Our brains have this wonderful way of making everything seem so much easier when we aren’t staring it right in the face. After all, it’s pretty easy to think about just how productive you’ll be tomorrow while laying in bed. But as time has shown, a lot of life is more complicated than it looks.
Someone asked “What do most people think that is simple to deal with but is actually not?” and people from across the internet shared their best examples. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own ideas in the comments section below.

#1

Keeping plants alive: Water, sunlight, sounds easy, but somehow I ended up with a graveyard of botanic victims.

Image credits: ShyByteSample

#2

Poverty.

There is this mentality “well, if you just pulled yourself up by your bootstraps” or “look! XYZ person is no longer poor, you can do it!”

What they fail to recognize is that poverty can be an inherited condition causing subsequent generations to not be able to escape it. Caused by, amongst other factors, self-reinforcing mechanisms that once it exists, persists unless there is outside intervention.

And yes, those people who have “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps” nine times out of ten had some form of assistance, regardless of what narrative is spun.

Image credits: QuantumSasuage

#3

People who manage their weight easily have no conception how difficult it is for those who can’t.

Image credits: Zomburai

#4

Leaving abusive people. Its not just getting out a door. Its far more than that.

Image credits: mizukata

#5

Breastfeeding. It’s supposed to be natural right? Like, every woman who gives birth can obviously breast feed. Not so much….

Image credits: New-Illustrator5114

#6

Pain. So many people think or even say “Just power through it” because they can power through a mild headache or something. Yeah, I’ll just POWER THROUGH my TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA, one of the top two most painful conditions in the world, also called a “s***ide” condition because it can cause people to shuffle off this mortal coil from pain. (I’m ok now, folks! I found a med that helps but for DECADES I just… dealt with it, curled up in a crying ball on my couch.).

Image credits: GelflingMama

#7

Man, quitting smoking was a real eye-opener for me. I always thought it’d be a piece of cake, you know? Just toss the cigs and boom, done. Ha! What a joke. When I tried to quit last year, it hit me like a truck. The cravings were insane, but the worst part? My head was all over the place. I’d snap at my buddies for no reason, couldn’t focus on jack at work. Everyone’s like, “Dude, just stop buying them.” If only it was that simple! Took me ages, a ton of patches, and some group therapy sessions to finally kick it. Now I get why people struggle so much with this stuff.

Image credits: Real_Hat_7932

#8

Managing personal finances often seems simple but can be surprisingly complex.

Image credits: FrostyFox_98

#9

Dealing with an aging parent especially when dementia or cognitive decline is involved. It doesn’t happen all at once so that all of a sudden everyone just agrees “yep they are legally incompetent.” It’s more like years of worry on behalf of the kids, hurt feelings and denial on behalf of the parent, trying to strategize how to get help from doctors and lawyers when the parent is resistant to help, trying to figure out what is the “last straw,” who can help the parent in what ways, ugh. It’s tough with no clear game plan on what to do.

Image credits: 917caitlin

#10

Moving to a new place. It sounds exciting, but the logistics, loneliness, and adjustment period can be very challenging.

Image credits: glum-liamour

#11

Menopause! ??????.

Image credits: CatSlag

#12

All the s**t you have to do after someone dies.

Image credits: ResponsibleSurfing

#13

Hearing loss. Hearing aids help . You will always deal with auditory processing issues especially in a situation where multiple people are talking. I wish personal subtitles or conversation bubbles were a real thing.

Image credits: karknc

#14

A really messy excel file, I spent like 3 days just untangling the data and triple checking if there’s any mistake.

Image credits: ikantolol

#15

Looking after your Grandchild for a full day. You love them death, but you’re a good 25-30 years removed from watching after another human being and it can wipe you out. Seems easy – just watch a movie or two and take a nap. Nope. It can be like hanging out with a speed freak with no off button.

Image credits: The68Guns

#16

Honestly just working 40 hours a week and trying to be fully present for your family. I’m married, and I have no idea how single parents are doing hanging in there. Big props to single parents!

Image credits: Bipdisqs

#17

Getting out of bed.

Image credits: BilliePannkaka

#18

Breaking up with people? SO or friends it’s hard to do but other people think it’s just a simple No.

Image credits: chenie_derp

#19

Managing mental health, a lot of people think it’s just about being positive, but it’s way more complex and requires real effort and support.

Image credits: driftwinkel47

#20

Toxic parents. People think it’s easy to just cut off bad parents and never speak to them again, but it’s so difficult.

They’re bad to you, but then you think about the times they weren’t so bad. And they’re still not so bad sometimes, so you think maybe you can have the relationship with them you want. But then they’re awful to you again, and you wonder why you bother. But then…

My therapist, my tattoo artist, and I are all working on it together. Lol!

Image credits: EducatedOwlAthena

#21

Periods. Everyone is different, but for some, periods are debilitating. Awful pain, messes with your stomach, creates soreness, slowness, fatigue for days. And more than just being irritable, some of us have full-on temper issues and then gloomy melancholia for the week/s leading up to it. But then some men want to make the joke that “she’s probably on her period.” Yeah. My body is shedding itself. It sucks.

#22

Getting a new job.

