Who doesn’t hate a piece of random advice coming straight at you with full force of unneeded impact? If there’s anything the world would be better off without, it would be unsolicited advice.
But in reality, these wisdom bites from colleagues, friends, and whoever feels confident enough to throw one out are so common, you wonder how come they’re still legal. And one Reddit user u/5000Castillo decided to find out whether some of the advice is actually useful.
The question “What felt like a useless piece of advice until you actually tried it?” which, at first, seemed to be crossing the line, got almost 60K upvotes and a whopping 20.2K comments. The answers are in, and you will be surprised to hear the results.
#1
My dad always told me ‘Ask anyway, the worst they can say is no’ when buying something or when I needed something from another person. Seemed stupid to ask if I was sure they would say no but I was also a socially anxious kid. Turns out that advice has helped me with school, with raises, with people in general, with plans with new friends…
Image source: astrocanyounaut
#2
Instead of saying, “I’m sorry for being late,” or something,
say, “thank you for being patient”
Didn’t realize the effect that could have on people, and instead of putting yourself down, you bring another up.
Image source: TheOne-SidedCoin
#3
Its better to lose a second of your life than to lose your life in a second.
People on the road need to just slow down a little. It’ll save your life
Image source: alphalegend91
#4
Clean as you cook, dishes right away, and 10 minutes every day walking through the house picking things up/organizing.
So much better than hours of cleaning on one day
Image source: Olive767
#5
Compliment people behind their backs. Sounds stupid but works wonders.
Image source: La_Lechuga
#6
Just don’t drink today. Surely you can do that. Then just repeat.
It’s been 19+ years.
Image source: opie2
#7
Directly expressing my needs instead of hinting.
Image source: grapesofap
#8
On my wedding day my Grandmother said to me “Never do anything around the house that you don’t plan on doing for life”. At the time I thought it was a terrible advice. When I was mowing the lawn at 7 1/2 months pregnant I got what she meant.
Image source: janfleury
#9
Cleanining your house before leaving for more than 5 days. Nothing is better than coming to a clean house.
Image source: Saturnwithasunroof
#10
My grandfather told me this and I never understood it until I had my own place. Always buy the cheap tools at first and if you wear it out/break it then you use it enough to justify getting a nicer more expensive one.
Image source: the-silliest-goose
#11
Pay bills, SAVE, then spend.
Image source: all_in_this_together
#12
When you’re stressed, make a to do list. I was always like, I KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO GET DONE I JUST CANT DO IT ALL. But if you write it down it doesn’t have to all live in your brain and you can focus.
Image source: Mybuttfelloff
#13
Leftie loosie, rightie tightie
Image source: JustJeff236
#14
Just shut up and listen. Actually listen.
Too many people don’t know how to just listen without thinking that they have to add to the conversation. No just stop. You don’t have to add anything. You are not helping. You aren’t even paying attention to wait is being said because you are thinking of what you can say.
Image source: curlyquinn02
#15
If it takes less than 5 minutes, do it immediately
I do so much less housework on weekends because of this
Image source: somefredkid
#16
Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.
Image source: fiddlesdevil
#17
Practice gratitude. Grateful people are happy people.
Image source: klop422
#18
My mom told me to spend good money on the things that separate you from the ground: tires, shoes, mattress. I finally bought good not cheap shoes and life was SIGNIFICANTLY better. They last so much longer and my back and posture improved too. She’s not wrong about tires and a mattress either
Image source: KalePanic-
#19
Unclench your jaw, open your hands, drop your shoulders, and breathe in.
Image source: Tehsyr
#20
If you dont have anything nice to say, dont say nothing at all.
People dont wanna hear “Eww, yuck, you like that?” When referring to someone’s food for example.
Image source: DitaVonThese
#21
This too shall pass. On those days when I just feel like I can’t take it I think of that, and I know tomorrow will be different. Someone once told me, “tomorrow may not be better, but at least it’ll be different.” In a strange way that too is comforting.
Image source: rakmode
#22
My therapist told me the next time I’m going to have a panic attack to just give in and tell myself it was ok to have one . I told him he was crazy. After a couple tries it started working to my amazement. I haven’t had a panic attack in 3 years
Image source: Donkey0394
#23
If you have body image issues, find one even very small thing you like about yourself. My starting point was a freckle in the middle of my left hand. Whenever you’re feeling bad about yourself, remember you like that ONE thing. Find a new small thing to like about once a month if you can. It becomes easier to find things, and eventually easier to like yourself, in my experience. Thanks for that advice, Mom.
Image source: selbrat
#24
Be yourself.
The less you care what people think and the more real you are, the more people start to like you.
Image source: velour_manure
#25
“Your gums bleed when you floss because you don’t floss enough”
Turns out if you floss enough, your gums won’t be inflamed so they don’t bleed when you floss
Image source: smityhasnwrth43
#26
Smiling at people. You can get a lot just from a simple smile.
Image source: Cocoapuff2470
#27
Keeping my shoulders back. It was a suggestion I saw for preventing panic/anxiety. Idk what it is, but when your shoulders are in that position it gives some strange feeling of control. I also read somewhere that during panic attacks the body basically wants to curl into fetal position for protection, so I feel like focusing on keeping your arms down and shoulders back is a conscious way to go against that and stay grounded in reality. Works for me, could work for you too.
Image source: coralclouds
#28
Go to the bathroom first thing after having sex.
Image source: rozeboos
#29
Fill your tank all the way up instead of a little at a time.
Image source: mallykv
#30
Life is really much easier if you clean your workplace/room. I clean my room often and it makes me feel calm and clears my head.
Image source: L6fty
#31
I’m not great at this one, but “don’t look for a happy life, look for happy moments”.
Image source: sevenonone
#32
Using a stool to lift my feet into a squatting position to poo. What a difference!
Image source: Lt_H_Anderson
#33
Unpack your suitcase the second you get home.
Image source: shitstickdotcom
#34
Not taking your cellphone into bed with you. After awhile you will sleep much easier without the distraction and blue light shining straight into your eyes before bed.
Image source: Mr_Impossibro
#35
If you have nausea, suck on an ice cube. The nausea will go down.
Image source: willcorrectu
Follow Us
