests to BP to have it fixed, but no one has gotten back to anyone with an update or even acknowledged it's happening.
Load More Replies... Brandi VanSteenwyk 3 hours ago
I never got ANY sympathy from my mother for the debilitating cramps that I dealt with monthly. I would love to think it was because she had a hysterectomy before she turned 30 years old but 40 years later, I think she was just a BI*CH!
#25
Thought oranges were supposed to burn, like jalapeños. Turns out they do not. Spent years with burned lips and gums before I learned you can be allergic to citrus.
Papa 1 day ago
I was about to reply that you need to try a better brand of beer, but then I realized you said beets and not beers.
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Brandi VanSteenwyk 3 hours ago
LOL! Took a moment for my brain to realize that "supposed to BURN" meant something other than to be caught on fire. I need coffee.
#26
My family's way of communication which included condescension, blame, and frequent raised voices, was totally normal like how all people live and grow up. Apparently people have families where they act healthy and nice to each other and I didn't know that until an adult.
GalPalAl 1 day ago
Not sure if this becoming more common or not, but this makes me mad. Do not accept anything if it feels like it isn't normal. Ask questions, google or observe and make your own ideas about what is normal for you.
Magpie 22 hours ago
It is extremely hard to do this, when its how your parents raise you.
Load More Replies... Stephanie Did It 1 day ago
I thought everyone's big brother hit them regularly, especially the really nasty punches with the knuckle hitting my spine. I was in my teens when I learned that some brothers actually protected their little sisters.
Jp@nda 3 hours ago
Dude what a d!ck! Please let me know if he's ever in the Philly area and I'll return the favor for you
Load More Replies... OneHappyPuppy 2 hours ago
I didn't know that until I got married. Minus the raised voices, add some gaslighting and that's my family drama. Now - it's quiet
Little Bit 3 hours ago
My mother is a narcissist so I grew up not being able to do a thing right, being screamed at all the time, and having to walk on eggshells around her. My ex-husband was also a narcissist and treated me like s**t. I put up with it for years because I thought it was normal. It was all I'd ever known.
#27
Having “brain zaps” like a little lightning bolt across your brain. Had these many times a day for as long as I could remember until I went off my antidepressants. I had been on Paxil /zoloft since age 6 (it was the 90s) so I literally didn’t remember a time when I didn’t have them. I thankfully do not take these medications any more.
Jessica Bower 2 days ago
I get that when I don't take my anti-anxiety meds... Weirdest and not great feeling!!
Ken Kirkham 6 hours ago
On antidepressants at age 6?! That doctor should be shot. Those should not go to anyone under 18! Many medications have an opposite effect in children (commonly referred to as the "paradox effect"). That doctor should be shot.
emorinelli49 21 hours ago
I get those electrical impulses on my stomach scars from surgery. It’s weird.
Jp@nda 4 hours ago
When nerve cells are cut they don't grow right back together like other cells, they kinda just branch off and hope to run into each other again so that's the zapping feeling
Load More Replies... Epona 21 hours ago
I had these about 20 plus years ago when I was taking Paxil. They are known as "Paxil zaps". They were not fun. Not really painful, but they did affect my sleep. I recall they started in my arms, and gradually my whole body would twitch, but it was, thankfully a brief twitch. I'm glad I went off Paxil and switched to Effexor which had fewer side effects. I am also glad I do not need any medication for my depression and anxiety.
meeeeeeeeeeee 23 hours ago
I get these. Sometimes I can feel what part of the brain my thought is coming from cause it buzzes. Zap.
My O My 2 days ago
Does someone have more insight into the topic? I have this now and then and am on antidepressants too.
Norfolk and good 2 days ago (edited)
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Load More Replies... OneHappyPuppy 2 hours ago
I had these zaps when I was getting off of my ADs, not while I was using them. This makes me never want to take them again...
Grace Sssssss 1 day ago
Oh my god, the "zip zips"! That's what I call them. It's almost like greying out for a tiny, tiny moment! Trying to remember if they happened before I went on my antidepressants...it's been 24 years! THANK YOU! I learned something new!