#23

Garage doors. I sell them for a living. I grew up installing them. I can’t tell you how many calls we’ve gotten where someone tried working on a door and ended up doubling their bill because they f****d something up. That’s ignoring the part where it’s dangerous. An old man nearly k*lled himself messing with the torsion springs on one call we got. He lost control of the winding bar, and it came down on the top of his cheekbone directly below the eye with the amount of force needed to lift a wood overlay door. Around a 600 lb door, I’m guessing. It shattered that bone and nearly blinded him.

Call a pro, people!

#24

Communicating effectively appears easy, but truly understanding others, expressing oneself clearly, and avoiding misunderstandings requires a lot of practice and patience.

#25

A puppy!

#26

All you have to do is eat less and exercise,
And you’ll lose all that weight.

Image credits: Euphoric-Highlight-5

#27

Sticking to a budget. A simple concept in theory, and yes, poor planning and poor money management definitely exists for a lot of people. But “live within your means” used to mean “do without multiple vacations a year and cut down on frivolous spending.” Now, there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem. People nowadays are not going broke trying to buy brand new nice shiny cars, or winter in the Bahamas; they’re just trying to scrape by in an economy where wages have not caught up to the cost of living. And in the US, a chronic medical condition or one unexpected hospital stay can ruin you financially for years. So, budgeting and financial planning, both relatively simple concepts on paper, become much more complex in practice when your very basic necessities exceed your income, and you keep hearing “well, just spend less.”.

#28

Navigating adult friendships. You’d think staying in touch would just be a matter of sending a text or two, but finding that balance between connection and respecting each other’s hectic life is practically an art form. And let’s not even get started on the intricacies of group dynamics when everyone’s trying to make it to the same dinner plans after months of ‘we should totally hang out’ texts.

#29

Digging a hole. Cutting down a large tree. Pretty much any physical labor in extremely hot weather.

#30

Teaching. Every Tom, D**k, and Harry thinks that because they were once students they know how it should be done.

For non-educators, think about the last time you had to give a presentation. Think about how much time and preparation it took. Think about how nervous you were.

Now imagine you have to do 6 of those. Every day.

Now, add to that a requirement that you have to get every audience member to participate in very specific and structured ways and develop skills while retaining new knowledge.

And a solid half of them don’t want to do that or even be there.

And you have to plan all of that, every day, with 1/5 of the time required to plan for it.

And you have to evaluate each audience member’s growth. And you have anywhere from 20 to 200 audience members.

And an external authority is going to give your audience members a test to see how well you did.

And you might get shot.

And Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson think you’re trying to turn kids into gay, America-hating communists who hate white people.

#31

Assembling IKEA furniture. People often assume it’s a straightforward task, but it quickly becomes a frustrating puzzle where you end up with extra pieces and a strong sense of regret.

#32

Working on cars. People seem to forget that YouTube mechanics have the ability to edit their content to make it seem simple.

#33

The death of a pet. They’re not like toys, they’re family and their loss is felt accordingly.

#34

Getting a good night’s sleep seems straightforward, but balancing stress, screen time, and a busy schedule makes it much more complex than people realize.

Image credits: barelylegalt33n

#35

Anxiety. People who don’t suffer from it think you’re overreacting about most things and controlling your thoughts and responses is a walk in the park. Don’t you think if I could mute the panic button, I would? I mean…

Image credits: HiVi48

#36

Working in retail. Customers seem to think it’s the easiest thing in the world.

Image credits: Dragonking072395

#37

People often think sticking to a diet is simple, but it’s actually really tough.

Image credits: Altruistic-Court4804

#38

Managing mental health. It seems so simple, til suddenly you get anxious or depressed or stressed out. Or you don’t even realize how bad it’s gotten until you hear yourself saying something that you ordinarily don’t say.

Image credits: My_Space_page

#39

Canceling a membership or subscription. .

Image credits: DarkleCCMan

#40

If you have social anxiety introducing yourself to somebody.

Image credits: Deaf_Cam

#41

Living with ADHD, god i wish i could concentrate without meds.

Image credits: the-meanest-boi

#42

Internet/tv providers. Literally a headache every time I have to call them.

Image credits: Shadow948

#43

Panic attacks. If you’ve never had one you have no idea…..

#44

From personal experience, obsessive compulsive disorder. It’s not always having all the pens pointed in the same direction, or cleaning everything and double checking locks. It’s hell on earth and it’s not cute, trendy, or quirky. I wouldn’t wish this f****d up mental torture disorder on my worst enemy.

#45

Borderline personality and bipolar.

#46

Having a chronic illness. Like obviously yoga and meditation will fix me! /s.

#47

Disabilities 

I’ve talked about it before, but there’s an annoyingly high percentage of people, who think their milquetoast suggestions are a Gotcha! to my brain damage effects.

#48

Low level depression. Just because someone isn’t crying all the time and appears to be functional such as getting dressed, eating and working, doesn’t mean it’s easy and one is close to “snapping out of it”.

It can take a huge amount of effort and internal monologue to simply get oneself out of bed every morning to “do it again”.

#49

Dealing with people.

#50

People think to stop crime you just put more police officers out on the street, when the true method of stopping crime is making sure the public’s material conditions are met. That means higher wages for the working class so they can afford goods and services. Child care availability for their children and community centers where young kids and teens can participate in positive activities. All these social safety programs hinder profits, so cities and states would rather just put more cops out there to harass innocent people for minor offenses.

#51

Loneliness.

#52

Boundaries.

#53

Taxes.

#54

Marriage.

#55

Infertility.