25 'Hard To Swallow Pill' memes deliver some of the most difficult universal truths

We all have the tendency to ignore certain facts that are simply too hard to accept. Living in denial of these truths is much easier than accepting that this is simply the way things are and that we need to reassess our lives and the world as we see it. According to clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Mary Lamia, this notion of being in denial has taken on a life of its own. "Although denial is considered to be a defense often used by people with addictive tendencies, its attributions reach beyond those struggling with substances," she explained to Bored Panda.

"Denial is also attributed to people who do not want to acknowledge that bad stuff is occurring in their lives, such as those who are attempting to cope with a tumultuous relationship, a life-threatening illness, obesity, a loss, or anything else that one may attempt to disavow," Lamia added. "What’s important is not that people recognize their denial, but that they are able to accept what they are feeling that leads to the denial in the first place. If someone excessively and habitually uses alcohol to medicate their anxiety, for example, we might emphasize their attempts to dismiss the harm that their use of alcohol will cause, rather than focus on the emotions they feel that motivate their denial."

"If that person stops drinking, one would hope the emotions that were formerly hidden by denial, which often have to do with shame, would be exposed and accepted by the individual," Lamia continued. "Sometimes feeling positively may be just as threatening as negative feelings. We may want to deny the reality of our emotions, because accepting a reality that is uncomfortable, painful, or incongruous to what we expect means we must also alter our perception of ourselves. Thus, if you are in denial, perhaps you are simply trying to ignore the truth about what you actually feel, rather than about what you are doing or thinking."

The 'Hard To Swallow Pill' meme sprouted as a response to this phenomenon and it delivers some of the most hard-hitting truths out there. Here are 25 of the most relevant truths that many of us may have been ignoring for way too long:

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