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Life can throw us curveballs and often we are faced with unexpected situations.
It’s important to stay on your toes and remain aware of the potential risks around us, yet sometimes there are elements in our lives that can be overlooked or underestimated.
We constantly hear about health scares or extreme weather events but there is a variety of other factors out there that could present serious dangers to ourselves and those around us.
In this article we will look at 15 life-threatening threats you may ignore, but would be wise to pay more attention to in order to protect yourself from harm!
#1. Pain Medication Side Effects
Overt the short term, taking a pill for a headache or a muscle pull isn’t an issue.
But it can be when you consistently take them every day.
The ingredients begin to build up in your body and can lead to serious health consequences.
As a result, it is critical you talk to a doctor if you need these medications for an extended period of time.
#2. Driving
Most people share a common sentiment nowadays: the world is full of substantially more terrible drivers.
This could be due to several reasons, including the fact that there are fewer rigorous driving requirements, people aren’t teaching their children how to drive, or that you need a car to get anywhere.
Whatever the reason, many people don’t take driving nearly seriously enough.
There are so many distractions in the car that pull them away from the road, and a minor second of being distracted can lead to disaster.
#3. Passwords
Every online site we visit seems to require a password, and they need to be more and more complex.
Because they are difficult to remember, people tend to use the same one over and over.
While this seems like a great solution, the issue is that you make it easier for someone to steal your identity.
It would be the same if you had a single key that opened all the doors to your house and car.
While creating different and complex passwords can be annoying, dealing with identity theft is much worse.
#4. Parenting
Some people become parents by accident, and it may show.
Parenting lays the foundation for the rest of someone’s life.
If they’re given all of the tools they need to navigate life with ease, they will have a much easier time growing up and navigating life.
If they’re neglected, not taught essential life skills, and otherwise pushed to the side in terms of priorities, it can greatly affect their life path.
Parenting is a serious responsibility and should be treated as such.
#5. Mental Health
Health is often neglected overall, a clear trend in this piece.
However, mental health can be one of the bigger areas.
Getting the proper mental health support can be challenging because some people might not believe in mental health.
They may not notice these issues or attribute them to something else.
The problem? Mental health issues like anxiety or depression can impact physical health and how you navigate daily life.
As with the above, if you aren’t able to pay for mental healthcare on your own, look for free opportunities or talk with therapists in your area to see if you can find one that accepts sliding scale payments.
#6. Nursing Homes
Not all older individuals have the privilege of aging in place.
Most people need to go to a nursing home to age comfortably.
However, they may not pay much attention to the nursing home they choose.
There are a lot of nursing homes that fall below the standard of care you wish to have, which can greatly impact the rest of your life as you continue to age.
Make sure you do your due diligence when looking into nursing homes to get the best possible quality of care and treatment.
#7. Forest Fire Warnings
If you live in a state where you encounter frequent wildfires, you know how devastating these natural events can be.
A small fire can quickly eradicate acres upon acres of land.
At worst, people can lose their lives and their homes in the process.
That said, not everyone takes these events seriously.
Some people refuse to evacuate even when there’s a warning in their area.
True, some of them get lucky and aren’t in the path of the fire. However, others aren’t so lucky.
If there’s any evacuation notice or a warning about a specific natural disaster in your area, like a forest fire, treat it very seriously and take the necessary action to get yourself, your family, your pets, and your most important belongings to safety.
#8. Big Rigs
People treat semi-trucks like other cars on the road, cutting in front of them or tailgating them without realizing the danger.
These trucks weigh anywhere from 25,000 up to 80,000 when fully loaded. This is why they leave a gap between themselves and other cars.
It’s not for people to cut in, it’s to leave room to stop.
If they are in an accident, odds are the trucker will walk away. The drivers of the cars involved, not so much.
#9. Disinformation and Education
These two tend to go hand-in-hand, so it makes sense to mention them together.
Starting with the first area, people often don’t take disinformation seriously enough.
Disinformation isn’t just something that can be ignored, it can be dangerous.
Whether it’s a lack of education, poor critical thinking skills, or poor research skills, many people will buy into things without doing their due diligence, which can pose a serious risk to people around them.
Moving onto the bigger issue is a lack of focus on education.
