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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To just feel like life just isn't fair sometimes.

9 replies

SaturdayNightFever · 16/01/2019 10:07

I'm fed up and sometimes I just want to moan like a child and scream it's not fair!

Its not fair I couldn't have kids till so late in my life.
Its not fair dh lost his job.
Its not fair I had an abusive family.
Its not fair I have mental health problems.
Its not fair I'm always skint.
Its not fair I live in a dump.

I know I sound terribly ungrateful but I need to vent. Smile

OP posts:
toomuchfaster · 16/01/2019 10:18

I feel you!! I have worked so hard at my job and been landed with a colleague who hates me and it's just not fair!!
Not as and as your list but I definitely agree.

SaturdayNightFever · 16/01/2019 10:22

toomuchfaster ugh I feel your pain. Having horrible people around you at work is just so shit. I've had that before too and ended up leaving.

OP posts:
Breakawaygirl · 16/01/2019 10:23

Hi OP

'Life is unfair' is one of its fundamental tenets. I've felt the same this past year as have dealt with a terminally ill mother and marriage problems. My list has gone:

It's not fair that my mum is ill and for so long.
It's not fair that I'm having marriage problems.
It's not fair that I am losing my job in six months.

The problem with this line of thinking is that life simply ISN'T fair, and by getting stuck in it's not fair, you start to feel and behave like a victim which only ensures that things get WORSE. Being a victim is a state of powerlessness. You need to feel powerful. As unfair or hard as things are, they CAN change. There is always something you can do to improve your situation, rather than lamenting that it simply isn't fair.

Try reframing it like so:

Its not fair I couldn't have kids till so late in my life.
I wish I could have had my kids sooner, but I am grateful that I do have my kids and that they are happy and healthy. Maybe I had kids later so I had more to teach them.

Its not fair dh lost his job.
I am grateful that DH and I are sticking together through these hard times. He will get another job. Maybe there are small things I can do to help him.

Its not fair I had an abusive family.
I am glad that I have turned out so well despite having an abusive family. My family were not perfect and were unhealthy but did the best they could given their own problems. I have my own family now and can make better choices.

Its not fair I have mental health problems.
I can do my best to improve my mental health. Examples include setting myself small daily goals, going for short walks, getting therapy if required, posting on mumsnet for advice, a short meditation daily, counting three things I am grateful for each day. I can take control of my mental health as much as I can. I am doing well for someone with these struggles.

Its not fair I'm always skint.
I can find a source of income or be more cautious about my spending. I can stop looking as aspirational Instagram pages or social media so as to stop comparing/living beyond my means. Slowly but surely I can build myself back financially to a place I feel comfortable with.

Its not fair I live in a dump.
I am grateful that I have a safe and warm place to live with people I love.

Also remember that lots of people have been dealt very unfair cards. J K Rowling, author of the HP books was a single mother living on welfare who escaped a violent ex and suffered depression when her mother died. She went on to be published and become a millionaire, remarried and had more children. Not every example is so extreme in its rags to riches, but it shows that life can turn around.

The best thing you can do is not give up on yourself or family because things are unfair. You never know when things can change and you have more power/control to change things than you might believe. If you've had an abusive start and have mental health struggles, then you are stronger than you realise. No life isn't fair, but it can still be good!

Productrecall · 16/01/2019 10:27

You're right! Too many things out of our control which are just not fair. Your list sounds pretty depressing :(. I'll add to the list:

It's not fair that dp went behind my back and had a trial run of a new girlfriend for months, while I was trying my best to get us through a difficult patch (caused by him!).

It's not fair that I've wasted the best and most productive years of my life on this relationship without knowing the truth.

It's not fair that I didn't know I should have been trying out other ppl too!

Breakawaygirl · 16/01/2019 10:30

@Productrecall

I am sorry to hear that about your partner. We can never control another person which can make it one of the hardest areas where life can feel truly unfair.

It sounds like you are well shot of him. Try to make this time about YOU now.

SaturdayNightFever · 16/01/2019 10:45

Breakawaygirl your post was brilliant. Thank you. I am in a very difficult time right now and I know it's because of this my perception of everything is through shit tinted spectacles and everything just seems crap to me right now. Once things improve I know i will be a lot more happier.

Dh has actually found a job but it almost killed us financially. We literally had almost nothing in the bank and would probably have lost the house too.

I've had more downs than ups in my life and as I'm getting older my patience and strength are waning. I've told dh I just want a boring stable life where I know what's going on with no stupid surprises or big changes always happening. That's all.

OP posts:
Stardustinmyeyes · 16/01/2019 10:51

@Breakawaygirl
Sorry to @you. Your post is fantastic and very true. A change of perception can help sometimes

DonCorleoneTheThird · 16/01/2019 10:51

Of course it's not fair. You see examples everyday that make you despair. You also see cases that make you realise how lucky you are, but it still doesn't help.

The best way to deal with that is tackle what you can and work on improving what you can. You can research what could help your mental healthy, I am a strong believer in so-called "alternative medicine" because they have worked for me. You can increase your income, redecorate, make a plan to move.

It's ok to be pissed off, but better to use that energy for something.

Breakawaygirl · 16/01/2019 10:54

@SaturdayNightFever

I'm sorry that you are going through such a hard time Flowers When we deal with so much at once, it can shift our perspective and as you say, we start to see things through shit tinted spectacles. Some things genuinely are shit and there's no way around that, but we can still work on our perspective. Some days you'll need to just let yourself feel shit and accept it, but you can also give yourself some straight talking and say, 'things aren't great right now, but I am still here, still loved, still alive and as long as I am those three things I have the power to make things better - and I will!'

I am happy to hear your DH has found a job and that although it NEARLY financially crippled you, it didn't, another thing to be grateful for :)

I can relate to the having more downs than ups and this can be very hard to deal with. We start to only see the downs. Try to focus on the ups that you have had. I also relate to your patience and strength waning - we think these things increase but they can deplete when they keeping getting tested.

I would always advise taking some time for yourself first, ideally at the start of each day if you can. Sit and write down things you're grateful for and what you'd like life to be (if this works for you.)

I'd also recommend a free YouTube channel, Mel Robbins Mindsetreset, she teaches skills to get our minds in gear to improve our life's. She also was in financial difficulty at one stage and was depressed and an alcoholic.

When we feel so low, we can't imagine feeling better, but you will have hidden reserves of strength to tap into, and when that fails you, take some time for a walk/music/cry, ANYTHING that works for you to make you feel a bit better.

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