"Felt Like An Idiot": 35 Things People Did Wrong For Years Until They Learned The Right Way

Not making a joke when someone gives you a compliment. I have learned to say “thank you. That’s nice to hear”. Game changer for me.

If you're trying to hang a picture by catching the crosswire on a nail in the wall, slide a fork down over the nail so the prongs are behind the nail head and the fork is angled away from the wall. Slide the wire down behind the fork, and it will be guided right onto the nail. Then just pull up the fork. Saves a dozen attempts to "catch" the nail on the wire.

Opening a beverage can.

I keep my fingernails very short and sometimes it would be a bit finicky to open the tab on a can.

I was damn near 40 years old when my buddy showed me you’re supposed to push down on the hinge portion of the tab with your thumb to raise the other edge of the tab so you can get your finger under it. I felt like an idiot.

If you're a man, you don't need to pee standing up. This will save you a lot of cleaning.

Not an everyday activity, but someone showed me I'd been wasting celery for years. When it goes limp and loses its crunch, you can just soak it in water overnight, and it makes it crisp again.

Using a gift card to sign up for free trials.

My aunt is a physical therapist, she said that if people did simply one teeny tiny change in the way they walk, older people would be in better health.

That oh so simple thing is just walking up steps by placing your whole foot on the step, and keeping your heel on the ground with each step. As opposed to having your heel hang off the step.

That’s it. Requires zero additional effort, just changes the way you walk up stairs. What it does is increase hamstring strength. You already have enough thigh strength from general walking. The amount of older people she sees every day with weak hamstrings is wild.

If you’re mounting something to the wall that has pre-designed holes on the back, rather than measure between the holes and try to space the nails/screws accordingly, stretch a single piece of painters tape (blue tape) across the back of the piece from just before the beginning of the first hole to just after the last one. Mark each hole with a pencil/pen on the painters tape, then place the tape on the wall and voila, you have a perfect mounting template. I suggest you do a quick check with a laser level on the wall just to make sure your marks are level before drilling.

Putting the bedding away. Fold the covers and the sheets and put them inside the matching pillowcase. Then they all neatly fit in the cupboard and you can easily find a complete set.

I would always add oil or butter to my pan right away and wait for it to heat up. You're actually supposed to wait until the pan gets really hot and then add the oil. Doing that makes any pan non-stick.

I used to open a banana by pulling the top, then I saw some documentary with a monkey opening them from the bottom and it's 10 times easier.

I also learn that I'm more stupid than a monkey that day.

Taking the safety cap off of deodorant.

I used to try to get my finger nails under it and pop it off. They were quite a pain in the a*s to get off. In my late 20s my roommate was talking to me while unpacking her groceries and she opened her deodorant and just twisted up the stick so that the cap came off. I was shocked

Emotional processing.

If I was sad, I'd let myself be sad for a tiny bit, and then brush it off... Saying "I don't have time for this", or " I'm stronger than this", or "crying does no good"

Then anger and frustration would build up until arguments over nothing would happen.

I was shown how to "make space" for those "negative" emotions, and just *feel* them until they quieted on their own.

Been doing that every time they show up, and the anger and frustration is gone. Most of the anxiety is gone too.

Did it with fears too, which is making a *huge* difference in relationships.

It's a good thing too; old me wouldn't be able to handle half the s**t that current me is shouldering.

you cut tomatoes with a serrated edged knife. It's just... so much easier. there is no squishing of the tomato.

Putting onions in the refrigerator for a half hour/ hour before cutting makes it so you don’t cry from the fumes. Learned this working in a restaurant kitchen having to prep 100 lbs of onions every shift. Refrigerating them first was a necessity.

Those tiny, obnoxious cans of tomato paste. You can take both ends off with the can opener, and use a wooden spoon to push on the top. It comes out clean like a push pop!

Sliding your thumb on the spacebar of your phone will move the cursor.

Cleaning the stupid microwave. I used to scrub it and hurt my back before I stumbled on a video about microwaving vinegar beforehand and it really works. I am disabled so all that time I could have cleaned it without hurting myself all those years.

I just remember that one dude being told you could wait for the shower to warm up instead of having to stand in it cold as it warms up lmao.

Boots first, then corset.