From everyday bad habits to hidden toxins to deeper-rooted systemic issues, countless factors quietly chip away at our physical and mental health. Many of them are so normalized that we hardly question them — but that doesn’t mean they aren’t harming us.
Recently, Reddit users opened up about everything they think is slowly killing us that society just pretends isn’t a problem. Here’s everything they shared:
2.
“The hoops people have to jump through now just to have a job. Ghost jobs, AI screening out resumes, remote work that isn’t really remote (especially remote jobs not telling people where they can and can’t hire), easy baiting and switching, and the job platforms allowing scams.”
3.
“Mental health struggles — anxiety, depression, burnout — and how they’re often ignored or stigmatized in favor of ‘toughing it out,’ or just pushing through. The societal pressure to constantly perform and be productive can lead to mental exhaustion, but addressing it feels like an afterthought in a lot of ways.”
4.
“Everyone’s shitty understanding of nutrition.”
6.
“Microplastics. Get this. Plastic was created in 1907, which makes it roughly 118 years old. It’s been around a little more than a century, and it’s everywhere. Antarctica? Microplastics! Deepest oceans? Microplastics! Your food? Microplastics! Nylon, polyester, acrylic, polypropylene, and lots of others. Scientists are trying to study long-term effects, but with no control group, it’s very difficult.”
8.
“Isolation from our immediate communities. The ability to go online and avoid interacting with your immediate surroundings has crippled the social ability of predominately social animals.”
11.
“Sedentary lifestyle. Most people I know sit for 8 hours a day. Maybe a tenth I know actually exercise. Spinal problems, posture problems, breathing problems, blood flow problems. We weren’t born to sit down this much for these long periods of time.”
12.
“Instant gratification. With the increase in technology, we’ve become impatient and entitled. We want immediate results for everything. We go to a restaurant, immediate results. We go to a hospital, immediate results. We’ve lost our ability to wait for anything. Patience is a virtue that sadly not many have nowadays.”
14.
“Cars, and car-related support industries. Think of how many superfund sites and cancerous chemicals are generated to support cars. Beyond that, Florida is going to make radioactive waste roads. Eight million people die annually from fossil fuel-related diseases. THEN, we get to the 1.2 million annual deaths globally from the things.”
16.
“Coming from someone who is chronically ill and into public health: BPAs, microplastics, pesticides, mold and mycotoxins, chronic viral infections, dyes in our food, SUGAR, alcohol, general inflammation, preservatives, heavy metals, EMFs, PFAS, bad air quality, bad water quality, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, sedentary lifestyles, lack of sleep, addiction, and number one: STRESS…yeah, I’d say that’s the tip of the tip of the iceberg.”
Do you have any others to add? Let us know in the comments.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.