#28
That I can remember back to before I could walk. I thought everyone could remember their lives just like me until people started saying that they couldn’t remember being 5 or 7 years old.
Lost Panda 2 days ago
I have one memory from about 3 or 4 that has stuck with me. Other than that, I can barely remember much of my life except for bits here and there. I kind of wish I didn't remember it because it was a sad moment for a toddler (nothing traumatic, just sad) XD
Ben Stubbs 2 days ago
My earliest memory begins when I was about 2yrs old, pretty consistent until my 40s, now I can't remember what I went into the kitchen for x
Christine Curtiss 1 day ago
I can remember being in the hospital to have my adenoids out when I was 3. I know I remember it happening, not just hearing about it, because I remember parts that no one else would have been there for. It must have been traumatic for me to remember it. My parents told me I would not have to stay overnight. But when my mother called about picking me up she had laryngitis and they would not let me go home. My parents always felt guilty that they had not told me the truth, but I trusted them so much that I did not believe that I stayed overnight. I thought when the nurse came in and pulled down the shades we were just going to take a nap.
Lady Eowyn 2 days ago
My earliest clear memory dates to when I was about 4 years old. There are some fuzzy images of things before that.
Ellinor she/they/elle 2 days ago
I think my earliest memory must be around age 2/3. It's a Carrefour commercial of stop-motion animals made with vegetables.
Andy Frederick 1 day ago
I have one memory from when I was about two, when a goose at the zoo bit my face. I was talking about it with my mom much later as an adult and I said "in my memory, you have a stroller with you. But why? My older brother wouldn't have needed it." And my mom actually had to tell me that it was for me. It was because I could remember the incident that it didn't occur to me that it happened when I was still using a stroller. (And no, I wasn't still using a stroller when I was three.)
Epona 21 hours ago
There is a saying: Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory. The science behind it is: olfactory signals take a direct, hardwired route to the brain's limbic system (amygdala and hippocampus), areas vital for processing feelings and forming long-term memories, unlike other senses that route through the thalamus first. This direct connection explains why smells trigger vivid, emotional, and often very old memories more immediately and intensely than sights or sounds.
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#29
I thought everyone always had ringing in their ears.
Rick Murray 2 days ago
When it's really quiet, it's a really high pitched sound. I can't give you an idea of frequency because I don't think my ears can do that sort of thing anymore, but it reminds me of old CRT monitors, so something in the ballpark of 15-16kHz. It's always sort of there lurking in the dark recesses of the background, like there's no such thing as absolute silence for me.
1-800-OMG-STFU 1 day ago
My gawd. Those old CRTs. I forgot how piercing those can be. I always seem to hear the ringing near electronics.
Load More Replies... Nikki Sevven 2 days ago
Years of playing in bands, going to concerts, and working in a super loud industrial environment led to my constant tinnitus. I have to play random, oscillating white noise at bedtime or I can't fall asleep.
Owiella Freddie 3 hours ago
That’s called tinnitus and it’s caused by damage to your eardrums.
#30
When I see or hear about something that looks/sounds painful my legs hurt. I thought it was normal until my sister was telling me about ripping her fingernail off and I replied with ‘ugh that made my legs hurt’ My mom is the only person I’ve found that knows what I’m talking about.
Jenna Kay 22 hours ago
I do as well. And here I thought this was normal!!
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emorinelli49 21 hours ago
Oh wow! I get that! My knees feel like they ran into a wall! I can’t believe another person has this!
Andy Frederick 1 day ago
Again, I think this is common. In my case (maybe everyone else's too), the more relatable the thing, the more likely I am to have that feeling. I can watch the goriest horror movie without a problem, but if someone pulls a fingernail off...
Jenna Kay 22 hours ago
I only feel it in my belly, like weird butterflies.
Load More Replies... #31
Hyper mobility, and that apples aren't supposed to make your mouth and throat itchy and prickly.
Ervin Conn 1 day ago
My nephew has the apple thing. It does not happen if the apples are peeled or from a tree that has never been sprayed with anything. Luckily no-spray apples are a thing.
highwaycrossingfrog 1 day ago
Did not realise till my 40s that grapes aren't supposed to do that either
#32
I can type out an email and have a full conversation with someone.
