Forrest Gump was right, life really is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re going to get. Most often, it’s a mixed bag: there’s a lot of bad with the good and good with the bad. However, some days are pretty one-sided.

One day might be full of optimism, sunshine, and enough motivation to move mountains. Another day might be full to the brim with exhausting challenges while you’re losing your faith in humanity, desperately trying to hold the tears back. It’s those days that leave us thoroughly defeated and sad to the core, disappointed not just in ourselves but in others as well.

The r/sadcringe subreddit is an online community of nearly 1.2 million members that has been documenting some of the most awkward and embarrassing situations since 2013. We’ve collected their best recent posts to share with you, Pandas. But keep in mind—some are so awkward and cringey, they might just throw your day out of whack.

Meanwhile, read on for Bored Panda’s interview with Psychologist and Wellbeing Consultant Lee Chambers about accepting and embracing flaws, and why not running away from our vulnerabilities makes people respect us more. When you’re done with this article, you might want to take a peek at our earlier posts about r/sadcringe here: Part 1 and Part 2.

#1 The Balls On This Guy

Image credits: FracturedAuthor

#2 I Am Now "Ethnic Ted Bundy"

Image credits: reddit.com

#3 Well That One Hurt

Image credits: Wheeler_Chair

Psychologist Lee, the Founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing and PhenomGames, told Bored Panda that it’s important to accept that people—from ourselves and our friends to complete strangers—are not perfect. In fact, they’re far from perfect. However, our flaws make us who we are as individuals.

“As humans, we are a wonderfully unique mix that is personal to each one of us. It can always be difficult to find peace with our flaws,” he told us.

#4 Text I Got From My Friend After We Already Called And Talked The Previous Night.

Image credits: LurkerBerker

#5 Controlling "Wifey"

Image credits: DeLovehlyCoconute

#6 Say You’re Insecure Without Saying You’re Insecure

Image credits: nekkototoro

“Whether they [the flaws] be physical, mental, intellectual, or social, many of us will at some point in our childhood been bullied or singled out for our differences,” Lee said that people’s vulnerabilities can mean that others make fun of them. Being different is hard.

#7 We Live In A Society

Image credits: Oceloxxx

#8 One Way Friendship

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#9 Ringey-Things-People-Experienced

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According to the psychologist, the biggest victories lie not in ignoring our imperfections but in actively learning to accept them as an inseparable part of who we are. We also have to learn to be very realistic about what parts of ourselves (and others) we can change and which ones are immutable.

#10 Ringey-Things-People-Experienced

Image credits: ohhasha

#11 A Short Story

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#12 Cringey-Things-People-Experienced

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“It can be easy to ignore them [the flaws], and pretend they don't exist, but the real power comes in accepting them, embracing them, and realizing that some flaws we can change, and others might not be flexible,” Lee told us.

#13 Oof

Image credits: ADmax27

#14 Must’ve Wanted A Different Game

Image credits: WeezyMac_

#15 Ringey-Things-People-Experienced

Image credits: E_StewartLittle

Having a growth mindset is very rewarding and can lead to a higher quality of life. The psychologist told Bored Panda that we have to draw our attention to the areas where “we will have developed in other ways and have amazing strengths as a result” despite our other flaws.

#16 Sheesh

Image credits: medinywaw

#17 Cringey-Things-People-Experienced

Image credits: LittleUppieYT

#18 Savage

Image credits: greenbastardette

According to the mental health expert, what really helps in our journey through life is to realize that nothing and nobody is ever perfect. Nobody is immune to embarrassment. Nobody has avoided sadness. And absolutely nobody hasn’t ever made a fool of themselves in some awkward way. They’re all part and parcel of being human.

#19 That Feeling Is Contagious

Image credits: DemonGodAsura

#20 No One Showed Up To The Speeding Dating Event

Image credits: VoidTorcher

#21 Fs In The Chat

Image credits: ManMan1911

Instead of shying away from our mistakes, embracing them is the healthy way to react. By acknowledging our vulnerabilities, we become stronger and more resilient. We also become more respected by our peers.

#22 No One Came To His Party

Image credits: poppenkill

#23 Cucked Jpeg Owner

Image credits: Vito_Dorito

#24 Just Go To The Prom, Dude

Image credits: Fjelltronen

“The beauty is that sharing our flaws helps us to become more human and connect with others, as we all have weaknesses, and being vulnerable and open will have others seeing you as authentic, honest, and courageous,” Lee said that there are definite upsides to honesty.

#25 Instagram Questions Aren't Anonymous

Image credits: AndrewLonergan

#26 He Bought Tinder Gold To Improve His Chances But Still

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#27 I Felt That One, Ouch

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“The process of taking ownership of your flaws is powerful as it also makes us more accepting of the flaws of others and less worried about fitting in. For as long as we don't embrace our flaws, we will be running from them and be more judgemental of others, less tolerant of differences, and more controlling,” he said.

#28 This Is Something Else, Poor Guy Didn’t Knew The Most Basic Steam Feature

Image credits: EltioEmiGomez7u7

#29 He’ll Never Show His Face In That Place Again.

Image credits: QuirkyWafer4

#30 This Is Sad

Image credits: prasanth-g

Earlier, one of the moderators running the r/sadcringe subreddit, u/Niceboihappy, told Bored Panda that their community has been growing bigger and stronger since the start of the pandemic.

According to the moderator, it’s best to own up to any embarrassment or mistakes if things don’t go your way. “I would say be confident, but not too confident. And, especially, for an unexpected response, it is probably best to just own it and make light of it,” they said.