Not all education meets expectations, and higher education opportunities can often be out of reach.
A lack of education can make life substantially harder, limiting opportunities and preventing you from advancing.
On one hand, there are factors going against people looking to educate themselves.
On the other hand, some people may not put much stock in education.
Overall, if there’s an opportunity to learn and advance your own education in some way, take advantage of it as soon as possible.
#10. Dental Hygiene
Dental hygiene goes hand-in-hand with personal health, but it’s slightly different.
Dental hygiene can be more challenging to care for, especially without the support of a dentist.
The problem? Not everyone has dental insurance or can pay for dental care.
However, letting problems build up is not a great solution.
Unmanaged dental problems can cause cavities, gingivitis, and even periodontal disease if left untreated for extended periods.
Dental hygiene should be taken very seriously, and there are free resources out there that you can take advantage of to get your teeth attended to without breaking the bank.
#11. Voting and Politics
Politics is a tricky subject. Everyone has opinions and beliefs that ultimately determine how they interact with the world around them.
At the same time, people don’t take voting and politics nearly seriously enough.
Many people won’t vote, but avoiding casting a vote will inevitably lead to less impactful change than you want to see.
Even if you don’t necessarily align with certain people, sometimes just one vote can make a difference.
A lot of people also believe they hold no power, failing to reach out to try to convince people to join a cause.
#12. Personal Health
Personal health doesn’t receive as much attention as it demands or is as emphasized as it often should be.
For some, it’s a matter of simply not noticing problems when they arise or not thinking they could be as serious as they might be.
For others, it’s a lack of access to affordable healthcare resources or even simple things like health insurance.
Ignoring your health can lead to major problems down the road.
Let them pile up long enough, and you can be looking at a severe emergency at the worst possible time.
If you can’t afford traditional healthcare, use available free resources and leverage preventative measures like working out, eating a healthy diet, and engaging in other healthy habits to keep yourself in good health for as long as possible.
#13. Retirement Savings
Many people put off saving for retirement until they are close to retirement.
The problem here is that they miss out on decades of compound interest.
This means they need to save thousands more every month for a comfortable retirement.
They would be miles ahead if they saved earlier, even a few hundred dollars a month.
So while you might have a lot of financial commitments now, you still need to prioritize saving for retirement.
#14. Sleep Deprivation
We live in a highly productive world, and that increase in productivity often means we have to pull time away from other activities to get more done.
One primary source of this time is sleep.
However, taking time away from your sleep can do more harm than good, even if it does seem like you’re getting ahead.
Sleep deprivation can reduce focus and memory, increase fatigue, and put you in very precarious situations if you’re handling heavy machinery or in a line of work helping others.
Make sleep a priority and see if there are other areas in your life that you can cut down on instead.
#15. Hearing
Most of us know that exposure to loud noises over a long period can lead to hearing loss.
But few realize what defines loud.
As a result, people playing their headphones or car radio too loud could be causing serious damage.
And while you can get hearing aids to help you recover some lost hearing, you will never naturally get it back.
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Do you fear growing up or getting older?
Many people have this fear and it can cause serious damage to your life.
Here is how to overcome it and live life to its fullest.
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Are you one who tends to overthink relationships?
This can be a major issue and cause the relationship to end. Learn how to stop overthinking and enjoy the person you are with.
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With busy lives, it can be easy for us to lose control. The best thing we can do is relax our minds.
But how do you do this? Follow these steps and see improvement immediately.
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We’ve all dealt with people with inflated egos. But when it comes to narcissists, some can cause major problems in our lives.
Here are the steps you need to take to protect yourself from these people.
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How to Embrace Change
Change is a natural part of life, but most of us don’t like it.
We are creatures of comfort, enjoying are usual things.
But the sooner you embrace change, the happier you will be.
This thread inspired this article.
Jon Dulin is the passionate leader of Unfinished Success, a personal development website that inspires people to take control of their own lives and reach their full potential. His commitment to helping others achieve greatness shines through in everything he does. He’s an unstoppable force with lots of wisdom, creativity, and enthusiasm – all focused on helping others build a better future. Jon enjoys writing articles about productivity, goal setting, self-development, and mindset. He also uses quotes and affirmations to help motivate and inspire himself. You can learn more about him on his About page.