“There Was An Attempt”: People Share The Worst Fails They’ve Seen (50 New Pics)

One of the subreddit's moderators, F4T4-M0RG4N4, told Bored Panda they think what sets it apart from other similar communities "is how the posts within the subreddit are usually direct posts, whereas r/fail, [for example,] has mostly links to YouTube, and most Redditors prefer to stay on Reddit than to be redirected to another site altogether," they explained. "Besides, I also think that because of the size of r/ThereWasAnAttempt, it's a lot easier to get a post to be seen (plus, the algorithm helps)."

F4T4-M0RG4N4 said the mod team tries to be as impartial as possible, allowing the members to shape r/ThereWasAnAttempt however they see fit. To a certain extent, of course. "The most common problems are [the same that are] seen throughout all subreddits that I mod/have modded in the past, but it's mostly spam and hate speech (which we always remove), though hate speech is mostly in the comments."

"As for the community of the subreddit, I don't think I could really summarize it," the moderator said. "This is another thing I see throughout most subreddits, but the communities are made up of many different people, with different stances on ideas and different personalities. That's also what I love about Reddit, everyone is on here using the platform, be it for better or worse, you get a little bit of everything."

F4T4-M0RG4N4 also wanted to use the opportunity to express their gratitude to everyone involved. "I would like to thank everyone on the subreddit for my unique modding experience!"

Psychotherapist Amy Morin, LCSW, who is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind and the author of the bestselling book "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," believes that failure is something we all endure and it's important to know that there are things we can do to feel better about it.

First off, embrace your emotions. Morin highlighted that failure is often accompanied by a variety of emotions, including embarrassment, anxiety, anger, sadness, and shame, just to name a few. Those feelings are uncomfortable, and many people will do anything they can to escape the discomfort they cause but according to research, allowing yourself to feel bad is actually motivating. It can help you work harder to find better solutions so that you'll improve next time.

Next up, we should make an effort to recognize our unhealthy attempts to reduce pain. "You might be tempted to say, 'I didn't actually want that job anyway,' but minimizing your pain won't make it go away," Morin explained. "Distracting yourself or filling the void you feel with food, drugs, or alcohol won't heal your pain either. Those things will only provide you with some temporary relief."

After that, we can start focusing on healthy coping skills instead. "Calling a friend, practicing deep breathing, taking a bubble bath, going for a walk, or playing with your pet are just a few examples of healthy ways to deal with your pain," the psychotherapist explained. "Not every coping skill works for everyone, however, so it's important to find what does for you."

A review published in Clinical Psychology Review that looked at 46 studies examining reactions to failure found that a "more positive attributional style" was a strong factor in how resilient people were to the emotional distress caused by failure. In other words, they saw failure as a result of something specific and external rather than something internal.

"When you find yourself thinking that you're a hopeless cause or that there’s no use in trying again, reframe your thoughts," Morin suggested. "Remind yourself of more realistic thoughts about failure such as: a) failure is a sign that I'm challenging myself to do something difficult; b) I can handle failure; c) I can learn from my failures."

However, you will probably need to repeat a phrase or affirmation more than once in order to ward off negative thoughts or to reinforce to yourself that you can bounce back.

If you've spent most of your life avoiding failure, it can feel really scary when it finally catches you off-guard. However, facing your fears can really improve your quality of life.

Practice stepping outside your comfort zone, and over time, you'll learn that messing up isn't as bad as you thought.