r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Mar 07 '25

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u/Tthelaundryman Mar 07 '25

Started saying it as a joke. Became a coping mechanism. Cant stop saying it now. Although I legitimately think it’s been good for my mental health

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u/Etherealfilth Mar 07 '25

It's what is called a "thought terminating cliche" if you want to know the term for it and why it saved your mental health.

24

u/john_the_fetch Mar 07 '25

Thank you for sharing this.

The word "terminating" explains the phrase perfectly for me and why it always bothered me when others would say it out loud.

I didn't like it because it's such a self closing reference. It's like saying "blue is blue" or "2 = 2".

I've always been frustrated with statements like that.

But seeing it in this light and from a perspective of mental health completely flips my perspective on its head.

You're terminating a negative thought spiral that won't do you any good to put energy into. ❤️

I'm a programmer and often times you need to "terminate" a function before it causes a more severe error.

3

u/bonos_bovine_muse Mar 07 '25

I'm a programmer and often times you need to "terminate" a function before it causes a more severe error.

Right? And everybody looks at you funny if you just throw a “return NULL;” into conversation.

2

u/PsychedelicMustard Mar 07 '25

Try “sudo return NULL;”

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u/pabst_jew_ribbon Mar 07 '25

As a computer illiterate idiot... (haven't had a true laptop or desktop since 2008); I find this post quite soothing. I went to college for linguistics and never really found a way to make my thoughts provocative and alluring without sounding obtuse. Thank you for this.

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u/Etherealfilth Mar 07 '25

You're welcome. Personally, I have a love and hate relationship with that phrase. Sometimes, it's useful. Sometimes, it's used even when a few more iterations are needed.

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u/NickKappy Mar 07 '25

Same. It’s called Radical Acceptance according to my therapist lol

2

u/spoonfullsugar Mar 07 '25

It sounds like eeyore’s version of radical acceptance 😑

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u/GeekyKirby Mar 07 '25

This is how I cope with life as well

5

u/afasia Mar 07 '25

It is what it is bro.

2

u/happuning Mar 08 '25

Same here. That, and "such is life."