Coworker thinks I'm a cyborg.
Chich the witch 17 hours ago
Worked with a women who typed very fast and could carry on a conversation while typing up written reports.
Auntriarch 1 day ago
If I knew in advance what I was going to type, my fingers would carry on with it even if you came up and talked to me
Ren Karlej 2 days ago
Writing and talking at the same time. I used to be able to, but now I have terrible insommnia, a permanant headache, and neither can be done easily even one at a time!!
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What do you think ?
JB 2 days ago (edited)
Hi Pandas. Just a quick heads up, looks like BP deployed some code in the last ~48 hrs (I noticed yesterday morning… MST zone), that isn’t working as intended. Signs are: the post is/may be (auto-)downvoted to -1, hidden, and Reply is disabled. Upvotes work but the comment remains hidden and Reply disabled. There’s no content in these comments that resemble links. People affected on this page are Michal Dolyniuk, Karl der Große, Norfolk and good, Michael Largey. I’ve already reported it; perhaps others could do so as well, so the issue gets resolved. Cheers! ETA this is n the website, don’t know about the app. And it has affected premium users as well, I just don’t remember who.
Multa Nocte 2 days ago
It's been happening to me as well, and I see a number of others have commented on it in various posts. It's extremely annoying when BP randomly hides normal comments and makes them impossible to respond to, but does nothing to stop the spammers.
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R Dennis 9 hours ago
I always thought pain was normal. I had a rough childhood, not a*****e (intentionally) but poverty itself can make things hard. I started delivering papers before school with my older siblings before school seven days a week. Then, because people wouldn't pay on time, collecting after school - the papers still had to be paid for so it came out of our survival. Sick? Still have to deliver and collect. Bad weather? Still have to deliver and collect. Injured? Still had to deliver and collect. We all grew up thinking pain was normal and if I ever wasn't in pain (extremely rare), I thought something was wrong. Just like always being exhausted is normal. But I ended up getting a cpap in my 30s (central sleep apnea) and discovered that sleep could give you energy. In my 40s, I discovered constant pain wasn't normal - still have it, but not "normal". Recently told my sister that her need for her workout at the gym to cause pain is because we grew up with a dysfunctional relationship with pain.
Jp@nda 3 hours ago
I'm sorry man, poverty affects so much more than people realize
Load More Replies... JB 2 days ago (edited)
Hi Pandas. Just a quick heads up, looks like BP deployed some code in the last ~48 hrs (I noticed yesterday morning… MST zone), that isn’t working as intended. Signs are: the post is/may be (auto-)downvoted to -1, hidden, and Reply is disabled. Upvotes work but the comment remains hidden and Reply disabled. There’s no content in these comments that resemble links. People affected on this page are Michal Dolyniuk, Karl der Große, Norfolk and good, Michael Largey. I’ve already reported it; perhaps others could do so as well, so the issue gets resolved. Cheers! ETA this is n the website, don’t know about the app. And it has affected premium users as well, I just don’t remember who.
Multa Nocte 2 days ago
It's been happening to me as well, and I see a number of others have commented on it in various posts. It's extremely annoying when BP randomly hides normal comments and makes them impossible to respond to, but does nothing to stop the spammers.
Load More Replies... R Dennis 9 hours ago
I always thought pain was normal. I had a rough childhood, not a*****e (intentionally) but poverty itself can make things hard. I started delivering papers before school with my older siblings before school seven days a week. Then, because people wouldn't pay on time, collecting after school - the papers still had to be paid for so it came out of our survival. Sick? Still have to deliver and collect. Bad weather? Still have to deliver and collect. Injured? Still had to deliver and collect. We all grew up thinking pain was normal and if I ever wasn't in pain (extremely rare), I thought something was wrong. Just like always being exhausted is normal. But I ended up getting a cpap in my 30s (central sleep apnea) and discovered that sleep could give you energy. In my 40s, I discovered constant pain wasn't normal - still have it, but not "normal". Recently told my sister that her need for her workout at the gym to cause pain is because we grew up with a dysfunctional relationship with pain.
Jp@nda 3 hours ago
I'm sorry man, poverty affects so much more than people realize
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