30 People With Non-Obvious Illnesses Share The Reasons People Get Mad At Them

What seems incredibly simple for one individual might be extremely hard for another. There’s a bit of an understanding and empathy gap here. People can find it hard to put themselves in someone else’s shoes concerning tasks and activities that come naturally to them. However, we can start to understand what patients might be feeling by considering what we, ourselves, find difficult, and applying it to other areas in life.

Something else to take into account is the amount of chronic pain and discomfort some folks might be dealing with every single day. We have to think back to the times that we’ve had to function while in pain if we don’t ‘get’ how others might have trouble doing seemingly ‘easy’ tasks. Have you ever had to work or go to school with a toothache, broken arm, or severely upset stomach? Now imagine having to get things done with that (only possibly even worse).

Then there are the psychological factors to consider. People with ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s, autism, extreme sensory sensitivity, and other disorders provided the internet with a window into their lives in the r/AskReddit thread. The best way forward is to be as kind as you can to everyone you meet, no matter if they’re fit as a fiddle or have to deal with lots of obvious and not-so-obvious medical problems.

According to psychotherapist Silva Neves, people have two different, constantly-competing instincts within themselves. One for kindness. The other—for survival. Our brains are hardwired to reward us when we’re acting in a social and altruistic way, he told Bored Panda a while back. A the same time, we’re also prone to selfishness because it’s directly linked to our desire to survive.

People tend to worry that by helping someone out, by being kind to them, it can somehow backfire on them. However, there are benefits to kindness, too. Altruism can make us feel good physically, it gives us a sense of purpose, and it can raise our own self-esteem.

“It [kindness] is also good for others, obviously. So kindness is actually something that we, humans, are naturally driven to be. “The sense of kindness is in competition with our survival mode, so, as human beings, we tend to live in contradiction, between kindness (opening our arms) and protection (closing our arms).”

Meanwhile, the Action for Happiness team previously explained to Bored Panda that altruism is closely linked to our own happiness. When we’re kind to others, when we act in a selfless way, the reward center in our brains gets activated.

“Small daily actions one at a time can help us to make altruism a lifetime habit. You could start out small by deciding you are going to smile at everyone you meet or pay three people a compliment today,” the AfH team shared how someone can start becoming kinder to others in their daily lives. You might decide that you want to volunteer for a good cause, help an elderly neighbor, or give money to charity.

“All of these actions help others and boost your own happiness and if we are happier, research shows we are even more likely to help others,” Action for Happiness said. According to them, if you’re not used to being altruistic and kind, it’s fine to fake it until you make it.

“Maybe at first, you start out doing things to help others only to get attention and praise, but you will find that doing things for others helps you feel good and when you see people’s responses. Once you see the difference you can make in the world and to your own happiness and altruism can grow naturally.”