There are many things in life that people take way too seriously. They obsess over these things to the point of stress and anxiety. Life is too short for this, but people tend to overthink and overcomplicate things. They become obsessed with achieving something or meeting certain expectations and forget to enjoy life and appreciate simple things. Here are big things that people take way too seriously in life.
SOCIAL MEDIA VALIDATION
Many people are obsessed with social media; it is a huge part of their lives. They’re constantly posting and engaging on different social media platforms. They are gratified by the validation they get on social media and take it too seriously. Many spend hours crafting the perfect post, anxiously waiting for validation from others in the form of likes and comments, and obsessing over their follower count. This type of behavior can lead to anxiety, depression, and feelings of low self-esteem.
AGE
People are constantly worrying about aging, going as far as spending thousands of dollars on expensive treatments and surgeries that would make them look younger. People also lie about their age, and this fixation can cause anxiety in the long term and cause people to lose sight of themselves.
JOBS
While jobs are an essential part of one’s life, they are not everything. There is more to life than a job, but people let their jobs consume them to the point of losing their individuality and letting themselves be known by a job title. They link jobs to prestige and treat others according to their job type. Apart from this, people who are consumed by their work and leave no room for relationships and personal interests end up suffering from burnout, exhaustion, and general dissatisfaction.
PERFECTIONISM
Many people are obsessed with achieving perfection in every aspect of life. They take perfection too seriously, trying to be perfect in everything from work to relationships, which is nearly impossible. Perfection is a human-constructed myth, and striving for perfection in every field of life would only lead to disappointment and frustration.
SOCIETAL PERCEPTION
People take societal perceptions too seriously and try to impress everyone. They become fixated on conforming to societal norms, expectations, and standards and are worried about being judged or criticized by others. People try to change their personalities to fit into something that is accepted by others, thereby losing sight of their self, values, and beliefs. This often leads to anxiety and discontent in life.
FUTURE
Many take the future too seriously; they are always worried about their future and spend hours thinking about what could go wrong and how to avoid it. People obsess over financial security, careers, and relationships of the future without living in the present. This fixation on the future can rob people from enjoying the present and cause anxiety and stress,
EDUCATION
Education is another common thing people take way too seriously. Many judge people based on their education alone; they place a lot of importance on degrees from prominent colleges like Ivy League and respect those from these colleges more. People also feel a lot of pressure to get into good colleges and lose themselves in this journey, neglecting their physical and mental well-being. Such fixation on education can cause individuals to lose sight of the bigger picture, leading to feelings of emptiness and dissatisfaction, sometimes even after achieving their educational goals.
SELFIES
Many people take selfies way too seriously. They are obsessed with taking as many selfies as possible. They also want the perfect selfie, and some even spend hours editing their selfies to create a flawless image of themselves.
This fixation leads to self-obsession, lower self-esteem, lack of confidence, and body image issues.
iPhones
The Android vs. Apple debate is a longstanding one. This debate mainly exists because people take their phones too seriously, especially iPhones. People take iPhones way too seriously, to the point of looking down on those who don’t have one. They also willingly spend thousands of dollars on every new iPhone model to keep up with imaginary trends and frown upon those with older models.
ONLINE COMMENTS
People take online comments way too seriously, even when they don’t know the person who commented personally, which is usually the case. They even get offended when someone doesn’t share their beliefs on something and take their opinions seriously to the point of engaging in a battle of words. People become fixated on replying to every comment and seeking validation, so much so that they get trapped in a cycle of online drama and negativity.
CELEBRITIES
People take celebrities way too seriously, following everything and believing their on-camera personalities are their true personalities.
One of the main reasons for this is the mentality that celebrities are somehow better than us and are people to be looked up to.
Social media and widespread media coverage have created a false sense of intimacy and familiarity with celebrities, causing people to put them on a pedestal and take them too seriously.
CAREER GROWTH
People tend to take their career growth way too seriously. Career growth is important, but constantly obsessing over it and forgoing to live and enjoy the present can have a negative impact on a person’s physical and mental health. The constant pressure on oneself to climb the corporate ladder, get promotions, and achieve professional success can lead to burnout, anxiety, stress, and depression.
MUSIC
Some like Beethoven, some like Taylor Swift, some like country music, and some like opera. Music tastes vary from person to person, and many people take their music very seriously. They judge others’ music tastes and don’t appreciate that people might have different tastes than them. They feel the type of music they listen to is superior to what others listen to and tend to look down on others. This type of behavior might start conflicts, too.