Things you 'ought to' like but subsequently gave up?

[MrsLCSofLichfield]

Do you ever realise that you are not really enjoying an activity, and that really it conforms to an idea of the sort of person you think you 'should' be, or aspire to be? Do you give it up with relief or sadness, or a combination of both?

Just a small example - I subscribe to a lot of magazines, it's one of my luxuries in life. The other day I cancelled two of them, admitting to myself that I don't really enjoy reading them, but somehow I feel like I should be the kind of person that enjoys them. I suppose we all have a self-image we cultivate, silly as it sounds.

So, just out of idle curiosity - what have you given up on that never really suited you? A hobby, a role, maybe even a whole way of life?

Christianity. No offence meant to anyone who feels at home with it. I found a different path for my spirituality and feel much better for it.

Breaking Bad

My allotment, to do it properly properly is almost a job in itself.

underwear.
hate all of it.
I've stopped wearing knickers 99% of the time.
And only wear bras when absolutely necessary, if I had smaller boobs I'd burn them all.

Coffee!!

Trying for a second baby. Realised I really didnt want another.

Salad

Making lots of effort and being busy. I'd love to be a busy-busy high achiever with a sparkling house, gourmet meals and home baked bread, doing lots of Improving things, but in practice I'm quite lazy and enjoy chilling out doing nothing much. Right now my children are at school and preschool, I've finished work for the day, wiped down the kitchen counter and now I should do other things but I'm sitting listening to the birds. Its very nice.

Theatre and gigs.

Bikram yoga. I very vividly remember being close to the end of a class and thinking I bloody hate this. I cancelled my membership and never returned. I love yoga but despite going for a few years Bikram wasn't for me.

olives - evil things
Wolf Hall - tried several times but just didn't like it (and I will read pretty much anything)
Jazz, especially the kind that goes all round the houses before deciding which door to knock on
Eastenders - depressing and they never close their mouths after speaking
Game of Thrones

Olives
Football, but I never started to like that
Caring what other people think.

Ballet - as in watching it. I’ve seen a couple of high profile ballets that people always say they love but I was just bored

Spa treatments, feel like they should be a lovely treat but they just stress me out and feel so awkward. Realised I really like to just swim and sit in the hot tubs at spas.

@Chihuahuacat I relate to that so much - first class degree from Oxbridge and feel like I’m caught in the rat race…

Also rock climbing. Once I acknowledged I don’t like heights and didn’t enjoy it I’ve never looked back. And camping - I’ll do it as part of a hiking trip if there’s no other accommodation but that’s it, if there’s a hotel or B&B why the hell would I sit in a tiny cloth hut…?! Lots of my friends are very outdoorsy so I do feel a bit judged for these decisions!

Great thread!!

I had a very set idea of how I’d be as a mum, and had to pretty much 180 on my entire “standard” (I’m not really sure how to describe it.

I wanted to be the sort of mum that had endless patience, home water birth, cloth nappies, breastfed, sling only no pram, baby led weaning, co sleeping

My first DS was born by crash section, only ever got horrific nappy rash with cloth nappies, hated the sling with a passion, was bottle feed EMB from 3 weeks, fully formula from 6 weeks. We did co sleep but I didn’t like it so he was in his own room at 6 months. The only thing that worked out was baby led weaning.

DS2 is 11 weeks. Exclusively breastmilk fed (exclusively pump), loves the sling and hates the pram, is happier in cloth nappies, loves sleeping next to me (I’m still not a fan!)

I’m still working on the endless patience thing

Music. Spent my teen years learning singers/lyrics to try to fit in, but actually I dislike pretty much all music. Probably not helped by having Aspergers - I hate loud noises.

Dancing - as above

TV

Theatre - I really try to like it but it seems a pointless waste of time to me. Opera on the other hand I absolutely love.

Salted caramel!

Seafood-I just cannot do it. People rave about going to a place by the coast with 'great seafood' but no, it's not for me.

Work dos.

Shakespeare, i know hes very cultural(?) but i find sitting through his plays tedious and i always end up falling asleep but i feel as if i SHOULD like them.

Cheese-Everyone i know is bananas about it but i can't stand it.

Live music (There are some exceptions if i really want to see the artist) My husband loves all these intimate gigs where the floor is sticky, the music is always a bit dull and there are no seats!

Gardening-I always hear people say how much they love gardening but i just find it so boring! I love the results but hate the process

Wholemeal bread, especially when I realised some of the seeded ones have more fibre anyway

Gardening - my DM is a massive gardener as was her DM.

I HATE it. I love pretty gardens but just see doing the garden as another ‘room’ to tidy and it’s never bloody ending.

Avocados - most over rated food stuff ever. And I’m veggie.

Being the type of parent who encourages their kids to learn coding. Just no. Can’t. Be. Arsed.

Oooo you’ve got me started....

Romeo and Juliet - what a pile of shite.

I used to watch eastenders and coronation street religiously; it felt like something I had to do because I'd grown up with that routine despite it meaning I couldn't do or watch anything else between 7-8 every weekday evening.

One day it clicked that I didn't have to watch them and I felt free!

My undergrad degree. I was very academic at school, top grades, awards, etc so I went off and did a very impressive sounding course at Oxbridge. Turns out I actually much prefer learning things that have a practical application and ended up retraining in healthcare.